Shawn Mendes opens up about his sexuality

Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes opened up about insecurities surrounding his sexuality, stating that it causes him a lot of stress and anxiety.

"I would like to say that I don't care about it, but that's not true. This massive thing has been going on for the last 5 years about me being gay. Even though in my heart I know that it's not a bad thing. I am not gay," TMZ quoted Mendes' statement to Rolling Stone.

In his interview, the 20-year-old also explained that he often analyses his own interviews, his voice and body language to see what vibe he is giving off to the viewers.

"In the back of my heart, I feel like I need to go be seen with some girl in public, to prove to people that I am not gay," the 'In My Blood' singer added.

Also, in a recent tweet, he thanked his fans for loving him so much and asked them to look at the positive side of stories.

He wrote, "Of course I have my insecurities and struggles but that's just one part of me. Sometimes the positive side of a story doesn't always get fully told and I wish it had here. I love what I do and I love you guys so much."

Earlier, in 2016, Mendes addressed rumors about his sexuality in his Snapchat story. He said, "I noticed a lot of people were saying I gave them a 'gay vibe'. First of all, I'm not gay. Second of all, it shouldn't make a difference if I was or wasn't.