Shawn Mendes says he's 'still figuring it out' as he addresses his sexuality after years of speculation

Shawn Mendes admitted he was being 'really brave' as he addressed his sexuality live on stage after years of speculation.

The 26-year-old was performing at Red Rocks Amiptheater, Colorado on Monday night (October 28) as part of his For Friends and Family Tour when he made the comments.

Mendes first shot to fame at the age of 15 when he began posting covers on short-form video site Vine.

Remember Vine? Those were the days...

He's since gone on to have major commercial success in the years that followed, and his on-and-off relationship with former Fifth Harmony star Camila Cabello has often made headlines.

He's also been rumored to be the inspiration behind some of popstar Sabrina Carpenter's latest album, as it's alleged the Espresso songwriter was in a love triangle with Mendes and Cabello.

Despite this, Mendes hasn't been able to dodge the keyboard warriors who have been questioning his sexuality for years.

Shawn Mendes' new song Mountain also addresses speculation surrounding his sexuality (Wagner Meier/Getty Images)

And on Monday, the Canadian revealed the 'real truth' about his sexuality, saying it's 'such a beatifully complex thing'.

In a candid moment, he told the crowd: "There's this thing about my sexuality, and people have been talking about it so long... [It's] kind of silly, because I think sexuality is such a beautifully complex thing, and it’s so hard to just put into boxes."

"The real truth about my life and my sexuality is that, man, I’m just figuring it out like everyone."

He continued: "It always 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 it."

Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes dated between 2019 and 2021 before splitting and briefly rekindling in 2023. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Global Citizen)

Shawn added that it feels 'really scary' because 'we live in a society that has a lot to say about that'.

He added: "I’m trying to be really brave and just allow myself to be a human and feel things. And that’s all I really want to say about that for now."

Shawn also said: "I was really young when I started. I was 15 years old. The truth is that I didn't get to do a lot of 15-year-old things and discover parts of myself that you do at 15."

He made the speech while introducing his latest single Mountain, from the upcoming album Shawn.

Mountain's lyrics include: "You can say I'm too young/You can say I'm too old/You can say I like girls or boys, whatever fits your mold."

Previously discussing comments surrounding his sexuality in 2018, Shawn told Rolling Stone: "I thought, 'You f*****g guys are so lucky I'm not actually gay and terrified of coming out. That's something that kills people. That's how sensitive it is.

"Do you like the songs? Do you like me? Who cares if I'm gay?"