Charlie Puth looks back on his early years in the spotlight with a rare mix of honesty and self-awareness, admitting that parts of his past now make him cringe and that staying away from alcohol has helped him finally feel like himself.
in a new rolling stone In an interview published on Tuesday, January 20, the 34-year-old singer opened up about how fame pushed him to fake a version of himself that never felt real.
The reflection comes as he prepares to release his next album, Whatever is smart!which includes an appropriately titled track It used to be embarrassing.
“I would talk differently in 2016,” Puth said, explaining how he felt pressured to act a certain way once his career took off.
“I would go on a radio show and say to myself, ‘You’re going to put on a cool kid accent because you have a great song right now.’ It was such a lack of authenticity… I thought I had to be a certain way to be popular.”
He admitted that a lot of that behavior was because he didn’t really know himself and was greatly influenced by the people around him.
According to Puth, advice from record label executives and his former managers often blurred his thought process.
“None of that was who I am,” he said. “I can’t even look at myself half the time between the years 2015 and 2022. I just didn’t know what I was doing. It used to be very embarrassing.”
One of her biggest regrets included dying her hair blonde simply to get attention, a moment she directly references in her new song.
She also revealed that some stories she shared publicly weren’t even true, saying her superiors told her she needed “emotion” around her image.
In addition to personal growth, Puth also shared how quitting alcohol played a key role in his transformation.
Now settled with his wife Brooke Sansone, who is pregnant with their first child, he reflected on a turning point in New York. “I don’t drink anything,” he said. “I think it clouds my judgment.”
He recalled a night of hard partying before releasing his 2023 album. Charliewhich ended with a brutal hangover and a moment of lucidity.
“It’s profound when everything comes to a screeching halt one day, at age 30, in New York City,” he said.
Puth says Whatever is smart! It marks the first time he really slowed down to create music without chasing trends.
“This album… is the first time I sat down and had a lot of time,” he shared. After almost a decade of “chasing my tail,” he says he finally found balance and peace.
