Music star Charlie Puth feels he’s changed a lot since first finding fame.
Charlie Puth wanted to be “taken seriously” during his younger years.
The 34-year-old singer has reflected on his early career following the release of his fourth studio album, Whatever’s Clever!, and Charlie admits that he was a very different person when he first found fame.
He told Variety: “[BOY, his 2018 song] is a song that I wrote when I was 26 and I felt at the time that I wasn’t being taken seriously by somebody.
“As a young man, I was hot-headed and I wanted to prove them wrong. I should be taken seriously. I’m pretty cool, is what I would tell myself.”
Charlie – who performed the National Anthem at the Super Bowl earlier this year – insists that he has matured significantly since those early days in the music business.
He said: “I think I’ve definitely changed as a person.”
The singer credits those earlier, more combative experiences with helping him to produce his most personal work to date on Whatever’s Clever!
Charlie explained: “I’m thankful for those songs because I don’t think there would be ‘I Used to Be Cringe.’ I don’t believe I would have ended up singing in that way and about that topic had it not been for those songs that preceded it.”
The record – which features collaborations with Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Kenny G and Jeff Goldblum – marks a deliberate shift away from the polished pop sound that characterised his previous albums.
Charlie said: “I wanted things not to be so pristine on this fourth album. I didn’t want to remove the emotion.”
Meanwhile, Charlie has admitted that finding time for himself has become increasingly difficult in recent months, following the birth of his first child with wife Brooke and his upcoming arena tour.
The chart-topping star said: “It’s hard at times. My goal is to never lie. And I would be lying if I said that everything was perfect. Nothing’s ever perfect.”
Charlie Puth admits to being ‘hot-headed’ during younger years
