Charlie Puth Promises Something New Inspired By Taylor Swift In New Album
Charlie Puth, the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, is ready to take his music in a new direction, thanks to some advice from Taylor Swift. As he works on his next album following the release of his latest single, Hero, Charlie promises fans can expect something different.
“You can expect what you always expect from me, which is chords and key changes and what I think are interesting kind of rhythms in production sense,” Charlie, 32, told PEOPLE while discussing his partnership with BIC ahead of back-to-school season.
“I always think about what I’ve lacked every time I start a new project and one thing that I’d like to enhance even more is the storytelling of things. And maybe that lies in the lyrics and making the lyrics a little bit more less A, B, C, D,” he added.
Charlie credits Taylor for nudging him in this new direction. “Taylor Swift kind of nudged me to do that as well. And I think that’s how she approaches her songwriting and that’s how I’ll approach this next album.”
For now, Charlie plans to handle the entire project himself, which he admits is challenging. “It means going about my day and waiting for the melody to appear. But it’s really, really worth it when it all comes together,” he confesses.
Buzz about Charlie and Taylor’s connection began months ago when Taylor name-dropped him on her album The Tortured Poets Department. In the title track, she sings, “You smoked, then ate seven bars of chocolate / We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist.” Inspired by this shout-out, Charlie released “Hero,” a song unlike anything he’s done before.
“It’s one of the hardest songs I’ve ever had to write, but I wrote it in hopes that you’ve gone through something similar in your life, and that it can fill in the blank for you like it did for me,” he shared on Instagram.
He expressed his gratitude to Taylor, saying, “I want to thank @taylorswift for letting me know musically that I just couldn’t keep this on my hard drive any longer.”
Though Charlie and Taylor don’t know each other well, their music has served as a powerful connection. “I’m sure if we saw each other it would be great, but I always think it’s really nice that music, you don’t have to talk to someone every day,” he says.
The One Call Away hitmaker appreciates the support among artists, noting how Taylor has supported other musicians.
“Music just has so much connective tissue to it. And I just think it’s nice when artists shout out to other artists or are supportive of other artists, which she is. Especially with Sabrina [Carpenter] and Gracie [Abrams] and Ice Spice and anyone else in there — and [Aaron] Dessner,” he stated.
Charlie’s partnership with BIC aligns with his desire to support artists and teachers. He’s hosting the BIC Creativity Camp in New York City, which he says is a perfect fit because BIC supports both teachers and artists.
Although Hero won’t be on the upcoming album, Charlie assures fans that the new record “will make a lot of sense” following its release. He hopes listeners will understand Taylor’s lyrical nod and feel the inspiration behind his work.
“I’m perfectly happy with the level where I’m at, but if being a bigger artist means I get to inspire more people who want to do what I do, then that’s great,” he says.
