Shawn Mendes marked his birthday, Aug. 8, with a double release on Thursday — unveiling tracks “Why Why Why” and “Isn’t That Enough” from his upcoming fifth album, Shawn . The former was shared alongside a new video featuring Mendes strumming his guitar and singing inside a barn and along a river, spliced with footage of him performing solo on a dark stage.
Anthony Wilson and Connor Brashier directed the visual for “Why Why Why,” while the lyrics see Mendes remember a former lover while pondering the cyclic nature of life. “Visions of her naked in my head/But I went off and chose myself instead,” sings Mendes in the opening verse, while later in the song, he reveals: “I thought I was about to be a father/Shook me to the core I’m still a kid/Sometimes, I still cry out for my mother.” When discussing “Why Why Why” in an upcoming interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music , Mendes told the host that “there was something anthemic about those words.
” He added, “It almost felt like a cry. It felt like ..
. I don’t know. It just felt powerful and beautiful.
” He also said that “Isn’t That Enough” felt like “I had a conversation with the fans and with the public.” He explained, “I needed to address that, ‘Hey, how have you been?’ And I needed to say back, ‘I’m good. Everything’s good.
It’s going to be good. It’s all right.'” The new ballads arrive nearly three years after Mendes and Camila Cabello announced their breakup.
