Los Angeles - Shawn Mendes has apologised for previously making "racially insensitive comments".
The 21-year-old singer opted to post his apology on social media days after a fan asked him about his past remarks during a Q&A session.
Shawn - who has previously been accused of making racist comments on Twitter and Instagram - wrote: "I posted some racially insensitive comments on social media when I was younger, and I am so sorry.
"I apologize wholeheartedly for what was said & understand how offensive those posts were. There is no place for comments like that, and those words do not represent who I am. I stand for complete inclusivity, equality and love. (sic)"
Shawn was asked specifically about the posts on his social media accounts during the Q&A.
In response to the question, the chart-topping pop star replied: "I just think that a lot of things just need to be moved on from, but I also think that the things that were saw, like I had friends when I was 14 who would like take my phone and like post things of them, because they thought it was funny that I had like 2,000 followers and it was a big thing, and they'd post photos of themselves.
"And at the time, I was just like not thinking about it. I had no idea I was going to have 50 million followers, which doesn't make it any better.
"But yeah, totally, I apologise for everything insensitive that I said in the past. But with that being said, yeah, I think that's not my personality."