Shawn Mendes Recreates ‘Illuminate’ Album Cover 6 Years Later

June 30, 2022 E Jazz Reporter

“Back in time.”

Shawn Mendes
Connor Brashier*

It’s been nearly six years since Shawn Mendes unveiled his Billboard 200 chart-topping sophomore album, Illuminate, and the singer paid tribute to the fan-favorite LP with a sweet recreation.

While on tour supporting his 2020 album, Wonder, the star stopped by the ShawnAccess experience at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena. He took a photo with a backdrop that replicated his 2016 album, holding his guitar on a chair just like he did in the original cover art.

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“back in time,” he fittingly captioned the photo.

Illuminate was originally released on September 23, 2016 via Island Records and Universal Music Group. The record marked Mendes’ second No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 albums chart following Handwritten, which debuted at No. 1 in 2015. The album featured slew of hits, including “Mercy,” “Treat You Better” and “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back,” which was released as part of the album’s reissue.

Mendes isn’t the only star who recreated a past album photo this week. Avril Lavigne shared a deeply nostalgic TikTok in which the 37-year-old pop-punk pioneer continued her 20-year anniversary celebrations of her 2002 debut album, Let Go, by recreating its iconic cityscape cover art.

“Just went to the location where I shot the cover of my debut album ‘Let Go’ here in New York,” Lavigne tweeted about the TikTok, which she wistfully captioned “20 years later…”

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