Shawn Mendes’ new song ‘Youth’ is his reaction to the horrific Manchester and London terror attacks last year.
The Canadian pop star teamed up with Khalid on the track, which is written for his generation who have had to witness such brutal incidents, such as last May when 22 people were killed at Ariana Grande’s concert at Manchester Arena after it was targeted by a bomb attack.
The ‘In My Blood’ hitmaker says the song is central to his forthcoming third self-titled record – the follow-up to 2016’s ‘Illuminate’ – and is about the idea that young people should never be robbed of their younger years.
He explained to the Daily Star newspaper: "It’s the most important track on the album.
"I was touring around Europe when the events of Manchester and London happened, it was very overwhelming.
"I wanted to write something but it had to be about the feeling for us as a generation when one of these things happen.
"So I wrote a song about our youth, a feeling that can’t be taken away from us."
Meanwhile, the 19-year-old heartthrob – who releases his album on May 25 – recently confessed he "chickened out" of meeting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when he performed at Queen Elizabeth’s 92nd birthday celebration last weekend.
The ‘There’s Nothing Holding Me Back’ hitmaker performed at the Royal Albert Hall to celebrate the monarch’s birthday, and admitted that the royal crowd – which also included the Queen herself, Prince Charles, Duchess Camilla and Prince William – made him more nervous than he had anticipated.
When asked if he’d managed to meet Harry, 33, and his fiancée Meghan – whom he will marry on May 19 – Shawn said: "I didn’t [meet them], I actually chickened out. I walked by the hallway and I saw them in there and I was like, ‘Should I go say something? Nah.’
"Usually I don’t freak out like that, but I was really … I was surprised by how nervous I got in front of them."
And the ‘In My Blood’ hitmaker even admits he was more nervous about the thought of meeting the younger royals than he was when he spent "15 minutes" stood next to the Queen before he went on stage.
He added: "I stood next to the Queen for about 15 minutes, waiting to go on stage. We didn’t technically meet, but I was standing next to her. It was really awesome! It was a lot more relaxed then I thought it would be, in the best way. That was just – truly, I’m having a really great week.
"She’s very funny. The whole royal family is very normal and just, like, super likeable and amazing."
Shawn Mendes’ song Youth inspired by Manchester terror attack
