Shawn Mendes responds to gay rumours: 'The focus should be on the music'

Shawn Mendes took to social media to clear speculation about his sexuality. The singer responded to YouTube comments about giving a "gay vibe", and admitted that he is not gay in a series of Snapchat videos.

He said, "I don't usually do this and bring up problems, but I was on YouTube watching some of my interviews and I was going down the comments and noticed a lot of people were saying I give them a gay vibe."

"First of all, I'm not gay. Second of all, it shouldn't make a difference if I was or if I wasn't. The focus should be on the music not my sexuality," the 17-year-old singer added.

The Stitches singer also hit back at fans with an advice about judging others. "Before you judge someone on the way they speak or act, I want you guys to think, 'Hey, maybe I shouldn't be judging someone,' or 'It actually shouldn't even matter. They can do or be, or feel, how they want to feel.'"

Mendes also stated that more than the gay rumours, he is frustrated because of how his fans deemed homosexuality as a "bad thing". He said, "I'm not frustrated because people were saying I was gay at all. I have no problem with that cause it wouldn't make a difference to me. I'm frustrated because in this day and age, people have the audacity to write online that I'm gay as if it were a bad thing."

Mendes concluded his video by asking commenters online to "grow up" and told his loyal fans, "I love you guys." The Canadian singer's hit single Stitches climbed to the top 10 in the US and Canada, and number one in the UK. The song also peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.

Mendes also guest starred in The CW show's The 100, and performed his hit song Stitches in the season 3 premiere episode.