Shawn Mendes Cleared The Air About Hailey Baldwin & All Those Old Dating Rumors

His songs might be on the confessional side, but now the singer is opening up for real. In a Rolling Stone interview published Monday, Shawn Mendes discussed his rumored relationship with Hailey Baldwin, who he supposedly dated in the spring. Mendes confirmed he was more than friends with Baldwin, but didn't go as far as to say the two had anything serious. Basically, Mendes said the relationship couldn't be defined, even if it was more romantic than the two initially let on. "I don’t even wanna put a title on it," he explained. "I think it was more of a zone of limbo."

Rumors first began in December of 2017 when Baldwin and Mendes were spotted attending a concert together in Toronto. In early April 2018, Mendes posted an Instagram with Baldwin, further spurring romance rumors. Then, Baldwin and Mendes attended the Met Ball together in May, which was taken as confirmation of a relationship. However, the two swore they were only friends.

That became even clearer in July, Baldwin revealed her engagement to Justin Bieber. As a recap, Baldwin and Bieber have been in an on-again, off-again relationship since 2015 and were longtime friends before dating, according to Cosmopolitan.

In Rolling Stone, Mendes had only positive things to say about Baldwin moving on. “I get it, you know,” he said. “I texted Hailey, ‘Congratulations,’ and I really am happy for them. She’s still one of the f*cking coolest people ever, she’s not just a beautiful person visually, but she’s one of the most beautiful hearts I’ve ever met.”

While the "Youth" singer didn't have anything bad to say about his ex, the split wasn't without some drama. In June, Baldwin unfollowed Mendes on social media, according to E! News. She also deleted pictures with Mendes from her Instagram after reconciling with Bieber, suggesting the two had definitely been more than friends. There's also been speculation that the lyrics in Bieber's single "No Brainer" were a dig at Mendes. Bieber sings: "It ain’t that hard to choose / Him or me, be for real, baby, it’s a no-brainer."

In Rolling Stone, Mendes hinted at some regrets about the situation with Baldwin. He didn't go into specifics, but seemed to suggest there was more to the story. "I think I’m an idiot to not, you know..." he said. "But you can’t control your heart."

After almost a year of speculation and rumors, Mendes finally shed light on his relationship with Baldwin. And apparently the singer still receives comparisons to Bieber, which all things considered, he handles pretty well. According to Rolling Stone, a reporter asked Mendes how he feels about being called the new Bieber, he didn't say anything negative about the pop star. He simply replied, "I love Justin" and moved on.

Even though Mendes cleared the air, the relationship sounds like it was just as confusing for the two stars. But despite any drama, it sounds like Mendes wants what's best for Baldwin. Given his rising pop star status, it doesn't seem unlikely that he'll find someone new soon.