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Shawn Mendes documentary "In Wonder" gives private insights
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In the Shawn Mendes documentary—which follows the Canadian pop star on his world tour—Mendes speaks candidly for the first time about his fame, his relationship, and his musical future. Director Grant Singer offers a glimpse into the life of the Gen-Z artist, who truly captures the hearts of his female fans.
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Shawn Mendes is currently one of the most successful and sought-after singers in the world, known for hits like "Mercy" and "Señorita." Netflix has decided to produce a documentary focused on him, which was released on November 23, 2020, titled "Shawn Mendes: In Wonder." Director Grant Singer emphasizes that the 83-minute documentary shows the story of an ordinary young man, and not the story of a pop star. He adds that the intention is to place the viewer right next to Shawn in many scenes, in order to have the feeling of being very close to him. So the camera follows Shawn up close on stage, where he puts on breathtaking performances in front of screaming fans, but also behind the scenes, when he visits his family and reminisces about childhood with his sister.
"In Wonder" features a Canadian artist who always strives to meet people at eye level and stay grounded. Shawn was born with not only insane talent for a singing career, but also incredible good looks. And he appreciates that! However, instead of showing a Shawn who lacks nothing, the Shawn Mendes documentary obsessively tries to bring about problems in the artist's life in certain scenes.
A meteoric rise to fame
Shawn Mendes was born on August 8, 1998 in Toronto, Canada. He first attracted attention on the platforms Twitter, YouTube and Vine. There he published cover songs by Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, and Adele among others. At the age of 15 Island Records offered to sign him, and he immediately agreed. He stormed the charts with "Stitches" (2015) and "Treat You Better" (2016) filling entire stadiums during his world tour. His album "Wonder", characterized by more serious tones, was released in 2018.
A young man with a big voice
In the documentary the camera accompanies Shawn during his tour. At the beginning he's shown communicating with a text-to-speech app because he has lost his voice. That Shawn can sing is no secret, but just how well he can actually sing is surprising. One particularly impressive scene shows him recording a new song with his backup singers while acting as producer. It becomes clear that Shawn is not only a singer, but also a musician with passion.
It seems that in today's world, simply being a successful pop star is no longer enough. Suffering strokes of fate seems to be necessary to remain of interest to the public. Therefore, the Shawn Mendes documentary appears to be an international version of German series "Deutschland sucht den Superstar," which is less about the talent of the contestants and more about illuminating their strokes of fate. The documentary makes an obsessive attempt to expose problems in Mendes' life that are not really problems at all. Instead, one could tell the story of an international pop star who has worked hard for his success.
Intimate glimpses into Shawn's personal life
At the time of filming, Camilla Cabello was the girlfriend at Shawn's side. Camilla and he had just moved into their first apartment together in New York City. The two lovebirds are shown going about everyday activities, such as making coffee in the morning. The young artist seems to have eyes only for his sweetheart. Shawn says that Camilla inspires him in the creation of his songs and that every song he has ever written is related to her.
He never wanted to be famous
As Shawn Mendes once again gets to spend a few days at his parents' home, the idolized singer reveals that he often longs to do what other young people his age are doing. While he says he is immensely grateful for the performances, at the same time he misses just hanging out with his parents, watching movies, driving through suburbs, smoking a joint, and watching constellations with his friends. The camera shows him on a walk with his younger sister Aaliyah, who recounts how he didn't always want to be famous. She recalls that he didn't sing very well at first and there was constant noise in his parents' house, which was very annoying. Aaliyah asked him if he wanted to be famous one day, but he rejected the idea, saying that it must be terrible.
Tearful concert cancellation in Sāo Paolo
One sad moment is shown when Mendes is forced to cancel a concert in Sāo Paulo. He has caught laryngitis. His doctor thinks that it might permanently damage his voice if he were to perform anyway. The camera shows the artist sitting in the empty stadium stands and shedding tears. He is aware that a concert cancellation would mean a tragedy for his fans. But he has no choice but to call off the concert.
Future outlook
Towards the end of the Shawn Mendes documentary, the Canadian artist tells viewers via a text-to-speech app that he has no plans to slow down, despite some challenges. He emphasizes that the next ten years will be crucial for him and that he will continue to work hard on himself.
Would you like to learn more about the lives of other artists? Then check out the mukken blog. In the Books & Movies section, you'll find some great articles about other world-famous musicians like Billie Eilish or Taylor Swift. If you are also a musician, you can also exchange ideas with other musicians in our mukken network. Take advantage of this great opportunity and make new contacts with other drummers, guitarists, etc. now!
Originally published on March 29, 2023, updated on March 29, 2023
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