Looking back on his early years in the spotlight with a rare mix of honesty and self-awareness, Charlie Puth admits that parts of his past now make him cringe and that stepping away from alcohol has helped him finally feel like himself.
In a new one Rolling Stone interview published on Tuesday, January 20, the 34-year-old singer opened up about how fame pushed him to pretend to be a version of himself that never felt real.
The reflection comes as he prepares to release his upcoming album, Whatever is smart!which includes a track with appropriate titles I used to cringe.
“I wanted to speak differently in 2016,” Puth said, explaining how he felt pressured to act a certain way as his career took off.
“I’d go on a radio show and say to myself, ‘You’re getting a cool guy accent because you’ve got a big song out right now.’ It was just so much inauthenticity… I thought I had to be a certain way to be popular.”
He admitted that a lot of that behavior came from not really knowing himself and being heavily influenced by people around him.
According to Puth, advice from record label executives and former management often clouded his thought process.
“None of that was who I am,” he said. “I can’t even look at myself half the time from the years 2015 to 2022. I just didn’t know what I was doing. I used to be very restless.”
One of his biggest regrets included dying his hair blonde just to get attention, a moment he directly references in his new song.
He also revealed that some stories he shared publicly weren’t even true, saying higher-ups told him he needed “excitement” around his image.
In addition to personal growth, Puth also shared how quitting alcohol played a key role in his transformation.
Now settling down with wife Brooke Sansone, who is pregnant with their first child, reflected on a turning point in New York. “I don’t drink at all,” he said. “I think it clouds my judgment.”
He recalled a night of heavy partying before releasing his 2023 album Charliewhich ended with a brutal hangover and a moment of clarity.
“It’s profound when it all just comes screeching to a halt one day as a 30-year-old in New York City,” he said.
says Puth Whatever is smart! marks the first time he really slowed down to create music without chasing trends.
“This album … is the first time where I just sat down and I had a lot of time,” he shared. After nearly a decade of “chasing my tail,” he says he has finally found balance and peace.
