Until 2016 Shawn Mendes was already a pop superstar. After gaining popularity on the social media app Vine, the Canadian singer-songwriter was signed to Island Records in 2014 and landed a spot at the top of the Billboard 200 chart with his debut album. Handwritten a year later. This record, which shot to number one in its first week of release, gave Mendes the title of the youngest artist to debut at number one since Justin Bieber. My World 2.0 six years earlier.
Just 14 months later, a new era began for Mendes as he prepared his second studio album. Illuminate. The star began to tap into the world of the album with the first single, “Treat You Better,” a low-key but stirring, syncopated pop ode to longing for someone who’s already in a relationship with another person who doesn’t take good enough care of them. Co-written by Mendes, Teddy Geiger and Scott Harris, the track struck a chord with listeners – it peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has since been certified a whopping seven times platinum by the RIAA.
Listen to “Treat You Better” by Shawn Mendes now.
“Teddy had worked with Shawn before and Shawn was excited to bring the three of us together,” Harris said Songwriter Universe how the song came about. “The vibe was right straight away. We all get on really well and it just came out right away. It was actually a pure reggae song until we changed the guitar part just before recording the demo.”
Taking out the original reggae sound didn’t dilute the song’s heart – a yearning promise to do right by someone if they just give you a chance. Fans speculated for years about who Mendes wrote the single about, and in his Netflix documentary Wonder In 2020, he finally revealed his muse: Camila Cabello. “For the last four years of us just being friends and not seeing each other very often until we were finally able to be together, she was always there to look after me as a person,” he said in the film. “She has my back, and I think that’s what your partner is there for.”
Although “Treat You Better” addressed Mendes’ feelings for his fellow pop star, the music video went elsewhere. The artist wanted to create an image that was driven by a story, telling the story of an abusive relationship through the video, which was directed by Ryan Pallotta. “I love the reaction from the fans, especially the domestic violence hotline (number) at the end,” he said. People after its release. “I think our goal of spreading the message was really successful.”
Mendes wanted the video not only to raise awareness of an important issue, but also to encourage viewers to think about “treating others properly.” “I’ve personally seen this happen wrongly in many different ways, emotionally and physically,” he said. “I just wanted to spread the message that it shouldn’t be that way.”
By 2018, the video had over a billion views on YouTube. “I didn’t expect this video to reach that number, so it’s crazy,” he said MTV News back then.” In the years that followed, the powerful video continued to attract attention, reaching the two billion views mark in December 2020. “Treat You Better,” meanwhile, was preparing to Illuminate perfect, and the album continues Mendes’ stratospheric success.
Listen to “Treat You Better” by Shawn Mendes now.
