NEWS
Shawn Mendes performs onstage during the 8th annual "We Can Survive" concert hosted by Audacy at Hollywood Bowl on October 23, 2021 in Los Angeles, California
Amy Sussman/GI for AudacyShawn Mendes has paid the price for trying to look good on Instagram.
Over the weekend, the “Wonder” singer shared a snap of himself shirtless while taking a hike with friends in Los Angeles. Though Mendes’ friend was able to capture a quality picture of the singer for his Instagram feed, the behind-the-scenes video from the shoot shows the 23-year-old nearly slipping down a steep trail after flexing his muscles for the camera while John Mayer’s “Gravity” appropriately plays in the background.
Thankfully, Mendes was able to pull himself up and was fine enough to share the hilarious moment to his Instagram feed. “I guess that’s what I get,” he captioned the post, making fun of himself for trying to show off.
Apart from shirtless snaps, Mendes has shared progress reports on his forthcoming music. Most recently, the hitmaker has been teasing new music online, posting various clips of him in the studio with collaborators and even sharing a clip of a song.
On Jan. 18, Mendes posted a 12-second clip of him in a car on FaceTime, jamming out to a demo of a song he’s been working on during the call. The clip then cut to the crooner in the studio, working on the same high-energy track on guitar in the studio. “Y’all dig this?” Mendes asked in the video’s caption. Ex-girlfriend and “Señorita” collaborator Camila Cabello commented on the post, writing, “Ur crazy wildcat” — a reference to High School Musical and the signature line Vanessa Hudgens’ Gabriella says to Zac Efron’s Troy.
See Mendes’ newest Instagram post below, and click through for the video.
NEWS
There’s a high probability that Jorja Smith has new music coming this summer. The British singer revealed plans for her What Are the Odds LP on Thursday (July 2), with the album set to arrive on Aug. 21 via FAMM.
Smith reunites with producer P2J — who served as a primary collaborator on her 2023 album Falling or Flying — for the entirety of the project. J Money and P2J will continue to build on the inventive U.K. garage sound Smith has been exploring, alongside a mix of grime and house.
“This album came together really naturally. There was never a big plan; it was just me making music that felt right in the moment,” Smith tells Billboard. “Working with P2J, we started experimenting with different sounds, pulling from U.K. garage, grime and house (funky house, Afro house) and it all grew from there.”
She continues: “The music feels uplifting, but the lyrics can be a bit sad at times. They’re about growing up, love, loss, friendships and figuring things out as I go. I trusted my instincts with this one, and I think you can hear that throughout the record.”
Smith kicked off the album’s rollout in May with the self-assuring “What’s Done Is Done,” and it continues on Thursday (July 2) with a second single, “Alive,” which finds the R&B singer joining forces with Afrobeats pioneer WizKid. The duo basks in the love-drunk euphoria of the honeymoon phase of a bubbling relationship and heads to Paris for the visual.
“Making this with P2J and WizKid felt really easy,” Smith adds of the collab. “We wrote and recorded it together in London. I think we captured that feeling when you’re at the beginning of something with someone and everything feels exciting. I’ve always loved WizKid’s music and the way he’s opened so many doors for Afrobeats around the world, so it feels really special and a big honor to have a song with him.”
What Are the Odds serves as Jorja Smith’s third studio album and contains 12 tracks. Outside of WizKid, the only other feature comes from grime artist Devlin.
When the project lands on Aug. 21, Smith will hit the stage later that night at London’s All Points East, as she’ll be co-headlining the Victoria Park show with Tems. 2026 has already been a busy year for J Money, who served as a musical guest on the debut season of Saturday Night Live UK in April.
The 29-year-old also collaborated with Mobb Deep’s Havoc for a remix of her “Blue Lights” classic and lent “Price of It All” to Amazon MGM Studios’ Bait soundtrack.
Find the What Are the Odds cover art and tracklist below.
What Are the Odds tracklist:
