Shawn Mendes Shuts Down Those Sabrina Carpenter Dating Rumors

Sorry to burst the bubble of anyone holding out hope that Shawn Mendes and Sabrina Carpenter were on track to become the next pop power couple — but rumors of a romance between the two are nothing but "Nonsense"

Mendes doesn't mind dating a fellow musician, as evidenced by his long-term relationship with "Liar" singer Camila Cabello. As for Carpenter, she was previously rumored to be involved in a love triangle with "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" star Joshua Bassett and "Driver's License" singer Olivia Rodrigo. In late February, it looked like a potential new romance was brewing between Mendes and Carpenter when People published a photo of the pair taking a stroll together in Los Angeles. Carpenter was flashing a beaming smile at Mendes, and he appeared to be speaking to her. This at least means that Mendes met Carpenter's newer, higher friendship standards. "I would tell my younger self to be more discerning with people in her life," she said in a March 17 Glamour UK interview. "And you don't just have to be friends with everybody."

Carpenter and Mendes were spotted together again on March 9 at Miley Cyrus' "Endless Summer Vacation" release party. After exiting the event's venue, they hopped in the same SUV. "Shawn and Sabrina are seeing each other. They have been hanging out a lot and trying to keep things low-key," a source told ET. But Mendes has since cast doubt on rumors that he and Carpenter are dating.

Shawn Mendes just wants to focus on fashion

In a March 17 interview with RTL Boulevard, Shawn Mendes was asked about the nature of his relationship with Sabrina Carpenter. "We are not dating, but I think we should talk about Tommy Hilfiger probably more than Sabrina," the musician replied, obviously more interested in discussing his involvement in the clothing brand's "Classics Reborn" campaign. In addition to modeling the label's sustainable designs, the environmentally conscious artist secured a $1 million donation to help counteract the carbon footprint of his world tour.

Mendes did not divulge any details about why he had previously spent time with Carpenter. However, while speaking to Billboard, Carpenter teased that she was working on a remix of her hit track "Nonsense" with a mystery artist. So could it be that their relationship is purely professional in nature and Mendes is Carpenter's collab partner? Another possibility is that the singers had seen each other in a romantic capacity, but this was no longer the case at the time of the RTL Boulevard interview. If so, Carpenter has a pragmatic approach to coping with life's little failures. "'Rejection is redirection.' I hate it because it sounds so tacky, but it's true," she told Glamour UK. "Every time something hasn't worked out, it's always been because it led me to something that has worked out." Like maybe a failed relationship that inspired a successful album?