“Do I force my eyes open for another 2 hours to hear Mercy acoustic or not fight the urge to sleep?” 16-year-old Jenna tweeted one Thursday evening.
Prior to the indecisive tweet, Shawn Mendes dropped an unexpected announcement to his 8.6 million followers that he would be releasing an acoustic guitar version of his latest hit song on iTunes and Spotify at midnight. “Mercy” just so happens to be Jenna’s absolute favorite track off of the Canadian crooner’s sophomore album.
Mendes, who rose to fame after turning his Vine stardom into a promising music career, has always been gracious towards his dedicated fans and their commitment to the talented teen. After all, Mendes Army has played a dire role in the “Treat You Better” singer’s ongoing success. CelebMix caught up with Jenna to discuss her love for Mendes and devotion to the fan account.
Can you explain when and how you first became a fan of Shawn?
Roughly three years ago, I had recently downloaded an app called Vine. Scrolling through Vine was definitely one of the highlights of my day; always making me laugh and always in awe of the talent showcased on that app. That’s roughly when I had discovered Shawn. He had an account and frequently posted six second singing covers. The second I heard him through my phone, I knew I would be hooked on him. Ever since then, I’ve never stopped supporting him.
Why are you a fan of Shawn?
Why am I a fan of Shawn? That’s probably one of the easiest and hardest questions to answer. I can simply answer by saying how amazing of a singer and artist he is, but he’s so much more than that. I’m a fan of Shawn because of his amazing personality, his viewpoint on the world and love. I support him because his songs have beautiful messages all throughout and most importantly, he is incredibly humble and loving to everyone he meets.
What made you want to run a fan account about Shawn?
At first, I had made this account almost a few months after discovering Shawn on Vine as a way to possibly communicate more with him. Vine was always very hard to grab his attention, but on Twitter he seemed to be more consistent with communicating with fans. After awhile, this account grew into a platform where I could reach out to many different fans who share the same admiration of Shawn. Ever since then, I’ve met so many amazing people because of him.
Roughly how much time do you spend running your account?
I spend almost ALL of my free time on this account. It’s always a place I can come and talk to friends and feel connected with people of similar interests.
How many followers do you currently have and do they to talk to you/ask you things often?
I currently have 7,791 followers. I hate using the term “followers” because a majority of them are my friends! My friends are always communicating with me! They may ask me questions about Shawn or release dates, but most of the time we talk as normal friends would!
Do you prefer to just write updates (keeping it writing/informative based) or post pictures on your account?
I personally prefer to communicate through both writing and images. I generally post tweets about my feelings in little passages, but I do often use pictures. When using pictures, it’s usually to prove a point of to simply post a picture of Shawn, haha!
— jenna (@mercyIive) January 27, 2017
Would you say that you have met any friends online through your account?
Definitely! I’ve met tons and tons of friends through my account. I’ve actually gone to concerts and different shows with the friends that I had met online. Most of the time, I feel as though I connect more with my friends online than I do to this I see everyday!
Has Shawn or any members of his team ever noticed your account? If so, how did it feel?
Shawn has actually noticed my account a few times. He has retweeted a few of my tweets and then responded back to one of them. The number one feeling to describe it would be that realization that Shawn may know who you are. It’s always a hope that at least once you can say that I wasn’t just another fan in the crowd.
this is such a great way to also let other fans find new playlists and new music … such an awesome concept #PlaylistsForShawn ???
— jenna (@mercyIive) November 26, 2016
What is your favorite Shawn song?
Ahhh this is so hard! I have so many favorites. I will say that my favorite from his first album handwritten has to be “Imagination!” But, for his second album Illuminate, it’s definitely “Mercy!” I really can’t choose between the two!
If you could say one thing to Shawn, what would it be?
If I could say one thing to Shawn it’d probably be: “Thank you for all of your hard work, and thank you for making millions of people happy everyday.”