Shawn Mendes has officially made his way back to music with the release of "Why Why Why," the first song release from his upcoming album, Shawn, slated for release on Oct. 18. The project is the star's fifth studio album and follows 2020's Wonder as well as his previous self-titled project, 2018's Shawn Mendes.

Last month, Mendes shared a message for fans about the project, writing "Music really can be medicine. 2 years ago I felt like I had absolutely no idea who I was. A year ago I couldn't step into a studio without falling into complete panic. So to be here right now with 12 beautiful finished songs feels like such a gift."

"I stepped off the stage with nothing left/ All the lights were f-ing with my head," the singer-songwriter admits on "Why Why Why," a highly compelling piece of folk-pop that finds him vulnerable to the point of sounding haunted, two years removed from cancelling a tour due to mental health purposes.

Setting the stage for the release, Shawn performed an intimate show at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, previewing his new album to a room full of dedicated fans. Despite his previous struggles, he seemed relaxed on stage, surrounded by a close-knit band of musicians, who gathered in a semi-circle around him to sing harmonies.

Fans showed their support with constant screams of "we love you". And when Mendes sang the lyric "If I call tonight will you pick up", during the song In Between, one audience member responded with an emphatic, "YES!"

He ended the show with a cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, which he played on a harmonium - an instrument that he said had helped him "fall back in love" with singing during his year in the wilderness.

As the song drew to a close, Mendes talked about the hours he had spent alone, playing the harmonium and "free singing", just to feel the joy of making music without the pressure of writing hits.

“I think the process of working through your sh*t and starting to heal, there’s certainly these moments of feeling like you’re past something, and then there’s moments where it all catches up with you, and you feel like you’re not past a single thing. It’s kind of this cyclical nature. Something I learned in therapy that’s helped me so much is not everything has to have an end-line period solution or end-line period reason. It’s just like, it is. It’s acknowledging it. […] This is also what it’s like to be human.”