Justin Bieber started the week not knowing who Shawn Mendes was. By the end of the week, he sang the fellow Canadian’s highest praises.
In the words of Shakespeare, all’s well that ends well.
Of course this all started Monday on “Ralphie Tonight.” During an interview that aired with Bieber, I asked him if he wished he could go through what Mendes is currently experiencing with the present-day knowledge that the 21 year-old currently possesses.
In a now infamous video clip, Bieber bit the cap of the water bottle he was drinking, turned to a few of the record label representatives that were in the studio and asked, “Who’s Shawn Mendes?”
Our chat hit YouTube Tuesday, and it wasn’t long before almost every major media outlet reported that Bieber threw shade to some extent at the 17 year-old.
My reaction in the video is genuine; I was shocked Bieber didn’t know who Mendes was. I didn’t perceive it as an insult, thus why I attempted to rattle off Mendes’ current-day resume.
Wednesday morning, BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show host Nick Grimshaw asked the “Stitches” singer about my Bieber interview.
“We haven’t met, but I guess he just doesn’t know,” Mendes told the radio host. “I’m definitely a fan of him; I’ve looked up to him for a while. But I guess he just doesn’t know who I am.
“We’ll have to let him know.”
Bieber started figuring it out after the clip went viral by following Mendes on Twitter. Then Thursday, the “What Do You Mean?” star posted a screenshot of “Stitches” on Instagram and tweeted it with the caption, “Shawn I checked out the music and I’m so proud! So glad to see another boy from Canada crushin it. #canadiansdoitbetter”
Mendes replied on Twitter with, “Thanks man! Means a lot !!!”
The course of true friendship never did run smooth.
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