Shawn Mendes gives a behind-the-scenes look at 'When You’re Gone' in new video
— which he co-produced with Jonah Shy and cowrote with Shy and Scott Harris — earlier in the month at South By Southwest in Austin, Texas.
The Jay Martin-directed video, shot in Toronto and Austin, features black-and-white footage of the singer hitting the studio to record the track, rehearsing the song and meeting up with fans. As the song builds from a contemplative reflection on a relationship gone awry to an anthemic sing-along, the video switches to full-color, culminating in Mendes’ first-ever live performance of the single at the packed Moody Amphitheater during SXSW.
“Hold on, I don’t wanna know what it’s like when you’re gone,” he sings on the chorus. “I don’t wanna move on/I don’t wanna know what it’s like when you’re gone for good.”,” which also addresses the aftermath of a relationship and dropped shortly after the singer’s split with Camila Cabello, his girlfriend of over two years.