Handwritten (Shawn Mendes album)

Handwritten
Studio album by Shawn Mendes
Released	April 14, 2015
Recorded	2014–15
Genre	Pop
Length	39:29
Label	Island
Producer	Louis Biancaniello Craven J Daylight Teddy Geiger Scott Harris Shawn Mendes Daniel Parker Martin Terefe Glen Scott Sam Watters Ido Zmishlany
Shawn Mendes chronology
The Shawn Mendes EP (2014) Handwritten (2015)
Singles from Handwritten
"Life of the Party" Released: June 25, 2014 "Something Big" Released: November 7, 2014 "Stitches" Released: May 5, 2015
Singles from Handwritten Revisited
"I Know What You Did Last Summer" Released: November 18, 2015

Handwritten is the debut studio album by Canadian singer Shawn Mendes, and was released on April 14, 2015 by Island. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 119,000 equivalent album units, of which 106,000 copies were pure album sales. The album includes "Stitches", which reached top 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the UK Singles Chart, while its reissue features the U.S. top 20 single "I Know What You Did Last Summer".

Background

After signing a record deal with Island Records in June 2014, Mendes released his debut single "Life of the Party" which peaked at number 24 on the US Billboard Hot 100.^[1] Following the single release, an EP titled The Shawn Mendes EP was released on July 28, 2014, and sold 48,000 copies in its first week. Mendes announced his debut album title and artwork on January 27, 2015 and it was made available to pre-order on February 2, 2015.

Handwritten was reissued in a revisited edition on November 20, 2015. It includes five live recordings tracks from the Greek Theatre and four brand new songs.^[2]

Singles

"Life of the Party", was released as the lead single from Mendes debut EP The Shawn Mendes EP on 25 June 2014. The song serves as the first single from Handwritten as well. A one-shot lyric video for the song showing Mendes in the George Street diner premiered on Vevo on June 30, 2014. The official music video for the song premiered on March 10, 2015.

"Something Big" was released as the album's second single on November 7, 2014. The official music video for the song premiered on November 11, 2014 on Vevo, and it is Mendes' first official music video.

"Stitches" was released as the album's third single on May 5, 2015.^[3] The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart of June 13, 2015, at number 89 and became his first top 10, peaking at number 4.

"I Know What You Did Last Summer" was released as a single from a revisited edition of the album on November 18, 2015. The song is a collaboration with Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello.^[4]

Other songs

Before the album release, Mendes released five songs through pre-order on iTunes. The first song "A Little Too Much" was released on February 2, the same day the album pre-order started. A music video for the song premiered on the singer's Vevo on February 4. Mendes announced through Instagram that the second promotional song would be "Never Be Alone" and it was made available on February 16. An official music video for the song was released on February 25. On March 16 the singer released "Stitches", the third pre-order single, which official music video premiered on March 18. An acoustic version of "Life of the Party", featured in the deluxe version of the album, was released as the fourth pre-order single on March 30 at midnight, the same day as it was made possible to hear every song preview on iTunes.^[5] "Kid in Love" was made available as the fifth and final pre-order track on April 6 at midnight,^[6] just a week before the album release, while a music video for the acoustic version of "Life of the Party" was posted on Shawn Mendes' Vevo on April 10. "Aftertaste" also gained a music video, which was posted on April 17.

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 119,000 equivalent album units in its first week, of which 106,000 copies were pure album sales. He became the youngest artist since Justin Bieber to have a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 album chart in nearly five years. Bieber was 16 years and 2 months old when his album My World 2.0 spent its fourth and final week at the top. Mendes was 16 years and 8 months old.^[7] In its second week, the album descended to number seventeen with 20,000 equivalent album units, of which 12,000 copies were pure album sales, an 89% pure album sales decrease (from 106,000 copies), surpassing Madonna's MDNA (2012) for the biggest second-week percentage drop for a number-one debuting album in the Nielsen SoundScan era.^[8][9] As of April 2016, Handwritten has sold 370,000 copies in the United States.^[10]

In his native Canada, the album debuted at number one with first-week sales of 14,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.^[11] In its second week, the album descended to number six.^[12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	58/100[13]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[14]
Billboard	[15]
Digital Spy	[16]
The Guardian	[17]
Idolator	[18]
Newsday	B+[19]
NY Daily News	[20]
Rolling Stone	[21]
USA Today	[22]

Handwritten has received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a "weighted average" rating out of 100 from selected independent ratings and reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a Metascore of 58, based on 5 reviews.^[13]

Billboard's editor Carl Wilson stated "confident hooks and big dynamics make the syrup go down smoothly", talking about the singles singles "Life of the Party" and "Stitches," and the blue-eyed-soul track "I Don't Even Know Your Name", noting the latter influenced by Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars.^[15] Writing for The Guardian, Caroline Sullivan rated the album three-out-of-five stars and claims: "At 16, Mendes isn’t the artist he’ll be at 25, but he’s made a persuasive start – the adult-pop big league could yet be his."^[17] Nick Murray from Rolling Stone described Mendes as a "nice-guy guitar strummer more influenced by the light acoustic pop of Ed Sheeran."^[21]

Track listing

Handwritten – Standard edition[23]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Life of the Party"	Ido Zmishlany Scott Harris	Zmishlany	3:35
2.	"Stitches"	Daniel Parker Teddy Geiger Daniel "Daylight" Kyriakides	Daylight Geiger Parker	3:27
3.	"Never Be Alone"	Shawn Mendes Scott Harris Martin Terefe Glen Scott	Terefe	3:36
4.	"Kid in Love"	Mendes Zmishlany Harris	Zmishlany Terefe	3:46
5.	"I Don't Even Know Your Name"	Mendes Harris Terefe Geoffrey Warburton	Terefe	3:00
6.	"Something Big"	Mendes Zmishlany Harris	Zmishlany	2:41
7.	"Strings"	Mendes Harris Emily Warren	Louis Biancaniello Sam Watters	3:11
8.	"Aftertaste"	Mendes Harris Warren	Biancaniello Watters	2:50
9.	"Air" (featuring Astrid S)	Harris Warren	Craven J Harris	3:14
10.	"Crazy"	Mendes Warburton Terefe	Mendes Warburton	3:12
11.	"A Little Too Much"	Mendes	Zmishlany	3:07
12.	"This Is What It Takes"	Mendes Warburton Terefe Zmishlany Harris	Terefe	3:50
Total length:				39:29

Handwritten – Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)[24]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
13.	"Bring It Back"	Mendes Warburton Terefe	Terefe	2:40
14.	"Imagination"	Mendes Terefe Scott	Terefe	3:38
15.	"The Weight"	Mendes Harris Joshua Grant	Craven J Harris (add.)	3:05
Total length:				48:52

Handwritten – iTunes deluxe edition (bonus track)[24]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Life of the Party" (Acoustic)	Zmishlany Harris	Zmishlany	3:14
Total length:				52:06

Handwritten – Target exclusive deluxe edition and HMV Canada exclusive edition (bonus tracks)[25]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Don't Want Your Love"	Mendes Zmishlany Warburton	Zmishlany	2:51
17.	"Lost"	Mendes Warren Harris Grant	Craven J Harris	3:16
18.	"Handwritten Demos"			9:01
Total length:				64:00

Handwritten – Revisited edition[2]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
4.	"Kid in Love" (Live)	Mendes Zmishlany Harris	Zmishlany Terefe	4:17
5.	"I Don't Even Know Your Name" (Live)	Mendes Harris Terefe Warburton	Terefe	3:37
7.	"Strings" (Live)	Mendes Harris Warren	Biancaniello Watters	3:45
8.	"Aftertaste" (Live)	Mendes Harris Warren	Biancaniello Watters	2:38
11.	"A Little Too Much" (Live)	Mendes	Zmishlany	3:09
13.	"I Know What You Did Last Summer" (with Camila Cabello)	Cabello Mendes Zmishlany Noel Zancanella Bill Withers	Zancanella Zmishlany (add.)	3:43
14.	"Act like You Love Me"	Mendes Warburton	Jacquire King	3:25
15.	"Running Low"	Mendes	Jordan Orvosh	4:34
16.	"Memories"	Mendes Warburton Max River	Jacquire King	3:51

Sampling credits

• "I Know What You Did Last Summer" contains elements from Bill Withers' 1971 single "Ain't No Sunshine".

Personnel

Credits for Handwritten adapted from AllMusic.^[26]

Blossom Berkofsky – photography Ziggy Chareton – A&R Chris Gehringer – mastering Teddy Geiger – composer Scott Harris – composer Jessica Kelly – design Daniel Kyriakides – composer David Massey – A&R Shawn Mendes – composer, vocals Daniel Parker – composer Andy Proctor – package production Gabrielle Rosen – A&R

Todd Russell – art direction, design Glen Scott – composer Martin Terefe – composer Meredith Truax – photography Keith R. Tucker – A&R Josiah Vandien – photography Geoffrey Warburton – composer Emily Warren – composer Craven J – composer Ido Zmshlany – composer

Charts and certifications

Charts Chart (2015–16) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[27] 18 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[28] 37 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[29] 23 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[30] 46 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[31] 1 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[32] 2 Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[33] 5 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[34] 29 French Albums (SNEP)[35] 74 German Albums (Official Top 100)[36] 43 Greek Albums (IFPI)[37] 30 Irish Albums (IRMA)[38] 11 Italian Albums (FIMI)[39] 10 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[40] 18 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[41] 1 Portuguese Albums (AFP)[42] 5 Taiwanese Albums (Five Music)[43] 8 Scottish Albums (OCC)[44] 13 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[45] 2 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[46] 4 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[47] 26 UK Albums (OCC)[48] 12 US Billboard 200[49] 1

Certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments Austria (IFPI Austria)[50] Gold 7,500 Brazil (ABPD)[51] Gold 20,000 Canada (Music Canada)[52] Gold 40,000 Colombia[53] Gold 5,000 Mexico (AMPROFON)[54] Gold 30,000 Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[55] Platinum 20,000 Norway (IFPI Norway)[56] Platinum 30,000 Sweden (GLF)[57] Platinum 40,000 United Kingdom (BPI)[58] Silver 60,000[59] United States (RIAA)[60] Platinum 370,000[10] ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Edition
United States[2][24]	April 14, 2015	CD digital download	Island	Standard Deluxe
	November 20, 2015	CD CD+DVD LP digital download		Revisited

References

1. "Shawn Mendes Album & Song Chart History". Billboard.
2. "Handwritten (Revisited) CD Album". Retrieved November 18, 2015.
3. "Shawn Mendes - Stitches - Republic Playbook". Republic Records. Archived from the original on April 20, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
4. "I Know What You Did Last Summer - Single by Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello". iTunes. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
5. "#LOTPAcousticOniTunes". Facebook. Shawn Mendes.
6. "#KidInLoveOniTunes". Twitter. Shawn Mendes.
7. Keith Caulfield (April 22, 2015). "Shawn Mendes' 'Handwritten' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved April 22, 2015.
8. Caulfield, Keith (2015-04-29). "Alabama Shakes Scores Its First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-04-29.
9. Keith Caulfield (May 2, 2015). "Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Luke Bryan's 'Party' Now His Biggest-Album Seller Ever". Billboard. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved May 2, 2015.
10. Trust, Gary (April 18, 2016). "Shawn Mendes' 'Stitches' Hits No. 1 on Adult Contemporary Chart". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
11. Cross, Alan (April 22, 2015). "Weekly Music Sales Report and Analysis: 22 April 2015". Alan Cross. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
12. "Canadian Albums Chart - Week ending May 9, 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. May 9, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
13. "Reviews for Handwritten by Shawn Mendes". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
14. Thomas Erlewine, Stephen (20 April 2015). "Handwritten - Shawn Mendes". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
15. Wilson, Carl (7 April 2015). "Album Review: Vine Star Shawn Mendes Keeps His Sound Grassroots on Debut 'Handwritten'". Billboard. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
16. Corner, Lewis (April 15, 2015). "Shawn Mendes: Handwritten album review - Packed with hooks and heart". Digital Spy. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
17. Sullivan, Caroline (9 April 2015). "Shawn Mendes: Handwritten review – Canadian teen star’s persuasive debut". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
18. Lee, Christina (14 April 2015). "Shawn Mendes' ‘Handwritten’: Album Review". Idolator. Idolator. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
19. Gamboa, Glenn (13 April 2015). "'Handwritten' review: Take note of Shawn Mendes' debut". Newsday. Newsday. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
20. Farber, Jim (14 April 2015). "Shawn Mendes' "Handwritten" review: Squeaky-clean 16-year-old crooner poised to be next teen titan". NY Daily News. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
21. Murray, Nick (14 April 2015). "Shawn Mendes's New Album: Handwritten". Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
22. Mansfield, Brian (13 April 2015). "Album of the Week: Shawn Mendes". USA Today. USA Today. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
23. "Handwritten on iTunes".
24. "Handwritten (Deluxe) on iTunes".
25. "Handwritten (Target) on Target".
26. "Handwritten Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
27. "Australiancharts.com – Shawn Mendes – Handwritten". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
28. "Austriancharts.at – Shawn Mendes – Handwritten" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
29. "Ultratop.be – Shawn Mendes – Handwritten" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
30. "Ultratop.be – Shawn Mendes – Handwritten" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
31. "Shawn Mendes – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Shawn Mendes. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
32. "Danishcharts.com – Shawn Mendes – Handwritten". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
33. "Dutchcharts.nl – Shawn Mendes – Handwritten" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
34. "Shawn Mendes: Handwritten" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
35. "Lescharts.com – Shawn Mendes – Handwritten". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
36. "Offiziellecharts.de – Shawn Mendes - Handwritten" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
37. "Official Cyta – IFPI Charts Top 75 Albums Sales Chart". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015.
38. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 16, 2015". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
39. "Italiancharts.com – Shawn Mendes – Handwritten". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
40. "Charts.org.nz – Shawn Mendes – Handwritten". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
41. "Norwegiancharts.com – Shawn Mendes – Handwritten". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
42. "Portuguesecharts.com – Shawn Mendes – Handwritten". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
43. "第5 週 統計時間：2016/1/29 - 2016/2/4" (in Chinese). Five Music. Archived from the original on February 8, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
44. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
45. "Spanishcharts.com – Shawn Mendes – Handwritten". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
46. "Swedishcharts.com – Shawn Mendes – Handwritten". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
47. "Swisscharts.com – Shawn Mendes – Handwritten". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
48. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
49. "Shawn Mendes – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Shawn Mendes. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
50. "Austrian album certifications – Shawn Mendez – Handwritten" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter Shawn Mendez in the field Interpret. Enter Handwritten in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
51. "Brazilian album certifications – Shawn Mendes – Handwritten" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos.
52. "Canadian album certifications – Shawn Mendes – Handwritten". Music Canada.
53. "Universal Music Colombia". Asociación Colombiana de Productores de Fonogramas. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
54. "Universal Music México". Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
55. "Shawn Mendes - Handwritten".
56. "Shawn Mendes - Handwritten" (in Norwegian). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry - Norwayaccessdate=April 21, 2016.
57. "Shawn Mendes - Stitches" (in Swedish). Grammofon Leverantörernas Förening. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
58. "British album certifications – Shawn Mendes – Handwritten". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 2016. Enter Handwritten in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
60. "American album certifications – Shawn Mendes – Handwritten". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 2016. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH