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Singer and songwriter Shawn Mendes shocked fans at his latest show when he took a moment to openly address ongoing speculations about his sexuality, saying, 鈥渉e鈥檚 just figuring it out like everyone else鈥�.

Shawn Mendes addresses nearly decade-long rumours regarding his sexuality

The 26-year-old artist has been followed throughout his career by speculation from fans and people alike regarding his sexuality. Which is why it took fans by surprise when the hitmaker was finally confronting the rumours after for so many years.

On Monday at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, fans captured footage of Mendes鈥� candid moment where he addressed fans on the long running question of his sexuality before performing his hotly debated single, ‘The Mountain’.

‘Sexuality is such a beautifully complex thing and it鈥檚 so hard to just put into boxes’

鈥淪ince I was really young, there鈥檚 been this thing about my sexuality and people have been talking about it for so long,鈥� Mendes said during his concert 鈥淎nd I think it鈥檚 kind of silly because I think sexuality is such a beautifully complex thing and it鈥檚 so hard to just put into boxes.鈥�

Shawn Mendes opens up about his sexuality:

鈥淭he real truth about my life and sexuality is that, man I鈥檓 just figuring it out like everyone. I don鈥檛 really know sometimes and I know other times. It feels really scary because we live in a society that has a lot to say about that鈥�

鈥� Pop Base (@PopBase)

Mendes continued that the speculation 鈥渁lways felt like such an intrusion on something very personal to me, something that I was figuring out in myself, something that I had yet to discover and still have yet to discover.鈥�

Although the rumours have followed Mendes for a long time, his latest single, ‘The Mountain’,聽in which the singer writes 鈥淵ou can say I鈥檓 too young/ You can say I鈥檓 too old/ You can say I like girls or boys/ Whatever fits your mold,鈥� and a clip from, drove fans and news outlets alike into overdrive, sparking urging him to ‘come out of the closet already’.

Shawn Mendes shares screenshots on his phone with .

鈥� Pop Crave (@PopCrave)

I鈥檓 convinced Shawn Mendes found out he liked men late in his life and he won鈥檛 come out because he doesn鈥檛 wanna give people the satisfaction of being right after years of denying it.

鈥� free palestine. (@RubyQuartzVsr)

I used to be a staunch Shawn Mendez is heterosexual truther, but I can’t defend this….

鈥� Shamir (@ShamirBailey)

tight ass shirt.. belly showing鈥� screenshots of men and their hands鈥� this man is gay asf

鈥� ss岽壥峴掳馃Ζ (@SHABBAINLA)

 

Internet divided by Mendes’ response

Fans are divided by Mendes鈥� statement, with some claiming his address was a ‘cop out’, or ‘queerbaiting’ whereas others felt bad for the star as is growing rampant in recent years. Which has resulted in forcibly making pop culture figures , ultimately leaving fans with mixed feeling and the celebrities in an uncomfortable position in the public eye.聽

i鈥欌�檝e never seen so many people obsessed with one man鈥檚 sexuality. it鈥檚 really no one鈥檚 business including mine because i used to question it myself. i honestly feel like he鈥檚 terrified of what will happen to his career if he openly admits he鈥檚 anything other than heterosexual.

鈥� 鈥� C | A | M | E | R | O | N 鈥� (@its1stclassCAM)

quite frankly I think the fact that he feels a need to even make this statement because despite his previous ones the internet was insistent on saying he鈥檚 queer (including calling him slurs) is just unfair. because now you made it unsafe and uncomfortable for him to explore it

鈥� bri (@bribrisimps)

On the other, perhaps less online, hand, most people couldn鈥檛 care less about Mendes鈥� statement or his sexuality.

Shawnn please. We dont care 馃槶 just come out or dont. No ones forcing you, please 馃槶

鈥� VogueChild (@VogueChilee)

In my opinion, the intrusive speculation on celebrities, or anyone鈥檚, sexuality is quite weird and needs to taken down by several notches, why are we doing that? Let people live their lives and address such an intimate and personal thing on their own terms instead of inadvertently outing them or bullying them into making a vague statement.