Shawn Mendes is going to sing on The Graham Norton Show next month
Shawn Mendes has booked his place on The Graham Norton Show next month.
The singer will perform his new track ‘There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back’ on the Friday, June 9 episode of Norton’s BBC One weekly talkshow.
Also on that week’s show will be WBA world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua and Oscar-winning actress Rachel Weisz, who is promoting her new film My Cousin Rachel.
Mendes last year hit out at widespread online rumours that he is gay.
The singer underlined that while there, of course, is nothing at all wrong with being gay, he isn’t and it was inappropriate for people to claim he is because of how he looks or talks.
“I don’t usually do this or bring up problems but I was on YouTube just watching some of my interviews and I was going down the comments and noticed a lot of people were saying I have them a ‘gay vibe’,” he said.
“First of all, I’m not gay. Second of all, it shouldn’t make a difference if I was or if I wasn’t. The focus should be on the music and not my sexuality.
“Now I know 99% of you guys aren’t making assumptions like this but this is for the 1% of you that are.”
He continued: “I just want you guys to know before you judge someone on the way they speak or act to think ‘Hey, maybe I shouldn’t be judging someone’ or, ‘Wait, it actually doesn’t even matter’.”
“They can do or be or feel however they want to feel. Now I’m not frustrated because people were saying that I was gay at all.
“I have no problem with that ‘cos it wouldn’t make a difference to me. I’m frustrated because in this day and age, people have the audacity to write online that I’m gay as if it were a big thing.”
“That’s all I really have to say about that. I just wish that 1% of people would grow up. I love you guys.”
Mendes yesterday expressed his sorrow following the terrorist attack at the Ariana Grande show in Manchester on Monday.
“I’ve never felt so gutted in my entire life,” he said.
“I can’t seem to comprehend exactly what happened.
“I just want to send my love to everybody affected by this and to Ariana and the team. I can’t imagine what they are going through.
— Shawn Mendes (@ShawnMendes) May 23, 2017
“Concerts are events people should never be afraid ot attend, they are places for love and complete happiness and I am so sorry that things took an opposite direction last night.”
He added that he planned concert in Paris would be going ahead, and that fans should check with the venue regarding additional security measures that may be in place.
Mendes has released two studio albums to date – 2015’s Handwritten and 2016’s Illuminate.
