The singer went on to say that “people have been talking about ‘his sexuality’ for so long…since (he) was very young.”

He noted: “I think it’s a bit silly, because I think sexuality is such a complex thing and so hard to put into boxes.

“It always seemed to me such an intrusion into something very personal,” Mendes continued. “Something I was discovering in myself, something I had not yet discovered and have not yet discovered.”

The songwriter added that he “spoke freely” so he “could be closer to everyone and kind of be in (his) truth.”

He concluded: “The real truth about my life and my sexuality is, man, I’m figuring it out like everyone else. And I don’t really know sometimes and I know other times.

Mendes called it “really scary because we live in a society that has a lot to say about this.”

However, the artist was “trying to be really brave and allow himself to be a human and feel things.”

Mendes has spoken about his sexuality several times over the years. romantically linked to Camila Cabello, Sabrina Charpentier and more stars.

“I feel like I need to be seen with someone – like a girl – in public, to prove to people that I’m not gay,” he told Rolling Stone in November 2018. “Even though in my heart I know it’s not a bad thing.”

The following year, Mendes admitted to the Guardian that the rumors were “hurtful” and had “upset” him.

His most recent comments on the subject came during a “Armchair Expert” podcast interview in 2020.

“I was having issues with the sound of my voice,” the “Treat You Better” singer said at the time. “I’m like, ‘How can I sit down?’ I’m always the first to cross my legs and sit in that feminine style position, and I really suffered with that shit.

Notably, Mendes sings in “The Mountain” that fans can “tell (he) likes girls or boys, whichever fits your mold.”