Entertainment Music Shawn Mendes Alludes to Camila Cabello Breakup in 'When You're Gone': 'I Don't Wanna Move On' "When You're Gone" follows Mendes' emotional December single "It'll Be Okay" By Daniela Avila Daniela Avila Instagram Twitter Editorial Assistant, PEOPLE People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 31, 2022 05:10 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Shawn Mendes is back with another breakup bop! On Thursday, the Canadian singer released a new single titled "When You're Gone" with an accompanying music video — and it seemingly alludes to his split from ex Camila Cabello. In the lyrics, Mendes, 25, sings about learning to let go after a tough breakup, beginning with the opening verse, "You never know how good you have it, oh/Until you're starin' at a picture of the only girl that matters, aah." Starting out with a guitar-back slow tempo and Mendes' signature vocals, the pace begins to pick up in the chorus as he sings about wanting to "hold on." "Hold on/I don't wanna know what it's like when you're gone/I don't wanna move on/I don't wanna know what it's like when you're gone for good," he sings in the chorus, seemingly referencing his recent split. "You're slipping through my fingertips/A little bit, by a little bit/I didn't know that loving you was the happiest I've ever been/So I'm just tryna hold on." Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello. Randy Shropshire/Getty; Alexander Tamargo/Telemundo/Photo Bank;Getty Shawn Mendes Opens Up About Life Post-Breakup from Camila Cabello: 'I Am on My Own' Last November, the "Stitches" singer and Cabello, 25, announced they had parted ways after two years of dating, claiming at the time they would "continue to be best friends." Meanwhile, on March 18, Mendes shared a video on Instagram where he played the song on the piano — and followed with a video that explained how the lyrics resonated in his life. "You don't realize when you're breaking up with someone … all the s— that comes after it," he said. "Which is like, who do I call when I am, like, in a panic attack, who do I call when I am, like, f—ing on the edge, you know? And I think that's the reality that kinda I am on my own now after like, finally I am actually on my own and I hate that … that's my reality, you know." In the music video, directed by Jay Martin, fans can see Mendes across multiple days as he records and rehearses for his first-ever live performance of the song at SXSW earlier this month. The single follows Mendes' December emotional ballad "I'll Be Okay," his first release since their split which centered around coping with a pain of the past. Earlier this month, the former Fifth Harmony singer appeared to address her split from Mendes through her newest single, "Bam Bam." Shawn Mendes. Amy Sussman/Getty Camila Cabello Alludes to Shawn Mendes Split in New Song 'Bam Bam': 'Said I'd Love You For Life' Her duet with Ed Sheeran features her singing about the ways in which life can change following a breakup. "You said you hated the ocean/But you're surfin' now/I said I'd love you for life/But I just sold our house," Cabello sings in the opening lyrics. Coincidentally, Mendes shared photos of himself surfing on Instagram days after their split, despite telling fans years earlier that his "weirdest fear" involved a full-blown panic attack while swimming in the ocean at nighttime.