The internet basically exploded when Sabrina Carpenter dropped Short n' Sweet in late 2024. Suddenly, everyone was a detective. We all saw the blurry paparazzi shots of her and Shawn Mendes walking in Los Angeles back in early 2023, but the music made it feel much more... messy.
Honestly, the timeline is a bit of a headache if you aren't paying close attention.
One minute, Shawn is denying everything to reporters, and the next, Sabrina is singing about a guy who "jacks off to lyrics by Leonard Cohen." If you've followed Shawn for more than five minutes, you know the man loves his deep, poetic Canadian icons. It’s those little details that turned a rumored "situationship" into one of the most dissected pop culture moments of the last few years.
The 2023 "Situationship" and the Coachella Pivot
It all started in February 2023. People spotted them at Horses in LA, looking "very comfortable." At the time, Shawn had recently shaved his head—a total "new era" move—and Sabrina was just starting her ascent to becoming the planet's biggest pop star. They were seen at Miley Cyrus’s album release party and the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party.
Everything looked like a new "it couple" was forming. Then came the denial.
Shawn told RTL Boulevard flat-out: "We are not dating."
Was he lying? Maybe. Or maybe they were just in that weird gray area where you haven't put a label on things yet. But the real twist happened just weeks later in April 2023 at Coachella. Shawn was caught on camera in a full-on PDA session with his ex, Camila Cabello.
Talk about whiplash.
Reading Between the Lyrics of Short n' Sweet
If you want to know what Sabrina really thought about that Coachella reunion, just listen to "Coincidence." She sings about a guy whose car "drove itself from L.A. to her thighs" and mentions how Palm Springs (right next to the Coachella valley) looks nice. It’s pretty savage.
She also leans into the "Dumb & Poetic" trope. You know the type: the guy who reads self-help books, meditates, and acts all "evolved" while totally ghosting you.
- "Taste": The lead single basically tells the "other woman" (widely assumed to be Camila) that even if they're back together, he’s still going to be thinking about Sabrina.
- "Sharpest Tool": This one is heart-wrenching. It talks about having a deep connection—meeting the best friends, the whole deal—only for the guy to act like it never happened the second a "bird flies by."
- "Juno" and "Bed Chem": While these are more upbeat, fans have spent hours debating if the "thick accent" mentioned in her newer music refers to Shawn's Canadian lilt or her current partner, Barry Keoghan. (Spoiler: Most evidence points to Barry now, but the overlap is fascinating).
Shawn’s Side: The John Mayer "Therapy Session"
For a long time, Shawn stayed quiet. He’s always been the guy who wants to be seen as the "good guy." But in late 2024, during an interview with John Mayer, he finally opened up about the "suffering" of having songs written about you.
He didn't name Sabrina directly, but he didn't have to.
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He admitted to being "impulsive." He even shared a story about how he'd tell someone he was going to see his ex just two days before it happened. He acknowledged that it "sucks" to feel like the whole picture isn't being expressed in a three-minute pop song.
Later, on his 2024 self-titled album Shawn, tracks like "In Between" seemed to be his rebuttal. He sings about the "in-betweens"—those messy, non-label relationships—and basically says if it isn't "black and white," he's onto the next. It’s a bit defensive, sure, but it gives us the other side of the story.
Where They Stand in 2026
Fast forward to January 2026, and the dust has mostly settled.
Shawn has moved on. Recently, he's been spotted looking very domestic with actress Bruna Marquezine. They were even seen doing grocery runs in LA earlier this month, which is the ultimate "we are officially a couple" signal in Hollywood. He seems to have finally broken the cycle of going back to the same exes.
Sabrina, meanwhile, is at the top of the world. Her relationship with Barry Keoghan has been much more public and, frankly, seems a lot less complicated than the 2023 drama.
So, what did we learn?
The "Shawn and Sabrina" era was short. It was probably never "official" in the way fans wanted it to be. But for a few months in 2023, it created a ripple effect that gave us some of the best pop music of the decade.
If you're looking to dive deeper into the lore, your best bet is to listen to Sabrina's Short n' Sweet and Shawn's Shawn back-to-back. It’s like listening to two people have an argument through Spotify. It’s messy, it’s human, and it’s why we love celebrity gossip in the first place.
Next time you hear "Taste" on the radio, just remember: that 7% of the truth she mentions? We'll probably never know what it actually was. And honestly? That's probably for the best.
Actionable Insights for Fans:
- Check the Timelines: If you're analyzing lyrics, remember that the "overlap" happened between February and April 2023.
- Listen for the "Poetic" Cues: Shawn's interest in Leonard Cohen and mushrooms (which he discussed during his 2024 tour) are the keys to unlocking the "Dumb & Poetic" references.
- Watch the Interviews: The John Mayer SiriusXM interview from December 2024 is the closest we will ever get to a "confession" from Shawn's side.