Shawn Mendes Unveils His Most Vulnerable Single, “In My Blood”

Canadian pop sensation Shawn Mendes released his next big folk-pop rock anthem with his new single “In My Blood” from his yet-to-be-titled third album due out this year on Island Records.

Mendes co-wrote and co-produced his latest single with longtime collaborators Teddy Geiger, Scott Harris and Geoff Warburton. The song features Mendes’s trademark folk-pop rock with heavy drums and electronic guitars adding a rock element masking the song’s vulnerable nature. Mendes’s soothing yet raspy vocals are tender during the verses before going full force in the chorus. By the end, the song reaches an anthemic climax in the final hook as Mendes is joined by a chorus.

Although the song may lean towards the rock genre, the song’s lyrics are a mix of mental anguish, insecurity and defiance as Mendes sings about overcoming self-destructive behavior and depression while trying to live out his purpose. Mendes shares his loneliness as a pop star when he sings “Laying on the bedroom floor filling nothin’/ I’m overwhelmed and insecure give me somethin’/ I could take to ease my mind.” His true vulnerability shows during the bridge as he sings “Help me/ It’s like the walls are caving in/ Sometimes I feel like giving up/ No medicine is strong enough/ Someone help me/ I’m crawling in my skin/ Sometimes I feel like giving up/ But I just can’t give in.”

With more than 110 million records sold before he turned 20, Mendes became the youngest artist to have three No. 1 singles on AC radio with last year’s hit single “There’s No Holdin’ Me Back” while topping Billboard’s 21 Under 21 list. Along with music, Mendes expanded his TV portfolio by becoming a mentor for singer-songwriter Alicia Keys’ team on the hit singing competition The Voice. Mendes will perform the single on Mar. 28 on The Late Late Show with James Corden.

As Mendes continues to grow as an artist, he is building a stable career many of his contemporaries can only hope for. Listen to his new single below.