The Grammy nominee “wasn’t totally prepared for the toll that being back on the road would take on (him)” and decided to cancel the tour after consulting with “an incredible group of health professionals,” he told fans in a statement shared to his social media accounts.
“I started this tour excited to finally get back to playing live after a long break due to the pandemic, but the reality is I was not at all ready for how difficult touring would be after this time away,” he said. “It has become more clear that I need to take the time I’ve never taken personally, to ground myself and come back stronger.”
Mendes performed a number of shows already, appearing in Sacramento, California, as well as cities around Canada. But after the initial run of shows, Mendes told fans earlier this month in a now-deleted post that he was taking time off from tour to address mental health concerns.
The Canadian-born performer has been transparent with fans about his health challenges. In April, he tweeted a screenshot of an iPhone Note he’d written that said he often “feels like he’s either flying or drowning.”
“sometimes i really don’t care what people think and i feel free,” he wrote. “most of the time its a struggle tho [sic].”
Mendes announced his breakup from singer and “Señorita” duet partner Camila Cabello in November. A few months after their breakup, Mendes told SiriusXM’s “Morning Mashup” that he was “giving (himself) a lot of grace” to heal from the separation. He also told Instagram followers in March that he was feeling alone after their split.
“Who do I call when I’m, like, in a panic attack? Who do I call when I’m, like, f**king on the edge?” he said in a video posted on Instagram. “Now I feel like finally, I’m actually on my own, and I hate that.”
