Shawn Mendes closes a difficult chapter with "It'll Be Okay"
Review by Conner Tighe
Canadian-American pop star Shawn Mendes dropped his latest single, “It’ll Be Okay,” a ballad to post-breakup feelings. Right off the bat, I was in love with the song. “It’ll Be Okay” is Mendes’ most recent music release, following the single “Summer of Love” released in August.
Mendes found fame after posting on Vine in the early 2010s. He later signed a record deal with Island Records and began his official music career at 15 years old. The singer has four studio albums starting with Handwritten, released in 2015.
What makes Mendes so unique and talented comes with his vocal skills and guitar playing, but his sense of vulnerability. There’s been more than one occasion where the singer was questioned about his sexuality and his masculinity as it was attacked by the press. “It’ll Be Okay” is not the singer’s first time coming clean with his inner demons. However, this latest single hits the hardest.
In 2014, Mendes met his on and off love interest Camila Cabello, a previous member of band Fifth Harmony. The two began dating in 2019, to which if one were following the two carefully was a long time coming. Mendes and Cabello have collaborated on more than one occasion, starting with 2015’s “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”
“Señorita,” released in 2019, featured the two again, this time more sensual and lustful. The song received several awards, including People’s Choice Award for Favorite Song, American Music Award for Collaboration of the Year, and MTV Video Music Award for Best Collaboration.
Mendes and Cabello broke up in mid-November, and it comes as no surprise the singer has poured his heart into his latest single. Whereas much of the singer’s music talks about pre-relationship jitters, “It’ll Be Okay” takes an emotional turn for the worst. When talking about Cabello, Mendes has a way of convincing fans that the universe brought the two together, and now something is different.
The two singers seemed everlasting, and it was a genuine surprise when the two announced their breakup after only two years. This single is Mendes’ way of dealing with the aftermath and closing the book of a difficult chapter. Words like “sweet” and “bitter” are carefully mixed into the single talking about the things left unsaid and lasting emotions after a breakup.
Mendes’ best music comes from emotional epiphanies and an emotional songwriting session. His latest single rivals his past releases like “In My Blood,” “Roses,” and “When You’re Ready” not in style but that sense of raw outpouring of the heart.
“It’ll Be Okay” is the singer’s best piece of music since his 2020 album Wonder. I’ve always rooted for Mendes, and fans will grapple with this sweet, emotional post-love ballad. There’s a sense of closure and finality following the two’s breakup.