Shawn Mendes, Indigenous artist Tia Wood surprise Vancouver fans with duet
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Shawn Mendes fans were given a surprise performance at the singer’s Vancouver concert at Rogers Arena on Oct. 12.
Juno-nominated Cree and Salish singer Tia Wood joined the fellow music star on stage to perform a duet of his 2018 tune Youth.
The touching track from Mendes’ self-titled debut delivers a positive message of resilience for youth facing tough times.
Before bringing Wood onstage, Mendes talked about his meetings with Indigenous communities around the world and how important those encounters have been for the pop star. Wood, who broke onto the music scene via TikTok, is a rising star in the industry.
With its life reaffirming message of living through hardship and showing resilience to the challenges that young people face daily, Youth proved to be a perfect collaboration for the two artists.
Wood, whose father Earl Wood is one of the founders of internationally acclaimed powwow group Northern Cree, incorporated traditional Indigenous vocals and beats into the tune, which played perfectly alongside Mendes’ driving acoustic guitar.
The duet was a show-stopping moment in the evening’s performance.
Wood included a verse of her own into the song, honouring missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls with the words: “Where do I start?/ How do I say it?/ My voice is so tired and I cannot fake it/ Our mothers, daughters, sisters/ Go missing every day/ Hard to feel hopeful/ When hope feels far away.”
After the performance, Mendes shared on social media how honoured he was to share a stage with Wood, noting “This is Canada.”
“This was for my rez babies everywhere. I spoke my truth and tried to represent the best way I could. Spoke about our missing relatives,” Wood shared to Facebook following the performance.
This is the second time Wood has appeared on stage at Rogers Arena. She previously performed at the 2025 Vancouver Juno Awards with Snotty Nose Rez Kids and other Indigenous stars in the highlight performance of this year’s Canadian music awards broadcast.
Wood drops her new single, titled Sage my Soul, on Oct. 17.
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