Shawn Mendes acoustic concert ushers in new era of ‘MTV Unplugged’

TORONTO – Pop superstar Shawn Mendes is helping MTV’s efforts to return to its heyday with a revival of “MTV Unplugged” on Friday.

The Pickering, Ont.-raised singer is the first musician to play the legendary acoustic series in three years. He recorded the show last month.

“MTV Unplugged” was an influential TV show that launched in the early 1990s and became so popular that several of the biggest performances were released as albums.

Among the most notable episodes are Mariah Carey’s unplugged performance, which led to a No. 1 chart hit for her cover of the Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There,” and a career-defining appearance by Nirvana.

The series also wrote a new chapter in the seasoned careers of artists like Rod Stewart and Eric Clapton, whose performance of “Tears in Heaven” gave him one of his biggest radio hits. Other iterations of the show in recent years have included Katy Perry and Adele.

Mendes’s performance on “MTV Unplugged” airs Friday on MTV Canada.

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