“After talking more with my team and working with an incredible team of health professionals, it became more clear that I needed to take the time I had never personally taken to ground myself and come back stronger,” the 23-year-old singer wrote. “Unfortunately I have to cancel my remaining North American and UK/Europe tour dates.” More than 70 shows were cancelled, including four in Canada: two shows in Toronto on July 31 and August 2 and two in Montreal on August 15 and 16. The canceled concerts would have stretched until mid-2023. To date, only seven shows on his tour have actually taken place, including shows in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg. Mendes, who was born in Pickering, Ont., assured fans that the canceled tour won’t affect his plans to make new music — or perform on stage again in the future. “I promise I’ll be back as soon as I find the right time to heal,” she wrote. Earlier this month, Mendes told fans he would be taking a three-week break from touring, postponing a string of US gigs, saying he had “hit a breaking point” after touring consistently since he was 15. The singer has long been open about his mental health struggles and has said he hopes his honesty helps and empowers others. In 2018, he told Tom Power, host of CBC’s q, to write music to cope with stress. “The only way progress is going to be made is to talk about it and let everybody talk about it,” Mendes said. “It’s just becoming more normal, and hopefully 10 years from now, nobody’s really worried about it.”
