Shawn Mendes

Growing up in a suburban home, the world seems so massive to you. It seems like cities are so big and so far away, and there's so much in them. So your imagination runs wild, instead of when you are born in the middle of Manhattan, you'd know, like, that this is the biggest city.

It's extremely important just to keep things positive and happy as much as we can... I think it's important that singers, actors, or whatever use our voice to spread positive messages as much as we possibly can.

Just the fact that a thousand people in front of me were ready to hear me sing was one of the best feelings I can think of.

No matter what, I'm trying to have fun and, depending on the mood, fun can be on a roller coaster and playing onstage, or fun can be sitting in a room with three of your best friends talking for two hours.

I'm not the best singer in the world I'm just good at picking up what I want to sound like.

I feel like every time I write a song, it feels like the first time I wrote a song. It's just as hard; it doesn't get easier, but that's why I love it: because it's a challenge every time. I also feel like I'm learning new ways.

There are times when I'm super-overwhelmed, and everything feels like it's hitting me in the face at once, but I think what's keeping me calm, and who I am by staying true to myself, is my whole family being so supportive and keeping me grounded. They treat me the exact same way they treated me years and years ago.

You have to be careful not to make music something you don't want to do. Which happens. I've gotten off the road and been like, 'I hate it. I hate singing, I hate playing guitar.' Six days later, I'm in my bedroom singing at the top of my lungs because I love it so much.

It's hard for me to just say, 'Wow, this is amazing - I'm famous. I'm living the dream.' I sit there and think, 'I'm scared - this can go away tomorrow.' My dad always says that I'm a tortured soul because I'm never pleased; I never feel like I deserve what I've achieved.

I work so hard to make that sure I'm successful. If you're positive and really excited and enthusiastic about what you're doing, it's going to happen, and it's going to happen big time.

Being a sex symbol isn't cool unless you're in love with a girl, and she calls you a sex symbol.