These few second clips helped generate a massive fan base for the teen singer, who currently commands three million followers. And after hopping over to YouTube to post full-length acoustic versions of pop hits like Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness," Mendes earned himself a deal with Island Records.

Wherever Mendes goes, his fans are sure to follow, which was made evidently clear after the release of his self-titled debut EP of warm, affable pop in late July. The singer called on his legion of fans to support the record and they responded in overwhelming fashion, sending the EP to the No. 1 slot on the iTunes chart mere minutes after it hit the internet. The release would go on to debut at No. 5 on the Billboard 200.

"I wasn't expecting it to hit No. 1 in like 35 minutes," the 16-year-old marveled during a recent phone interview with Radio.com. "All I can say is that my fans just killed it. They're a complete army. I was just blown away."

Talking about the EP, Mendes singled out the track "Show You" as his favorite of the bunch.

"The song is about how people are always telling you that you can't do something because you're too young or whatever, and how you have the power to show the world that you can do whatever you want," he explained. "It's a pretty empowering song."

Growing up in, what he calls, "not a musical family at all," it was the internet that inspired his initial desire to play guitar and sing. At 10 years old, he was really obsessed with watching people perform covers on YouTube, often coming home from school around four o'clock, heading straight to the computer where he would stay until eight at night.

"I was inspired by the way people would take popular songs and make them their own. That's what really brought me into music. I was not a good singer when I first started," Mendes recalled of his musical beginnings. "I was really oblivious to how bad I was, which I guess helped me in the long run because I just didn't stop. I sang for hours and hours every day. With lots and lots of practice, I eventually got better."

Mendes recently celebrated his 16th birthday while on the road with Austin Mahone, Fifth Harmony and The Vamps, with the tour being an exhilarating experience for the "Life of the Party" singer.