When it comes to new music in 2016 and some of the biggest hits from the ’90’s, there are two ways to approach it – enjoy both or pick a side. In the case of 38 year-old James Corden and 18 year-old Shawn Mendes, you can pretty much guess who prefers which decade.
In an effort to settle once and for all which time period produced better music, Mendes and Corden enlisted the help of a capella group The Filharmonic to back up their riff off.
While self-described ‘ignorant teenager’ Shawn Mendes went with Calvin Harris and Rihanna’s “This Is What You Came For” and Sia’s “Cheap Thrills,” Corden fought back with “Wannabe” and Kriss Kross’ “Jump Jump.”
The competition included a few shoves and some smack talk from Corden, who at one point offered Mendes the option of cancelling the riff off so he could “…go back to your room and pretend this didn’t happen.”
Eventually, the two men saw the upside to appreciating both decades of music thanks to a mash up of TLC’s “No Scrubs” and Mendes’ “Stitches.”
Once the two entertainers found a common ground on pop music, they sat down to discuss the possibility of Mendes hitting the studio with former One Direction member, current favourite Irishman of James Corden, Niall Horan.
According to Mendes, once he and Horan can get their schedules aligned, a duet is confirmed. Is it possible to lose your hearing simply by anticipating screaming?
In addition to the high intensity riff-off, Mendes also performed his latest single “Mercy,” which he recently released a video for.
Don’t miss The Late Late Show With James Corden every Monday to Friday at 12:30am ET on CTV. Check out with episodes online here.