"I posted some racially insensitive comments on social media when I was younger, and I am so sorry. I apologise wholeheartedly for what was said and 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," Mendes posted on Instagram Story.
The "Mercy" hitmaker's apology comes after fans were unimpressed with how he addressed the issue of past posts when asked about them during a Q&A session, reports eonline.com.
A tweet reportedly posted on Mendes' Twitter account in 2015 was soon deleted after accusations of racism. In 2012, a comment using the N-word was reportedly posted on Mendes' Instagram account and deleted as well. Another tweet directed at a fan that referenced skin color was reportedly posted on his Twitter account in 2013, and then also deleted following criticism.
In the Q&A session, a fan asked him why he had never acknowledged the posts in question.
To which, Mendes 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."
( With inputs from IANS )