How many fifteen year olds can say their album made it to #1 in over 50 countries? Shawn Mendes sure can. When Shawn was just fourteen he started his career by uploading seven second videos on a popular app called Vine. One short year later, his album Handwritten was number one on the Billboard 200 chart. On September 23, 2016 Shawn Mendes’ New album Illuminate was released, again making its way to number one on the Billboard’s 200 charts in less than an hour.

Illuminate features fifteen different songs with a different vibe in each song. Mendes says that his new album is a more matured version of his al

bum Handwritten that came out in 2015. Shawn Mendes says that he has grown with this album and so have his fans. Many people have asked the 18 year old star what the meaning behind the name Illuminate is. In an interview with IHeartRadio Shawn Mendes gave an explanation to why he named his new album Illuminate.

“It’s a little dark, but when people are going through rough times in their life, music is kind of the biggest thing that sheds light on people through their dark times. And that was kind of where we were coming from.” Said Mendes when the interviewer asked him why he had chosen the title. Shawn Mendes is also the youngest artist since Justin Bieber to make it to number one on charts in more than fifty countries.

Shawn Mendes is an inspiration towards many young teenagers, including myself. I have always had talent in Music in general but i always told myself it would never be more than just a talent because of my age. Many people tend to have that mentality but artists such as Shawn Mendes prove our theories to be incorrect. Shawn Mendes’ fan base has grown immensely since his EP album that was released in 2014. He will be going on tour all 2016-2017 for Illuminate. Mendes will perform at the American Airlines center in July 2017, the tickets are selling out fast.  If you have not listened to Illuminate yet i suggest you do as soon as you can. The songs are very meaningful and are full of emotion. Each song will give you a different vibe and the sound is absolutely captivating. The music Shawn Mendes sings is catered towards anyone at all ages. The album is available on Spotify, Itunes, Google play and in stores now.