Singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes opened up about his sexuality journey in an emotional onstage speech at a recent concert.

Following highly publicized relationships with fellow pop stars Camila Cabello and Sabrina Carpenter, the 26-year-old addressed the crowd Monday night during a performance at Colorado’s Red Rocks Ampitheatre, where he revealed he’s still figuring out his sexuality on his own time.

“When I was really young, there was such a thing about my sexuality and people were talking about it for so long. I find it a bit weird because I think sexuality is so beautifully complex and it’s so hard to put it into boxes.” said Mendes as he strummed his guitar. “I always felt like such an intrusion into something very personal to me, something that I was figuring out within myself, something that I had yet to discover and had yet to discover.”

He then referenced the lyrics of his song “The Mountain,” which appears on his upcoming album Shawn and, as he noted, it represented “a moment where I could address it in a way that was close to my heart” rather than having others do it for him.

“I guess I’m just speaking out now because I just wanted to be closer to everyone and kind of be in my truth. The real truth about my life and my sexuality is that, man, I’m just figuring it out.” just like everyone else,” he continued. “And sometimes I don’t really know, and other times I do know. It feels really scary, because we live in a society that has a lot of say in that, and I really try to be brave and allow myself to be that.” feeling a person and things. That’s all I want to say about that for now.

Mendes then launched into a rendition of “The Mountain,” which also includes lyrics referencing his sexuality. “You can say I’m too young, you can say I’m too old, you can say I like girls or boys, whatever suits you,” he sang in the song. “Or you can say I’m a dreamer, you can say I’m too far gone. But I’ve never been that good, so call it what you want.”

In the past, the “In My Blood” artist has responded to criticism of his sexuality. In 2016, the Canadian artist shared a Snapchat post discussing speculation about his sexuality when he was just 17 years old.

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“So normally I don’t do this or raise issues, but I was on YouTube watching some of my interviews, and I was scrolling through the comments and noticed a lot of people were saying I was giving them a ‘gay vibe’ . “First of all, I’m not gay,” Mendes declared during a break Handwritten World tour. “Second, it shouldn’t make any difference whether I was or not. The focus should be on the music and not on my sexuality.”

In 2022, Mendes made headlines for canceling tour dates to prioritize his mental health, although he later returned to the stage the following year for a surprise set with fellow artist Ed Sheeran.

Entertainment weekly has reached out to Mendes representatives for additional comment.