Shawn Mendes came to Singapore prepared to impress. Big time.

Like most polished pop stars at the top of their game, the 21-year-old wunderkind gave fans bang for their buck, but we don’t need to elaborate about how he was delivering hit after hit with aplomb at his second gig in Singapore, where he performed to a sold-out crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Oct 4.

What we need to talk about is the Canadian heartthrob’s ability to make every screaming tween/teen girl feel like they were the only girl in the room. Yes, ladies and gents and chaperoning parents in the crowd, he worked the room like the slick, suave male lead in a rom-com — a PG-rated one, of course. From the moment he strutted on stage to the finale when he was blowing kisses 105 minutes later, Shawn the smooth operator hit all the right notes, said all the right things, and wore the right clothes (no need for outfit changes) to impress the Mendes Army (aka his fans). Here’s how.

Let’s get this out of the way: No, the part-time underwear model did not take off his shirt during the show. In fact, he never changed out of his black skinnies and the sleeveless button-down shirt, the kind of outfit you wear when you want to tell the world that you’re still kinda wholesome, but also kinda smouldering and edgy. And he’s got the biceps — and ink — to prove it.

Shawn didn’t share much, save for a couple of short anecdotes about co-writing credits on a couple of songs. He did, however, punctuate the gig with fan flattery, like when he said we were the “loudest crowd so far on this tour” (really?). But his favourite question of the night has got to be: “How are you doing?” We know because he asked at least seven times. And after each time, the stadium erupted in ear-shattering screams in reply, the same sound you probably hear when you walk into a room full of schoolgirls celebrating the end of PSLE.

It may be his world tour, but it’s not always about him. The charismatic pop star let the fans sing the best parts of his ubiquitous radio hits, and raised the mic to his fans every time the song crescendos into the chorus. Of course, like the troopers they are, the Mendes Army delivered, echoing the entire stadium with their massive singalong sessions. At one point, it almost felt like we’d crashed a girl’s school’s choir practice.

Get your mind out the gutter. We’re referring to the mammoth rose in the middle of the Indoor Stadium. This (non) Bachelor didn’t have to decide who to give his final rose to — he just brought along a massive one for everyone in the house. Just don’t tell Camila Cabello.

We know we said we didn’t need to elaborate about his musical prowess. But it wouldn’t be right if didn’t talk about how he strummed the hell out of his guitar, played the piano like his life depended on it, sang his heart out without once showing signs of fatigue. One minute he’s amping up the rocker vibes on a few of his chart-toppers, including ‘Stitches’ and ‘Treat You Better’. The next, he’s paring things down with a ‘Senorita’ teaser on the piano, or covering his fave Coldplay hit, ‘Fix You’. A fab reminder that for all the headlines his CK underwear ads and his relationship with Camila Cabello are hogging, that at the heart of it all, Shawn Mendes wouldn’t have gotten here today if not for his music.

Photos: AEG Presents