Watch Shawn Mendes Perform Soaring Ballad ‘Mercy’ on ‘Fallon’

Shawn Mendes performed his dynamic new ballad “Mercy” on Thursday’s The Tonight Show. Backed by mallet drums, electric guitar, bass and piano, the young singer-songwriter went from a hum to hard-hitting, melismatic vocal runs.

During his Tonight Show visit, Mendes also assisted Jimmy Fallon and the Roots by singing Twitter parody lyrics submitted with the hashtag #FallSongs. “Hello Starbucks, my old friend/ It’s time for pumpkin spice again,” he sang in the style of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence.” Another highlight was his autumn-styled version of Adele’s “Hello”: “Hello, it’s trees,” he sang. “We were wondering if after all these months you’d like some leaves.”

“Mercy” – which follows Mendes’ Top 10 Billboard hit “Treat You Better” – highlights the 18-year-old’s second LP, Illuminate. The singer recently released a guitar-smashing video for the dramatic power-ballad.