Shawn Mendes - When You're Gone Video

Shawn Mendes has taken time to "process" his split from long-term girlfriend Camila Cabello and has now written and released a song about it, aptly titled - 'When You're Gone'. The Canadian singer-songwriter and Cuban singer and actress dated from July of 2019 until they parted ways in November of 2021. 

Speaking about the inspiration for the song the 'Treat You Better' artist said - "I wrote this song about a month after Camila and I broke up...A month later, you kind of start having all the memories of things that happened, and all the memories of so many amazing things….And I was writing about that".

Shawn talked to his ex about the song, and played it for her long before it was released. Mendes told Erin Lim of E! News - "Camila heard this song months ago, so we have a really honest relationship...I would never really put a song out about her before she would hear it". He went on to add that - "She [Camila Cabello] knows me and I know her, and ultimately, we both are writers and we both know what it is to make music and what the bigger picture of making art is. We're supportive of that, always".

Mendes has captured that feeling of 'you don't know what you've got until it's gone' in the opening lyrics of his song as he sings - "You never know how good you have it, Ohh, ohhh, Until you’re staring at a picture of the only girl that matters, Huhhh uh, I know what we’re supposed to do, It’s hard for me to let go of you, so I’m just trying to hold on...I didn’t know that loving you was the happiest I’ve ever been". 

Clearly all those who initially thought that Mendes and Cabello's relationship was created out of the want and need for more publicity were wrong! Mendes is pining for his ex but he says that despite their split - "there'll always be transparency between us".