Another sad fireworks display for books. Shawn Mendes has released a new song called “When You’re Gone”, and fans can’t help but think that it’s about his breakup with Camila Cabello.
“You’ll never know how good she is / Until you see a photo of the only important girl,” says the text of the first verse of the track, which the 23—year-old Canadian singer released on Thursday, March 31. “I know what we have to do / It’s hard for me to let you go/ So I’m just trying to hold on.”
Singer In My Blood and 25-year-old singer Havana broke up in November 2021 after two years of living together. “Hi guys, we have decided to end our romantic relationship, but our love for each other as people is stronger than ever,” the former couple wrote in a joint statement on Instagram. “We started our relationship as best friends and will continue to be best friends. We really appreciate your support from the very beginning and in the future.”
Mendes debuted the song “When You’re Gone” earlier this month during a performance at SXSW in Austin, Texas. The Grammy nominee performed this song towards the end of his set, delighting fans in the audience and social media users eager for new music. “Sean’s new song made me cry,” one Twitter user wrote at the time along with a clip of the performance.
“I don’t want to know what it’s like when you’re not there,” read the chorus of the new track. “I don’t want to move on / I don’t want to know what it’s like when you’re gone forever / You’re slipping out of my hands / A little bit, a little bit / I didn’t know that loving you was the happiest I’ve ever been.”
Earlier this month, the “Stitches” singer spoke about how to deal with the aftermath of the split, noting that he “didn’t realize” what things would be different when he became single.
“When, for example, you break up with someone and think it’s the right thing to do. You don’t understand all the shit that’s going to follow,” Mendes said in March 2022 via a social media clip from his studio sessions, referring to the new music he wrote after breaking up with Cabello.
“It’s like, ‘Who do I call when I have a panic attack? Who should I call when I’m fucking on edge?” And I think it’s a reality, such a hit,” he said in a clip on social media from his studio sessions. “It’s like, ‘Oh, I’m on my own now.’ Now I feel like I’m finally really on my own, and I hate it, you know? This is my reality.”
Cabello, for her part, broke her silence about the split in an interview with Zane Lowe earlier this month. “As I get older, priorities change,” the former Fifth Harmony member explained. “And I feel like that was the case for both of us. Since we both started very early too, it looks like we’re really learning to be healthy adults.”
The “Crying in the Club” singer said that she and her ex-boyfriend are still on good terms. “I love Sean and I feel like there is literally nothing but love for him,” she explained.
