Shawn Mendes mourns a relationship past its expiration date in his new single, “When You’re Gone.”
“I know what we’re supposed to do/ It’s so hard for me to let go of you/ So I’m just tryna hold on,” the Canadian singer croons on the sparkling pop-rock track. “Hold on, I don’t wanna know what it’s like when you’re gone. I don’t wanna move on.”
Although Mendes hasn’t explicitly said the track about his recent ex Camila Cabello, that’s almost certainly who it’s about. The two artists announced their breakup last November after two years together.
Earlier this month, Mendes opened up about the inspiration behind the track, i.e. how much he’s been struggling since the split, in an Instagram post.
“A lot of the things that also is like, resonating in the lyric for me is like, oh, fuck, you know, you don’t realize, like, when you’re like, breaking up with someone, you like think it’s the right thing to do, you don’t realize all this shit that comes after it,” the 23-year-old said. “Like, who do I call when I’m like, in a panic attack? Who do I call when I’m like, fucking, on the edge? I think that’s the reality that kind of hit me—it’s like, ‘Oh, I’m on my own now.’ Now I feel like finally, like, I’m actually on my own, and I hate that. That’s my reality, you know?”
“I didn’t know that loving you was the happiest I’ve ever been,” Mendes belts on the chorus for “When You’re Gone.” Our boy’s really putting it all out there!
The track follows his last single “It’ll Be Okay,” another breakup song with a music video that saw him sadly ambling through the streets of Toronto. Love hurts, my guy.
For what it’s worth, Cabello liked the Toronto native’s Instagram post promoting the new track, so, hey, at least he’s got her attention. Who says you have to stay off social media after a breakup!
Hopefully Mendes can focus his mind on other things when he embarks on Wonder: The World Tour this June. Check out tour dates here.
Watch the video for “When You’re Gone” above.
