Twenty-two-year-old Shawn Mendes is back with a new pop single called “Wonder” from his forthcoming album of the same name.
“Wonder” offers listeners a peek into Mendes’ thought process as he works through new emotions and reflects on the love in his life.
Mendes dives pretty deep here, singing about what he’s been personally working through. He ponders if he’s an authentic person (“I wonder if I’m being real”) and how vulnerable he should risk being (“Do I speak my truth or do I filter how I feel?”).
He then contemplates what it would be like to live in a world without polarizing divides (“Wouldn’t it be nice/To live inside a world that isn’t black and white”). And he ponders how his friends might think about how he treats them (“I wonder what it’s like to be my friends/Hope that they don’t think I forget about them”).
He also hopes that the woman he’s falling for feels the same way he does (“Been dreaming that you feel it too/I wonder what it’s like to be loved by you”). And he begins to understand that his vulnerability is powerful, despite what he’s been taught to believe (“I wonder, when I cry into my hands/I’m conditioned to feel like it makes me less of a man”).
In an interview with radio.com, Mendes talked about how this song, as well as his upcoming album, are different from anything he’s ever done. He tells fans that an artistic change should be expected, because he has grown as a man:
“I feel like “Wonder” is in a lot of ways me just reflecting on my life, and life in general. … I’ve never really done that before. … There’s a real sense of freedom that this song oozes out to me, that makes me love it even more.” And on this song, at least, that growth is evident.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
