About Monster

"Monster" is a song by Canadian singers Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber. The two wrote the song with Daniel Caesar, Mustafa the Poet and its producer Frank Dukes. It was released by Island Records and Def Jam Recordings on November 20, 2020, as the second single from Mendes' fourth studio album Wonder (2020).

Rumours about a possible collaboration began in July 2020 after Bieber's manager Scooter Braun posted videos of Bieber, Mendes and Tori Kelly jamming around a piano. In August 2020, Mendes, Bieber and Hailey Baldwin were spotted at Andrew Watt's recording studio in Los Angeles, fuelling speculation of an upcoming collaboration between the two Canadian artists. During an interview on Capital Breakfast with Roman Kemp on October 6, 2020, Mendes was asked if he turned down a collaboration with Bieber in September, to which he replied: "Is this you trying to get me to confirm that I have a collaboration with Justin Bieber? I didn't last month." He said that it would be "insane" for him to turn it down, considering Bieber has been one of his favourite artists since he was nine years old. "I cannot confirm or deny," he continued, but added that their relationship in the last six months has grown closer. "It's really cool to have him as a mentor in a lot of ways, just to kind of talk through stuff with, because there's not many people who do this type of stuff," he furthered, describing Bieber as "freakishly talented". The song marks the first time the two singers have worked together. In an exclusive interview for Apple Music, Mendes told Zane Lowe that the single is "about how society can put celebrities up on a pedestal and watch them fall". Mendes called it "one of the most special songs" he had ever written.

The song was first revealed on September 29, 2020, when Mendes launched an interactive VR experience on a website for the album, in which a "set list" showed a track titled "Monster" with a special guest. On November 13, 2020, Mendes released the official album tracklist, confirming the song's title, while its co-lead artist remains unannounced. On November 16, 2020, Mendes and Bieber both posted a 13-second teaser clip on social media, officially announcing the release date of the collaboration, which serves as the second single from the album after "Wonder". The teaser features a synthy instrumental playing in the background, with the song's title, release date and the two artist's names overlaid on top of four outdoor scenes in dimly lit and foggy conditions, including an empty street with streetlights, a forest, and an empty platform with stairs. On November 18, 2020, Mendes and Bieber posted the song's cover art on social media, as well as pre-order links for the single, which includes limited CD singles with two different exclusive covers available on the singers' respective online stores.