Shawn Mendes
Connor Brashier*Shawn Mendes mends his broken heart following his high-profile breakup with Camila Cabello on his new song “It’ll Be Okay,” which was released Wednesday (Dec. 1).
He first teased the single via Instagram on Tuesday with a 12-second snippet of him singing, “Are we gonna make it?/ Is this gonna hurt?” over swelling, organ-like synths. He continues singing about patching up the wounds of a lost love in the chorus: “If you tell me you’re leaving, I’ll make it easy/ It’ll be okay/ If we can’t stop the bleeding/ We don’t have to fix it/ We don’t have to stay/ I will love you either way/ Ooh-ooh, it’ll be oh, be okay/ Ooh-ooh.”
“It’ll Be Okay” arrives just two weeks after Mendes and Cabello announced their breakup after the all-star couple had been dating for more than two years. The pop stars, who hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 together with “Señorita” in 2019, released a joint statement addressing their split, promising fans that they “started our relationship as best friends and will continue to be best friends.”
The song also marks Mendes’ first solo music release since his fourth studio album Wonder, which he released almost exactly a year ago on Dec. 4, 2020, and topped the Billboard 200. He’ll be taking Wonder all around the world during his 2022 tour, which kicks off its European leg in spring before heading Stateside next summer with openers Dermot Kennedy and Tate McRae.
Listen to “It’ll Be Okay” below.
London four piece Keo are on course to land their first UK Number 1 album with Put A Smile On For Me. After building a loyal audience over the past two years, the London band now lead this week’s Official Albums Chart update. Their debut record explores love, guilt, and self destruction.
Nothing But Thieves are close behind at Number 2 with their fifth album, Stray Dogs. The Southend band are hoping for a second straight Number 1 after Dead Club City reached the top in 2023. Taylor Swift is at Number 3 with The Life Of A Showgirl, helped by the expanded The Encore edition. Olivia Rodrigo’s You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In sits at Number 4, while Soft Cell’s Danceteria opens at Number 5. It is the synth pop duo’s final album together following Dave Ball’s death last year.
Europe could reach Number 9 with Come This Madness, giving the Swedish rock band its first UK Top 10 album in four decades. A 30th anniversary reissue of Alice In Chains’ MTV Unplugged is at Number 13 in the midweek update, with Orbital’s Glastonbury 1994 set at Number 14. Julia Jacklin is heading for her first Top 40 album as The Gem reaches Number 18, while Suede’s Coming Up returns at Number 23 after its 30th anniversary physical release.
Also on track for Top 40 places are Nessa Barrett’s Tough Love at Number 29, the companion soundtrack to LINKIN PARK: UNSHATTER at Number 30, and Dublin band Gurriers’ Nobody’s Coming To Save You at Number 31. Blondshell, Kneecap, Tina Turner, and Leon Bridges also appear in the lower half of the midweek chart.
The official positions will be announced when the final Albums Chart is published on Friday.
