Shawn Mendes Reveals The Heart-Warming Story Behind His First Tattoo

Shawn Mendes is showing off his new tattoo and revealing the heart-warming story of family and patriotism behind his first inking.

According to Perez Hilton, Mendes headed to Chronic Ink in Toronto, Canada, on June 27 to get his very first tattoo just weeks before he turns 18, and it turns out that Shawn’s first time being inked actually comes with a very special meaning for the “Stitches” singer.

Tattoo artist Livia Tsang took to Twitter to give fans a close-up look at Mendes’s very first tattoo, telling fans on the social media site, “Here’s the tattoo for those of you asking,” alongside a photo of the ink on Shawn’s right arm.

The photo showed that Mendes’ inking begins as soundwaves before transforming into the CN tower and then transitioning into an acoustic guitar made of trees standing by a tranquil lake.

Here's the tattoo for those of you asking pic.twitter.com/Vo0r9uxjOH

— ??????? ? ? they/them (@liviatsang) June 27, 2016

Shawn later officially confirmed on social media that he got his first tattoo, tweeting out to his more than six million followers on June 28, “Haha you guys are funny. Yes I got a tattoo, thank you for all the nice comments. @liviatsang is the best.”

In addition to his original tweet, Mendes added, “Love u guys,” but he didn’t offer up his own snap of his new permanent fixture.

But while Mendes didn’t explicitly reveal what inspired the inking in his Twitter message, Perez Hilton is claiming that Shawn did, in fact, reveal what caused him to go under the needle to get the design permanently etched onto his right forearm in a Snapchat video uploaded by Chronic Ink.

According to the site, Shawn confirmed in the studio’s Snapchat video that his tattoo was incredibly sentimental, revealing to fans that “the soundwave here that looks like buildings is actually an audio of my parents saying I love you.”

Livia also revealed a little more about the design on Twitter, telling Shawn Mendes’ fans on June 27, “Yes the CN tower is in it,” which is likely a nod to Mendes’ Canadian nationality.

The tattoo artist then revealed on the site that Shawn “did not cry” while being inked for the first time, adding that she actually received a number of sweet messages from Mendes’ legions of fans over the design.

“Thank you guys again for the overwhelming positivity,” Livia wrote on the social media site after telling Shawn’s fans, “you guys are really sweet. Thank you for the comments.”

Shawn Mendes’s biggest fans then flocked to Twitter to share their sentiments on Mendes’ first inking, with many praising the “Treat You Better” singer and tattoo artist for the heart-warming design.

“Shawn’s new tattoo guys! Such a beautiful one. Every single detail has a meaning. Good choice @ShawnMendes,” Shawn update account @ShawnMendesNews tweeted out, and fellow Mendes fan @shadowsofmendes added, “But seriously I am so happy that Shawn’s tattoo has a meaning so he won’t regret it.”

“I love the fact that Shawn’s tattoo represents how much he loves music and how proud he is to be Canadian,” @mendesthankful then wrote on the social media site, while @mariamelito16 wrote on the social media site, “Shawn’s tattoo suits him so PERFECTLY.”

But while some fans praised Shawn for his extremely meaningful new tattoo, others admitted on the social media site that they weren’t exactly the biggest fans of the results of Mendes’s first time going under the needle.

“Shawn’s tattoo is lowkey ugly… The sound wave as a guitar was such a cool idea but it looks horrible,” @aionosbup wrote and @lovemeloneIy later added, “Shawn’s tattoo is actually so ugly djdjsj.”

What do you think of Shawn Mendes’s first tattoo?

[Photo by David Becker/Getty Images]