Quotes from Shawn Mendes

I'm proud to say I'm a role model for kids.

'Mercy,' I love conceptually because I feel like you can either think about it as if it were a girl - which it sounds like it could be about a girl - but I like to picture it as 'pleading for mercy for my career' type of thing.

I always think, what type of 11th grader would I be if I was still at school? Or if I was home all the time, would I be at the gym 24/7? Would I be as good at guitar? I know I wouldn't be as mature as I am.

It takes a certain type of rapper for me to really get into the album.

I would type in things like, 'How to play beginner songs on guitar,' and one of the first I learnt was 'Hey, Soul Sister' by Train. I taught myself these chords I didn't know the name of and slowly started to get the hang. I was obsessed with it.

John Mayer would be my ultimate collaboration because he's just the man. He has basically captured all I believe in with music.

I'm all over the place with muffins. Carrots are great. Banana, chocolate chip, they rock, too.

I think, as a musician and person, Justin Timberlake is someone I've always looked up to.

I loved Nashville. I was amazed by the whole place.

It's extremely important just to keep things positive and happy as much as we can... I think it's important that singers, actors, or whatever use our voice to spread positive messages as much as we possibly can.

I don't want to get on stage and just be another act.

I loved entertainment and acting, performing. I just liked the stage and having the spotlight and stuff.

Being a sex symbol isn't cool unless you're in love with a girl, and she calls you a sex symbol.

Chance The Rapper is just unreal: he's changing rap and really creating this whole amazing new style.

I give big ups to people who are very big on social media, whether they're doing vlogs or whatever. It takes a lot of effort.

I'm tortured because I care. I'm always upset about not doing things as good as I think I could have because I care.

If I don't have cereal on the bus, I'm going to be really upset.

I've never had a scandal, but I don't know if that's so much because I'm perfect, or because people aren't caring enough yet. Give it some time. I'll probably be very upset, but it's a part of the gig.

I'm always upset about not doing things as good as I think I could have because I care.

My advice to anyone with a dream is to never stop pursuing it.

I used to write stories. Handwriting stories in school were a big deal for me. That's kind of what I did.

There's nothing that scares me more than, like, being in the ocean by myself.

Love is probably the strongest emotion that you can feel. It's very natural – and I wouldn't want to say easy – but natural and comfortable to write about, and there's so many different forms of it, millions of layers – you could write forever about it.

There is such a hype and a big build up to me, and it's very hard to meet those expectations. That's been a big stress in my life.