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.
The world leader, who has repeatedly faced criticism for featuring songs from artists who do not want their music connected to his political views, shared a viral clip of We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love) that focused on the lyric: “Me and my truth we sit in silence.”
The footage shows Trump at a rally while the statement “Men can’t have babies and should never compete in women’s sports” appears on screen.
The Team Trump TikTok account posted the video with the caption: “This shouldn’t be controversial! #trump #arianagrande #maga.”
Ariana responded in a comment that was later removed, saying: “Never use my music again. Also, your truth is false.”
Trump has a well known record of opposing transgender rights, and the US Supreme Court recently ruled that states can prohibit transgender women from taking part in women’s sports. In a 6 to 3 ruling, the justices determined that such laws do not breach Title IX or the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.
The decision in June came after several other actions by the Trump administration involving transgender policies. Earlier in May, the Supreme Court also permitted the administration to continue with its “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness” order, which would prevent transgender individuals from serving in the US military.
Ariana’s statement arrived soon after Taylor Swift also took steps to stop Trump from using her music on TikTok. Trump had featured a number of her songs in his social media posts, including a video of him and his wife Lady Melania Trump watching fireworks accompanied by August.
The song was later taken off the post and replaced by a notice that read: “This sound isn’t available.”
Trump appeared to deliberately select Taylor’s track, adding the message: “I’m sure @Taylor Swift is going to be super excited we used her song!”
He also responded to the Team Trump video with: “Mood because it’s August and Donald Trump is your president.”
Other Taylor Swift songs that were removed from Trump’s TikTok content included The Fate of Ophelia and Father Figure.
Trump previously made headlines when he wrote “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” on Truth Social after the singer publicly announced that she planned to support Kamala Harris in the previous presidential election.
