Shawn Mendes Releases New Single, Fans Criticize Cover Art
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Shawn Mendes released a new song on Friday called “What the Hell Are We Dying For?” The track features cover art showing New York City covered in smoke from the recent Canadian wildfires. Some fans criticized the choice.
Shawn Mendes Releases New Song He Just Wrote
When sharing that his new single had been released, Mendes explained on Twitter that he first started writing the song earlier this week with friends in upstate New York. He finished it just a few hours before its release.
Mendes explained that it “felt so important to me to share with you guys in real time.” He followed up the announcement with a link to the Canadian Red Cross, sharing that he was donating. He encouraged his fans to do the same.
The song’s lyrics make the song’s timeliness immediately clear as Mendes sings, “Smoke in the air, the city’s burning down / I wanna speak, but I don’t make a sound / Locked in my mind, you’re all I think about / I wanna save us, but I don’t know how.”
SEE ALSO: CAMILA CABELLO, SHAWN MENDES FURTHER SPARK ROMANCE RUMORS WHILE SEEN HAND IN HAND IN NYC
WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DYING FOR ? OUT NOW
— Shawn Mendes (@ShawnMendes) June 9, 2023
Started writing this song yesterday morning with my friends in upstate Newyork & finished it only a few hours ago..felt so important to me to share with you guys in real time ♥️♥️ https://t.co/9ODeE5v5FB pic.twitter.com/S3HUpk672s
Fans Criticize the Single’s Cover Art
Mendes teased the release of “What the Hell Are We Dying For?” on Thursday, sharing the single’s cover art. The image depicts the New York City skyline covered in smoke from Canada’s wildfires, with the song’s title written over it.
Some people took issue with the singer’s image choice, which they viewed as insensitive. According to Page Six, one user wrote on Instagram, “ppl are dying in wildfires n getting sick by the poor air quality n u rlly [sic] decided to make it ur aesthetic?”
Another user accused Mendes of “trying to profit off a natural disaster.” Someone on Twitter suggested that even if the song addresses climate change, “there better be intersectionality of climate justice and have a feat from [environmental activist Greta Thunberg] herself.”
