Shawn Mendes opens up about anxiety and his producer's gender transition

Shawn Mendes's new single In My Blood, the first release from his latest self-titled album, delves into a topic the Canadianpop star wants to talk more about:overcoming fear andanxiety.

"The thing about anxiety is that it comes in phases and it's different for everybody," he told CBCRadio's Tom Power, host of q. "In a moment when I was having it,I wrote a song about it and I'm great right now."

The song lyrics, however, show a different side of the teen: "Help me, it's like the walls are caving in. Sometimes I feel like giving up, no medicine is strong enough."

Mendes, 19, has gone from playing cover songsin his bedroom on social media to playing for sold-out crowds at arenasin less than five years.While his cohorts are still figuring out a direction after high school,he's kicking off a world tour this summer and recently played for the Queen's 92nd birthday celebrations.

But that doesn't mean he's immune to the challenges many face. Recognizing his unique platform, the singer-songwriter says maintaininga conversation about adifficult subject reduces stigma.

"The only way progression is going to happen is by talking about it and by allowingeverybody to talk about it," he said. "It just becomes more of a normal thing and hopefully in 10years from now, nobody is really worried about it. Hopefully 10 years from now we have better ways of dealing with it, because people talk about it and they don't suppress it."

It's also why he's keeping another dialogue goingwhen it comes to his producer and longtime friend Teddy Geiger's transition from male to female. Geiger wrote Mendes's hit Stitchesand they went on to co-write more songs, including Treat You Better, Mercy and In My Blood.

"It was such a big moment and the biggest thing that happened in her life as we were creating the biggest album of my life. So there was so much energy and so much emotion that I think it actually fuelled the fire of creating the album."

In the video below, Mendes explainsthe "joy" that Geiger showed after the singer used the pronoun "she" for the first time.

Shawn Mendes on producer Teddy Geiger's gender transition

6 years ago

Duration 0:44

Canadian pop star Shawn Mendes talks about close friend Teddy Geiger's emotional and physical journey

More of theinterview with Shawn Mendes will airSundayon The National at9 p.m. on CBC News Network, 10 p.m. on CBC Television, and Monday onCBC Radio 1's q.