The song premiered on Zane Lowe 's Beats 1 radio show , where Mendes talked about collaborating with Khalid . Mendes said that the song was inspired by the Manchester Arena bombing in May 2017 . He texted Khalid : " When we get together , we have to make a statement , we have to move , we have to write about what 's going on in life and how the youth is feeling " , saying that they " have the voice to do that "
Manchester Arena bombing
Manchester Arena bombing
Youth (Shawn Mendes song)