Shawn Mendes, “It’ll Be Okay” | Track Review

Grammy-nominated pop artist Shawn Mendes channels his recent breakup into a marvelous, vulnerable single, “It’ll Be Okay.”

“A

re we gonna make it? / Is this gonna hurt? / Oh, we can try to sedate it / But that never works.” The power couple of Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello is no more.  Fittingly, Mendes drops a break-up song, “It’ll Be Okay”, after breaking up with his girlfriend.  As to be expected, Mendes wears his heart on his sleeve, delivering an incredible, authentic performance. “It’ll Be Okay” commences with vulnerable vocals by Mendes, accompanied by a pad.  As always, Mendes’ tone is gorgeous + you buy what he is selling.  The honesty of the songwriting (Mendes, Eddie Benjamin, Mike Sabath, and Scott Harris) is utterly sublime.

The melody on “It’ll Be Okay” is radiant – it’s always great when a singer has an awesome tune to work with! I heart how Mendes ascends to his upper register as the song progresses; on the chorus, he dips into his falsetto. On the second verse, Mendes sounds more commanding, more powerful as he asserts, “And, oh, there’s nothing more painful / Nothing more painful.” As far as the production (Mendes, Sabath, Benjamin, and Johan Lenix), there’s plenty to like about it (guitars, organ, keys, strings). The chorus is the centerpiece – one of the biggest selling points of this ballad.

“If you tell me you’re leaving, I'll make it easy
It’ll be okay
If we can’t stop the bleeding, we don't have to fix it
We don’t have to stay
I will love you either way (Ooh-ooh)
It’ll be o—, be okay (Ooh-ooh).”

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Final Thoughts

What better way is there to cope with heartbreak and love pain than to write a breakup song? Shawn Mendes does a superb job expressing himself, showcasing great authenticity and vulnerability.  His voice is a mighty weapon – simply marvelous!

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Shawn Mendes • “It’ll Be Okay” • Island • 12.1.21
[: Brent Faulkner, Island, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]

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