INTERVIEW: Charlie Puth Opens Up About Songwriting Journey | Artist Stories
August 11, 2016
By now, you've definitely heard one of Charlie Puth's hit songs on the radio. Whether it was "See You Again" featuring Wiz Khalifa, or "Marvin Gaye" featuring Meghan Trainor, "One Call Away," or his latest single with Selena Gomez "We Don't Talk Anymore," Charlie's musical talent has help him become an unescapable rising star in the world of pop music. He is a true artist in that he can not only sing, but he can play the piano, in addition to writing the music he releases, and there is no doubt his talent will take him far. Charlie recently shared his journey in music with iHeartRadio through our Artist Stories series, where we got a firsthand look at how the 24-year-old got started in music, to how he created some of his biggest hits so far.
Raised in Rumson, New Jersey, Charlie first learned to play the piano at just four years old from his mother Debra, before he began formal piano lessons. As his music skills developed, he began making his own YouTube videos, performing different arrangements of pop songs before he finally was discovered by Ellen DeGeneres.
"I would build up my YouTube channel by taking popular music, and making different arrangements. And I did with one record by Adele, which is a brilliant record called 'Someone Like You,' and then Ellen [DeGeneres] found that video, and freaked out, and brought me to perform on her show and offered me a record contract with her label at the time Eleveneleven Records, and that officially put me on the radar with all the record labels."
Then, after finishing school (he had a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music), he moved out to Los Angeles to pursue his music career.
Charlie released his debut album Nine Track Mind early this year in January (2016), which features singles like "One Call Away," Marvin Gaye," and his current single with Selena Gomez "We Don't Talk Anymore." What's interesting about this album is he recored it in a tiny room, even using a closet full of clothes to record vocals. And he explains that during the recording of "We Don't Talk Anymore," Selena used the same closet to record her vocals for the song.
"The whole 'Nine Track Mind' record was made in here, and I'd have my microphone right here, and sing into the closet. And this is where Selena recorded her verse on 'We Don't Talk Anymore.'"
Perhaps one of the most life-changing songs for Charlie was his first single "See You Again" featuring rapper Wiz Khalifa, which was included on the Furious 7 soundtrack and topped the charts in countries all over the world, including the US. The track hit the No. 1 spot on the US Billboard Hot 100, Mainstream Top 40 chart, in addition to several others. Being a part of Furious 7, "See You Again" aims to remember the late actor and star of the movie series Paul Walker, who passed away in horrific car accident in 2013. But for Charlie, the track actually stems from the death of one of his best friends. He explains:
"In the summer of 2012, I went on Facebook and saw that my best friend, his sister wrote, 'I can't believe this, rest in peace,' and I kinda knew what it was right away, but I just didn't know how to react to it. The first thing I did was text his phone and say, 'I don't know what to say, I'll see you soon, friend...' Fast forward two years later, I go into the session with (DJ) Frank E, and we go in there, and they were playing familiar chords, but it reminded me of church a little bit, like my friend's funeral a little bit, like what they played there."