Prepare the earplugs. Shawn Mendes will be this year’s scream king. The Canadian singer fills RodeoHouston’s requisite teenage dream spot — following previous performers Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato. And he’ll do it all on the strength of social media. The singer is scheduled to perform for the first time at RodeoHouston on March 6. RodeoHouston is one of the largest live entertainment and livestock exhibitions in the United States. Mendes, 17, amassed a huge fan base on Vine, the video-sharing app that loops six-second clips. He started posting quick covers in 2013 of tunes from Ed Sheeran, Hunter Hayes, Sam Smith and Beyoncé. The girls began to swoon and a star was born. His first full-length album, “Handwritten,” topped the Billboard 200 last year. Mendes hopped on tours with San Antonio’s Austin Mahone and Taylor Swift, who put him in front of thousands of fans during her 1989 tour. The catchy “Stitches” became his first top-10 hit, and a new single with Fifth Harmony’s Camila Cabello seems destined for greater success. A new album is in the works, building on his acoustic-driven sound. It’s not just young folk who are taking note. Mendes has made Time magazine’s Most Influential Teens list for two years running and popped up on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. Don’t be surprised, then, when Mendes’ RodeoHouston debut becomes a social-media-trending topic and breaks attendance records.(SD-Agencies) |