Joy AshfordUSA TODAY
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Shawn Mendes played his first show since taking time off for mental health reasons last weekend –and fans went wild.
The singer, originally from outside Toronto, joined Ed Sheeran at his Toronto arena tour stop to play Mendes' "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" and Sheeran's "Lego House."
Sheeran celebrated their collaboration with a sweet video on Instagram of the two performing together.
"What a moment," the "Shape of You" singer wrote. "Me and@shawnmendeson stage in his home town. Wish I could bottle the feeling and keep opening it to feel that buzz again, so much fun. Thank you for singing with me man, so good to have you back."
Sheeran's video also showed fans screaming and cheering after the performance.
"What a reaction! I've had that three times in my life at gigs," Sheeran said after a clip of the audience response. "Paolo Nutini in Glasgow, Stormzy in London, and now Shawn Mendes."
It's been "a year and a half," Mendes added in the video, since the "Stitches" singer has been on stage.
"I started shaking," he said. "I feel a bit speechless about it to be honest right now."
Shawn Mendes releases new climate change single 'What the Hell Are We Dying For?'
Mendes also released his first new music this month with a song inspired by the wildfires that tore through the singer's native Canada.
The song, "What the Hell Are We Dying For?" was released on June 9. It featured a promotional photo that appeared to show the orange haze that covered parts of the East Coast earlier in June.
Mendes shared on Instagram that he wrote the song only a day before its release. "Started writing this song yesterday morning with my friends in upstate New York & finished it only a few hours ago…felt important to me to share with you guys in real time," the star posted.
The singer also added that he would be donating to the Canadian Red Cross, and shared a donation link with fans.
Why did Shawn Mendes take time off?
After postponing three weeks of showsto focus on his mental health,Shawn Mendes announced last summer thathe would be canceling his world tour, which would have traveled across North America and Europe through 2023.
"I started this tour excited to finally get back to playing live after a long break due to the pandemic, but the reality isI was not at all readyfor how difficult touring would beafter this time away," Mendes shared on Instagram last year.
"After speaking with my team and working with an incredible group of health professionals, it has become more clear that I need to take the time I've never taken personally, to ground myself and come back stronger," he added.
While Mendes said he has "to put my health as my first priority," he emphasized that"this doesn't mean I won't be making new music, and I can't wait to see you on tour in the future."
"I know you all have been waiting so long to see these shows, and it breaks my heart to tell you this but I promise that I will be back as soon as I've taken the right time to heal," the star said.
'I was not at all ready': Shawn Mendes cancels rest of tour to focus on mental health
Contributing: Piet Levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
