Chords for Shawn Mendes Says Taylor Swift Taught Him What It Means to be a Performer | Billboard
Tempo:
114.8 bpm
Chords used:
G
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
You've gone from posting these videos in your bedroom,
where it's a one-way interaction,
to learning how to get on stage and perform.
How did you learn how to do that?
What was the hardest part?
So the funny thing, which I really owe to you,
is when I first kind of, I think we were playing
a New York breakfast television show for the first time.
And I call Andrew and I'm freaking out.
I'm like, I need dancers, I need a track,
I need like, I'm freaking out, I don't know what to do.
Hold on, just play guitar and do your thing.
And I was like, wait, that's not good enough.
Because I was like watching everybody
and they were like singing to track
and I was like, yeah, band.
And I was like, I need a band and backing.
He was like, no, like what's special about you
is the guitar thing.
Like you play, you write, you're an artist.
And that took me, I think, two years to really believe that
and to understand like what that was.
And I think I really kind of owe Andrew that
because two years after playing 150, 200 gigs
with just an acoustic guitar,
I think that there could have never been
a better route for me.
It really kind of made me grow up as an artist really fast
and in the best way.
Thank God I didn't have dancers on that first show.
Yeah, he called me about a week before
the Taylor Swift tour and said, I need a band.
And I was like, you can't put a band together in a week.
There's no way.
It doesn't work that way.
It does not work that way.
So speaking of Taylor, so you toured with her in 2015.
What did you learn from watching someone like that
and how to command an audience?
She, the biggest thing with her was she said to me one day,
like she goes, are you nervous?
And I go, I was speaking to her.
I got nervous just because she's Taylor Swift
and my face would get red every time.
But she goes, are you nervous?
And I was like, yeah.
She goes, why?
I said, I just don't want to mess up,
which is the main reason.
And she goes, everybody in the audience
is there to have fun and support you.
Literally nobody is there to judge you.
It's not a TV show where they're here to judge you.
And kind of since that moment,
I really learned like what it meant to be a performer.
And it wasn't about being perfect.
It was about enjoying it.
Because you watch someone on stage,
whatever they're doing,
and if they are truly enjoying themselves, so are you.
And that was kind of the biggest thing I learned from her
is she went on stage every night to have fun
and to enjoy and to like beam happiness.
Because that's what a live show is about.
It wasn't about being perfect.
And she's perfect either way.
But yeah, that was kind of the biggest thing
I learned from her.
One of my favorite quotes is from Bruce Springsteen.
And he's talking about, you know,
he's obviously given thousands of concerts by now.
And someone said to him,
what happens when you just don't feel like going on?
And he goes, in all these years,
when I'm walking those last 20 feet to get on stage,
it has never failed me.
Never.
That whatever is bothering me falls away and I can't wait.
That is the most incredible thing about it.
And I don't know if that works for everybody,
but it never fails you.
Those 20 seconds right before you step on stage,
whatever is killing you that day,
[G] for some reason just disappears.
And every time you think it's not gonna work this time,
and it always does,
which is kind of the beautiful thing
about what playing live to people is, you know?
What's the last thing you do before you go on stage?
Pee, like 10 times.
I'm like really like crazy about it.
I have this horrible thing
that I'm gonna like have to pee so bad on stage.
And so I like, it's like a running back and forth.
I'm like, I look at my security guard and be like,
is there a bathroom close?
He's like, we have 30 seconds, man.
It's a, yeah, it's a really big fear of mine.
I think one time, one time I was on stage
and had to pee so bad,
and it was distracting me from the show.
And I was like, it's never happening again.
where it's a one-way interaction,
to learning how to get on stage and perform.
How did you learn how to do that?
What was the hardest part?
So the funny thing, which I really owe to you,
is when I first kind of, I think we were playing
a New York breakfast television show for the first time.
And I call Andrew and I'm freaking out.
I'm like, I need dancers, I need a track,
I need like, I'm freaking out, I don't know what to do.
Hold on, just play guitar and do your thing.
And I was like, wait, that's not good enough.
Because I was like watching everybody
and they were like singing to track
and I was like, yeah, band.
And I was like, I need a band and backing.
He was like, no, like what's special about you
is the guitar thing.
Like you play, you write, you're an artist.
And that took me, I think, two years to really believe that
and to understand like what that was.
And I think I really kind of owe Andrew that
because two years after playing 150, 200 gigs
with just an acoustic guitar,
I think that there could have never been
a better route for me.
It really kind of made me grow up as an artist really fast
and in the best way.
Thank God I didn't have dancers on that first show.
Yeah, he called me about a week before
the Taylor Swift tour and said, I need a band.
And I was like, you can't put a band together in a week.
There's no way.
It doesn't work that way.
It does not work that way.
So speaking of Taylor, so you toured with her in 2015.
What did you learn from watching someone like that
and how to command an audience?
She, the biggest thing with her was she said to me one day,
like she goes, are you nervous?
And I go, I was speaking to her.
I got nervous just because she's Taylor Swift
and my face would get red every time.
But she goes, are you nervous?
And I was like, yeah.
She goes, why?
I said, I just don't want to mess up,
which is the main reason.
And she goes, everybody in the audience
is there to have fun and support you.
Literally nobody is there to judge you.
It's not a TV show where they're here to judge you.
And kind of since that moment,
I really learned like what it meant to be a performer.
And it wasn't about being perfect.
It was about enjoying it.
Because you watch someone on stage,
whatever they're doing,
and if they are truly enjoying themselves, so are you.
And that was kind of the biggest thing I learned from her
is she went on stage every night to have fun
and to enjoy and to like beam happiness.
Because that's what a live show is about.
It wasn't about being perfect.
And she's perfect either way.
But yeah, that was kind of the biggest thing
I learned from her.
One of my favorite quotes is from Bruce Springsteen.
And he's talking about, you know,
he's obviously given thousands of concerts by now.
And someone said to him,
what happens when you just don't feel like going on?
And he goes, in all these years,
when I'm walking those last 20 feet to get on stage,
it has never failed me.
Never.
That whatever is bothering me falls away and I can't wait.
That is the most incredible thing about it.
And I don't know if that works for everybody,
but it never fails you.
Those 20 seconds right before you step on stage,
whatever is killing you that day,
[G] for some reason just disappears.
And every time you think it's not gonna work this time,
and it always does,
which is kind of the beautiful thing
about what playing live to people is, you know?
What's the last thing you do before you go on stage?
Pee, like 10 times.
I'm like really like crazy about it.
I have this horrible thing
that I'm gonna like have to pee so bad on stage.
And so I like, it's like a running back and forth.
I'm like, I look at my security guard and be like,
is there a bathroom close?
He's like, we have 30 seconds, man.
It's a, yeah, it's a really big fear of mine.
I think one time, one time I was on stage
and had to pee so bad,
and it was distracting me from the show.
And I was like, it's never happening again.
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You've gone from posting these videos in your bedroom,
where it's a one-way interaction,
to learning how to get on stage and perform.
How did you learn how to do that?
What was the hardest part?
So the funny thing, which I really owe to you,
is when I first kind of, I think we were playing
_ _ a New York breakfast television show for the first time.
And I call Andrew and I'm freaking out.
I'm like, I need dancers, I need a track,
I need like, I'm freaking out, I don't know what to do.
_ Hold on, just play guitar and do your thing.
And I was like, wait, that's not good enough.
Because I was like watching everybody
and they were like singing to track
and I was like, yeah, band.
And I was like, I need a band and backing.
He was like, no, like what's special about you
is the guitar thing.
Like you play, you write, you're an artist.
And that took me, I think, two years to really believe that
and to understand like what that was.
And I think I really kind of owe Andrew that
because two years after playing 150, 200 gigs
with just an acoustic guitar,
I think that there could have never been
a better route for me.
It really kind of made me grow up as an artist really fast
and in the best way.
Thank God I didn't have dancers on that first show.
Yeah, he called _ me about a week before
the Taylor Swift tour and said, I need a band.
And I was like, you can't put a band together in a week.
There's no way.
It doesn't work that way.
It does not work that way.
So speaking of Taylor, so you toured with her in 2015.
What did you learn from watching someone like that
and how to command an audience?
She, the biggest thing with her was she said to me one day,
like she goes, are you nervous?
And I go, I was speaking to her.
I got nervous just because she's Taylor Swift
and my face would get red every time.
But she goes, are you nervous?
And I was like, yeah.
She goes, why?
I said, I just don't want to mess up,
which is the main reason.
And she goes, everybody in the audience
is there to have fun and support you.
Literally nobody is there to judge you.
It's not a TV show where they're here to judge you.
And kind of since that moment,
I really learned like what it meant to be a performer.
And it wasn't about being perfect.
It was about enjoying it.
Because you watch someone on stage,
whatever they're doing,
and if they are truly enjoying themselves, so are you.
And that was kind of the biggest thing I learned from her
is she went on stage every night to have fun
and to enjoy and to like beam happiness.
Because that's what a live show is about.
It wasn't about being perfect.
And she's perfect either way.
But yeah, that was kind of the biggest thing
I learned from her.
One of my favorite quotes is from Bruce Springsteen.
And he's talking about, _ you know,
he's obviously given thousands of concerts by now.
And someone said to him,
what happens when you just don't feel like going on?
And he goes, in all these years,
when I'm walking those last 20 feet to get on stage,
it has never failed me.
Never.
That whatever is bothering me falls away and I can't wait.
That is the most incredible thing about it.
And I don't know if that works for everybody,
but it never fails you.
Those 20 seconds right before you step on stage,
whatever is killing you that day,
[G] for some reason just disappears.
And every time you think it's not gonna work this time,
and it always does,
which is kind of the beautiful thing
about what playing live to people is, you know?
What's the last thing you do before you go on stage?
Pee, like 10 times.
I'm like really like crazy about it.
I have this horrible thing
that I'm gonna like have to pee so bad on stage.
And so I like, it's like a running back and forth.
I'm like, I look at my security guard and be like,
is there a bathroom close?
He's like, we have 30 seconds, man.
It's a, yeah, it's a really big fear of mine.
_ _ I think one time, one time I was on stage
and had to pee so bad,
and it was distracting me from the show.
And I was like, it's never happening again. _ _ _ _ _ _
where it's a one-way interaction,
to learning how to get on stage and perform.
How did you learn how to do that?
What was the hardest part?
So the funny thing, which I really owe to you,
is when I first kind of, I think we were playing
_ _ a New York breakfast television show for the first time.
And I call Andrew and I'm freaking out.
I'm like, I need dancers, I need a track,
I need like, I'm freaking out, I don't know what to do.
_ Hold on, just play guitar and do your thing.
And I was like, wait, that's not good enough.
Because I was like watching everybody
and they were like singing to track
and I was like, yeah, band.
And I was like, I need a band and backing.
He was like, no, like what's special about you
is the guitar thing.
Like you play, you write, you're an artist.
And that took me, I think, two years to really believe that
and to understand like what that was.
And I think I really kind of owe Andrew that
because two years after playing 150, 200 gigs
with just an acoustic guitar,
I think that there could have never been
a better route for me.
It really kind of made me grow up as an artist really fast
and in the best way.
Thank God I didn't have dancers on that first show.
Yeah, he called _ me about a week before
the Taylor Swift tour and said, I need a band.
And I was like, you can't put a band together in a week.
There's no way.
It doesn't work that way.
It does not work that way.
So speaking of Taylor, so you toured with her in 2015.
What did you learn from watching someone like that
and how to command an audience?
She, the biggest thing with her was she said to me one day,
like she goes, are you nervous?
And I go, I was speaking to her.
I got nervous just because she's Taylor Swift
and my face would get red every time.
But she goes, are you nervous?
And I was like, yeah.
She goes, why?
I said, I just don't want to mess up,
which is the main reason.
And she goes, everybody in the audience
is there to have fun and support you.
Literally nobody is there to judge you.
It's not a TV show where they're here to judge you.
And kind of since that moment,
I really learned like what it meant to be a performer.
And it wasn't about being perfect.
It was about enjoying it.
Because you watch someone on stage,
whatever they're doing,
and if they are truly enjoying themselves, so are you.
And that was kind of the biggest thing I learned from her
is she went on stage every night to have fun
and to enjoy and to like beam happiness.
Because that's what a live show is about.
It wasn't about being perfect.
And she's perfect either way.
But yeah, that was kind of the biggest thing
I learned from her.
One of my favorite quotes is from Bruce Springsteen.
And he's talking about, _ you know,
he's obviously given thousands of concerts by now.
And someone said to him,
what happens when you just don't feel like going on?
And he goes, in all these years,
when I'm walking those last 20 feet to get on stage,
it has never failed me.
Never.
That whatever is bothering me falls away and I can't wait.
That is the most incredible thing about it.
And I don't know if that works for everybody,
but it never fails you.
Those 20 seconds right before you step on stage,
whatever is killing you that day,
[G] for some reason just disappears.
And every time you think it's not gonna work this time,
and it always does,
which is kind of the beautiful thing
about what playing live to people is, you know?
What's the last thing you do before you go on stage?
Pee, like 10 times.
I'm like really like crazy about it.
I have this horrible thing
that I'm gonna like have to pee so bad on stage.
And so I like, it's like a running back and forth.
I'm like, I look at my security guard and be like,
is there a bathroom close?
He's like, we have 30 seconds, man.
It's a, yeah, it's a really big fear of mine.
_ _ I think one time, one time I was on stage
and had to pee so bad,
and it was distracting me from the show.
And I was like, it's never happening again. _ _ _ _ _ _