Shawn Mendes releases new single ‘What The Hell Are We Dying For?’ apparently inspired by wildfires

Shawn Mendes dropped a surprise new single Friday, suggesting it was written in response to the raging wildfires that blanketed large swaths of southern Ontario and the U.S. eastern seaboard earlier in the week.

The Canadian pop superstar shared the new song, titled “What The Hell Are We Dying For?,” at midnight on Friday, after teasing its release just a day prior.

Featuring a cover photo of the New York City skyline shrouded by a haze of orange smoke, the song appears to be written in response to the ongoing wildfires in Canada.

“Smoke in the air, the city’s burnin’ down / I wanna speak, but I don’t make a sound,” read the song’s opening lyrics, before segueing into a stirring chorus.

Mendes, 24, shared on Twitter early Friday morning that he started writing the song this week with friends in upstate New York. He finished the piece just hours before its release.

“Felt so important to me to share with you guys in real time,” he wrote on the social media platform.

Mendes, who was born and raised in Pickering, Ont., also asked his fans to donate to the Canadian Red Cross, which is supporting the wildfire relief efforts across the country.

While the new song has received some positive feedback, others have criticized Mendes for using the wildfire to promote his work.

Despite nods to climate change in some of the lyrics, critics said most of the song appears to focus on the end of a relationship, speculating it comes amid rumours of a breakup with Camila Cabello. (The pair have been in an on-and-off relationship.)

“If we don’t love like we used to / If we don’t care like we used to / What the hell are we dying for?,” read the lyrics for the chorus.

“What The Hell Are We Dying For?” marks Mendes’s first song of 2023.

The artist has spoken up about climate change in the past. In 2022, he announced that his “Wonder” world tour would include several sustainability initiatives, with the goal of reducing its per-show carbon footprint by 50 per cent.

“We are in a pivotal moment for climate, and it’s crucial to me that this tour is a step in the right direction,” Mendes said in a statement to Billboard at the time.