Shawn Mendes is not in the game to musically shame his ex.
The singer's latest hit "When You're Gone" not so subtly referenced his very public breakup with pop star Camila Cabello, but fans may be surprised to hear that she got a sneak peek of the track before its release.
"Camila heard this song months ago, so we have a really honest relationship," Mendes exclusively told E! News' Erin Lim on the April 1 episode of Daily Pop. "I would never really put a song out about her before she would hear it."
Heartbreak is a big inspiration for many musicians, something both he and Cabello understand when it comes to songwriting.
"She knows me and I know her, and ultimately, we both are writers and we both know what it is to make music and what the bigger picture of making art is," he shared. "We're supportive of that, always."
The pair called it quits back in November 2021, and like his song lyrics, Mendes had to "learn how to cope without" Cabello in his own way.
"You've got to give yourself a lot of grace to kind of be a little bit of a mess, and that's okay," he explained of his post-breakup status. "And then, you have to look around at the people who are there and not the people who aren't."
Now, the singer is throwing all his energy into his upcoming Wonder World Tour, which kicks off this summer.
"You can only prepare yourself so much and then you have to just start playing shows because it's wild," he shared. "I think there's no feeling in the world that feels like stepping in front of 10 thousand people and playing a show."
Preparing to spend months on the road, Mendes is excited to be "bringing the besties" with him on tour this time around.
"You're on the road for almost two years, so you gotta have some people you really like and really feel good around," he said. "Otherwise, it's not gonna work."
As for that thirst-trap TikTok he used to promote his new single, Mendes joked that moonwalking shirtless and singing his music around the house is not unusual behavior for him. "It's unusual that that gets caught on camera," he said with a smile.
Relive Mendes and Cabello's romance in the photos below.
Back in 2015, Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello first made headlines together not as a couple, but as a musical duet on their joint hit single, "I Know What You Did Last Summer."
Four years later, the performers' new steamy music video for their "Señorita" duet, released in June, raised eyebrows over whether there was a romance brewing behind the scenes.
The following month, the two were spotted holding hands while out together in West Hollywood. "They were telling people they were a couple," a source told E! News at the time. Soon after, the stars were seen getting close in San Francisco.
While the two had not publicly confirmed their relationship status, this steamy makeout in the Miami water did all the talking.
The rumored pair rang in Mendes' 21st birthday together in August 2019, including a big kiss for the birthday boy. Cabello also declared her love for her musical beau over on Instagram.
At the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, Camila and Shawn stole the show with a sexy live performance of "Señorita" as viewers waited to see if they would kiss.
After laughing off breakup rumors in October 2019, their romance was on full display as they made out courtside throughout a basketball game.
Shawn revealed that during the pandemic, he went to Miami to live with Camila. "Something really beautiful for me came out of it, which was you're not allowed to leave," he told Zane Lowe in 2020. "I went to Miami and I was living with Camila [Cabello] and her parents and her sister."
Relationship milestone alert: They welcomed a new member of their family after picking up a puppy named Tarzan in November 2020.
Shawn revealed he and Camila get into fights from time to time. "We definitely fight, and we get in like the worst little arguments," he said on SiriusXM's The Morning Mash Up in August. "But, like, I think that we definitely are pretty good at picking up on when it's just ego talking. And we like, usually like call each other out. We have a really honest and open relationship—but, yeah, no, we definitely fight."
Shawn was by Camila's side while she walked the red carpet for the premiere of Cinderella in September.
Shawnmila attended their first Met Gala together in 2021, wearing Michael Kors Collection looks.
The pair celebrated Halloween together in 2021, writing on social media, "Feliz día de los muertos."
The couple announced their split on Nov. 17, 2021. As they wrote, "we've decided to end our romantic relationship but our love for on another as humans is stronger than ever." The pair added, "we started our relationship as best friends and will continue to be best friends."
The pair reunited at Coachella in April 2023 and were seen kissing during the festival.
Rekindling the Flame
After their Coachella moment, Shawn and Camila were spotted hanging out a few times during early summer 2023—including at a Taylor Swift concert—but ultimately called it quits once more in June.