Shawn Mendes dances his way through the new video for ‘Wonder’

Shawn Mendes has been using his time in quarantine to do two things; grow a really great head of hair, and make his highly anticipated fourth studio album. After teasing his lead single all week, Mendes released the song and music video for “Wonder” at midnight on October 2 and delivered the awe-inspiring, feel-good song that is desperately needed in 2020.Working with director Matty Peacock, Mendes not only rocked his new coif in the video, he also debuted some impressive contemporary dance moves. The visually stunning video opens with Mendes riding a train filled with dancers before jumping off the moving vehicle and finding himself in the middle of another choreographed session in the forest. Mendes eventually makes a solo trip through the trees and finds himself at a clearing on the edge of a cliff. It’s a little bit of the Harry Potter train to Hogwarts meets Twilight and we are here for all of it. Opening with a beautifully haunting choral arrangement and going into a more drum-driven backing track, the stadium love song was cowritten and coproduced by Mendes, who teeters back and forth between the lyrics of a typical love song with one that is more introspective and reflective of his role in the current social and political climate. "Right before I close my eyes/ The only thing that's on my mind/ Been dreaming that you feel it, too/ I wonder what it's like to be loved by you,” sings Mendes, followed by "I wonder why I'm so afraid/ Of saying something wrong, I never said I was a saint/ I wonder, when I cry into my hands/ I'm conditioned to feel like it makes me less of a man.”On October 1, Mendes posted a handwritten note to fans announcing his return to music. “I’ve missed you all so much! I know it’s been a really scary year for everyone so I’m sending buckets of love to all of you,” wrote the JUNO winner, who revealed that his new single was the title track from his upcoming fourth album. “It really feels like a piece of me has been written down on paper and recorded into song. I tried to be as real and as honest as I’ve ever been. It’s a world and a journey and a dream and an album I’ve been wanting to make for a really long time. I absolutely love it. Thank you for being by my side for so many years. I love you all so much."

 

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#WONDER The Single October 2nd, The Album December 4th, pre-order & pre-save now. link in bio

A post shared by Shawn Mendes (@shawnmendes) on Sep 30, 2020 at 12:03pm PDT

In addition to the new single and video, the Toronto native announced that Wonder will be released in full on December 4. The pop singer has also revealed the preorder bonuses that will have the Mendes army getting the new record to number one within hours of its release. Following in the footsteps of close friend and former tour mate Taylor Swift, Mendes has put together an impressive collection of album accompaniments, including a zine, trading cards, a limited-edition number of signed CDs and vinyl albums and a collection of 160 photos taken during the making of Wonder.

 

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#WONDER collectors cards come in all of the deluxe CDs & we also put a special limited edition zine edition of the album together for you that comes with a CD, cards, & 160 pages of art and some of my favourite photos from making the album ? shop.shawnmendesofficial.com

A post shared by Shawn Mendes (@shawnmendes) on Sep 30, 2020 at 4:57pm PDT

[video_embed id='2048418']RELATED: Shawn Mendes releases steamy new music video 'Wonder'[/video_embed]The arrival of Mendes’ new single has put the singer’s relationship with girlfriend Camila Cabello back in the spotlight. The pair were rumoured to have split earlier this year after spending months isolating together in Cabello’s hometown of Miami, but it appears they have reconciled. Cabello posted a glowing reviews of Mendes’ new music on Instagram, writing “The world could use some magic, beauty, and Wonder always, but especially right now. Shawn Mendes, what a gorgeous gift to the world. He’s crafted this album with every last bit of his soul, his spirit, and his essence with the purest of intentions. My love, I’m so proud of the person you are and I’m so excited for people to see and hear your heart.”

 

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the world could use some magic, beauty, and Wonder always, but especially right now. @shawnmendes what a gorgeous gift to the world. He’s crafted this album with every last bit of his soul, his spirit, and his essence with the purest of intentions. My love, I’m so proud of the person you are and I’m so excited for people to see and hear your heart. ❤️

A post shared by camila (@camila_cabello) on Sep 30, 2020 at 9:58am PDT

On September 30, Mendes spoke to Sirius XM radio host Jim Ryan about Cabello’s encouragement and involvement in the making of Wonder. “It's really interesting how that dynamic changes when, especially when your girlfriend's a writer and a musician and she's incredible, you have two options. You can be really scared and intimidated or you can be like, ‘Oh, I should probably ask you for some help or like what you think,’” said Mendes. "I don't know if she's credited all over the album, but she should be because there was nobody during that time that was giving me more advice and encouragement to just stick to the way I felt about the music that I wanted to make." [video_embed id='6190993576001']Before you go: Shawn Mendes performs Stevie Wonder's 'Love’s in Need of Love Today'[/video_embed]