Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello ended their relationship in November 2021, but they're still in touch. In an interview with Extra's Katie Krause to promote the single's music video, Mendes said that his new song "When You're Gone" was inspired by a previous romance.

"About a month after Camila and I broke up, I created this song," Mendes explained. "After a month, you start to have all the recollections of what occurred, as well as all the memories of so many great things.... And that's what I was writing about."

Mendes says he's pleased he took the time to "digest" his breakup and that he was open and honest about it on social media.He explained, "I'm extremely delighted I did." "Because I believe that's the only way you can connect with other people." There's just one method to make genuine connections with real people. And the only way to do that is to be honest and vulnerable."

"Camila and I have always been writers for as long as we've known each other, so we understand what it means," the songwriter said to Cabello about the song. And we understand what it entails. And we'll always be honest with one other." During an episode of Daily Pop, he informed Erin Lim of E! News that he even offered his ex-girlfriend a sneak peek.

"Camila heard these song months ago," he explained, "so we have a really honest connection." "I'd never release a song about her unless she heard it first."

"She knows me, and I know her," he said, "and at the end of the day, we're both writers who understand what it takes to produce music and what it takes to develop art in general." We're always on board with it."