Shawn Mendes revealed the inspiration behind his comeback song "What The Hell Are We Dying For?" as well as its controversial cover photo.
"I think I had this feeling of urgency, this feeling of honestly excitement, this feeling of connection - this feeling of this is me right now, this is how I feel right now," the singer explained in his interview with Apple Music 1.
Mendes shared how he happened to be in New York when the thick smog settled over the city, blanketing it in yellow and orange; apparently, the state of the weather perfectly depicted what he felt.
"[...] In hindsight, it was scary. I woke up in the morning and I was like, 'Wow, what did I do?' I think it was a good thing for me to do for myself. I had to dive into the deep end," the singer continued. "Otherwise, I would've sat there for years questioning myself... and I think it wraps around to just, what is it that we care about in life? Who do we care about? What's worth it? Why do we show up the way we do?"
And thus came "What The Hell Are We Dying For?" It is Mendes' first song since he took some time off from music last year, citing his deteriorating mental health.
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Shawn Mendes takes a Break
Back in July 2022, the "Stitches" singer surprised and worried fans when he abruptly canceled the rest of his tour.
"I feel like over the last year and a bit, I've just been really struggling in the studio to find my voice and to find myself musically and to even have the courage just to be in the room with writers or step into the booth and sing," Mendes admitted.
He shared how he happened to be in New York when he suddenly found some inspiration after feeling so frustrated over his relationships, career, and environment.
"I was in the studio and this moment of just deep frustration came over me and I finally started to feel this inspiration come. Honestly, in that moment, it felt like it was the first time I felt that in a year and a half in the studio."
On the same day inspiration came to him, Mendes immediately returned to the studio with new-found vigor.
Despite the criticisms that the cover photo received, the singer admits that he just mostly feels relief that his writer's block is gone.
"And I'm just going to keep going, keep making some songs because I really think that there's something in here."
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