The Canadian-born pop singer Shawn Mendes said during a recent interview that listening to Christian worship music brought him to tears and felt “like home.”
Mendes, 22, was referring to songs by the Christian group Maverick City.
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“Only in the last two years I’ve realized the real power that music is,” he said during an appearance on the Man Enough podcast. “There’s something so interesting, because I grew up kind of more or less atheist. And now, becoming much more spiritual and really being sure there’s a God, or sure there’s a higher thing — the universe or whatever — music was the thing that did that for me.”
“Watching Maverick City choir singing about God, singing about Jesus, I’m sitting there watching this YouTube video and they’re singing about Jesus, and I just start crying, like crying my eyes out,” the singer added.
“How is something that my whole life I’ve grown up believing is fanatic and not science and not the truth feel like home because of this song?” he asked rhetorically.
It should be noted Mendes never said he identifies as Christian. In fact, the “If I Can’t Have You” singer told the podcast hosts he’s also listening to Hindu mantras and experiences a similar feeling.
Mendes referred to a Netflix documentary series, “Voices of Fire,” in which pop singer Pharell’s uncle says, “Music makes words that people don’t want to hear out loud in speech more palatable.”
“There’s really truly a way that music gets to the soul and creates,” Mendes said.
This is not the first time Maverick City has garnered celebrity attention. Fellow Canadian-born pop star Justin Bieber recently collaborated with the group for a worship session in Kirkland, Washington.
At the time, Bieber offered up a prayer asking God for peace and thanking Him for the gift of music.
“Thank you, Jesus,” he prayed. “Thank you that we are all alive. Thank you that you are here right now. Your presence changes everything. … You designed us with a plan and a purpose. We thank you for music.”
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