Shawn Mendes’ New Song Tackles “All The Sh*t That Comes After” His 2021 Breakup

If you’ve been (im)patiently waiting for a new Shawn Mendes album, well, you may need to hold on a while longer. As the singer told Billboard this March, he’s first focused on getting his Wonder tour started this summer before making any major moves. But Mendes is “writing a ton,” he said — and he’s happy to share that process with fans along the way.

In a March 18 Instagram video, Mendes played the piano while reflecting on a particular lyric that was “resonating” with him — and it seems to revolve around his November split with Camila Cabello. “When you’re like, breaking up with someone, you, like, think it’s the right thing — you don’t realize all the sh*t that comes after it,” he said. “Which is, like, who do I call when I’m, like, in a panic attack? Who do I call when I’m, like, f*cking on the edge? I think that’s the reality that kind of hit me. It’s like, oh, I’m on my own now ... and I hate that, you know? That’s my reality, you know?”

For her part, Cabello seems to be on the same page. While promoting her single “Bam Bam” earlier this March, she told Apple’s New Music Daily about her own post-relationship revelations. “Whether it is a breakup, or a divorce ... a friend breakup, or you’ve just gone through something that just is really sh*tty, like, hopefully this [song] can make you be like, it is that way now — but things are always taking, you know, crazy turns,” she said.

On March 16, Mendes shared a clip of a song in progress (presumably the one he’s “resonating” with now) whose lyrics include “I didn’t know that loving you was the happiest I’ve ever been.”

While it’s not the first music born out of Mendes and Cabello’s breakup — “It’ll Be Okay” also seems to reference the amicable split — the latest lyrics add a new perspective to the conversation.