June 4th, 2014 
James Shotwell 
Today is a weird day for the world of music. After decades of critics and industry hotshots telling artists the key to success is hard work and years of practice, a fifteen year old kid from Canada has signed with one of the largest record labels in the world because his six-second Vine cover of Justin Bieber received a few million views.
According to a story broken by Billboard at 9AM today, Shawn Mendes has joined the Island Records family and will soon release his debut single. Mendes began his rise to fame last August after uploading a six-second cover of Justin Bieber’s hit single “As Long As You Love Me” to Vine. The teenager claims he noticed a lack of song covers on the platform and decided to make the most of the opportunity. His efforts paid off in no time, with the clip receiving 10,000 views in a matter of days. You can view ‘the Vine that started it all’ below:
“Our reason for getting involved with Shawn is not specifically because of his following online,” says Island president David Massey. “It’s great when an artist has a platform, but I think we would have signed Shawn if we just discovered him a different way. His talent, industry, and intelligence are all factors that contribute to wanting to be involved with someone who’s so young, and so talented, and so driven.”
Mendes’ debut single, “Life Of The Party,” is expected to debut online this summer. Click here to learn more about his journey from viral sensation to major label artist.
Bonus vine: Here is a clip of Mendes covering “She Looks So Perfect”
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