Shawn Mendes Claims His New Song Is About Wildfires In Canada & Fans Aren’t Buying It (VIDEO)

Shawn Mendes just released a new song in response to the wildfires in Canada that are creating poor air quality conditions across some provinces and parts of the U.S.

The track, called "WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DYING FOR?" dropped at midnight on Friday, June 9.

"Started writing this song yesterday morning with my friends in upstate New York & finished it only a few hours ago... felt so important to me to share with you guys in real time," Mendes tweeted along with a snippet of the song playing over an image of a very smokey and orange New York City skyline.

He also included a link to the Canadian Red Cross and urged people to learn more and donate if possible.

Some of the lyrics of Mendes' new song have fans wondering if the track is indeed really about the wildfires or if it's about his love life.

"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?" the Canadian sings during the chorus.

In fact, only the first line of the song has an overt reference to the wildfires before Mendes switches to crooning about an unnamed person.

"Smoke in the air, the city's burnin' 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," say the lyrics.

WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DYING FOR ?www.youtube.com

Over on Twitter, there were many opinions shared that "WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DYING FOR?" is actually about the ongoing situation between him and Camila Cabello.

The pair, who broke up in November of 2021, recently sparked dating rumours after they shared a kiss at Coachella and held hands while strolling around New York.

However, there's been speculation that the pair have broken up again, which has led some fans to believe that's what the track is actually about.

"Thinking Shawn's new song was going to be about climate change with that cover, but nope, it's actually a breakup song about Camila?? The things I could say about this, especially with the timing of his release," tweeted one person.

"Another song about Camila Cabello? Even though I love "It’ll Be Okay" and "When You’re Gone," I think it’s time for you to move on and give us a good album instead," tweeted another. "We’re tired of these buzz singles."

While many praised him for using his platform to bring attention to the wildfires, some accused him of using the natural disaster for his own benefit.

"Did bro actually commercialize New York's climate lmao," wrote one person in the comment section of Mendes' Insta post announcing the single.

"Man oh man!! Disaster turned into opportunity, just top-notch Shawn bro," said another.

"The song was made for Camila, Shawn, let’s be real. All you had to do was slap an important real-life event pic as the cover art, and BOOM! That’s fake activism at its finest. I’m sorry, but those lyrics did not correlate towards a climate crisis. I’m just not buying it," one user shared.

Earlier this week, Environment Canada issued special air quality statements for certain cities due to the impact of the smoke blowing in from the wildfires in Northern Ontario and Quebec, with the guidance to wear a mask like an N95 in some areas.

On June 7, the smokey conditions put Toronto as the seventh-worst city in the world for air quality, according to IQAir, with New York City in first place.

Many photos and videos out of New York show intense orange skies clouded by the smoke.

As of June 9, Toronto is now at number 20 on the list, with New York City ranking 37th worst in the world.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.