With the global success of his newest album “Illuminate” debuting at number one, a mass social media following of over 17 million, and his single “Treat You Better” practically dominating the airwaves, Shawn Mendes is without question one of today’s hottest artists, even achieving crossover success far past his home country of Canada.

His latest single “Mercy” has garnered massive critical acclaim, and is currently sitting pretty in the Top 20 of Billboard’s Hot 100. Naturally, fans have been curious to know what (or rather who) the hit song is about, but one might be surprised to hear its intended message.

“‘Mercy,’ I love conceptually, because I feel like you can either think about it as if it were a girl – which it sounds like it could be about a girl – but I like to picture it as pleading for mercy for my career, type of thing,” Mendes told “Front and Center” in an interview.

While this particular track may not necessarily revolve around the perils and pitfalls of Mendes’s love life, his latest studio effort “Illuminate” certainly isn’t absent of these themes; and draws upon bluesy elements comparable to the likes of John Mayer, who he cites as a major influence of the album. With subtle infusions of sexual innuendo scattered throughout, the record has been called his most mature and personal to date.

“[Fans] might be surprised by some of the content in some of the songs,” Mendes said in an interview with iHeartRadio. “It’s a lot more mature. What I’m talking about is a bit more grown up, so I think maybe they’ll be surprised by some of that.

It’s only been a year [since “Handwritten” was released], but when I wrote “Handwritten”, I was 15. And when I wrote “Illuminate”, I was 17/18. So not only do you change a lot in that time, just as a person, but when you’re kind of in this crazy world, a lot changes. You have a lot to write about.”

Mendes will be embarking on his first-ever headlining arena world tour this year, kicking off the European leg in March and coming back to the U.S. in the summer. The “Stitches” singer will be performing in Dallas on July 19 at the American Airlines Center.