Charlie Puth on What the Pandemic Made Him Realize: 'I Need to Show My Personality Off'

Matthew Brookes Charlie Puth for Bustle

Charlie Puth is feeling himself!

During an interview with Bustle about his upcoming album Charlie, the "Light Switch" singer touched on his relationship with TikTok, and how the social media app opened up an avenue for sharing his true self with the world.

"What works really well for The Weeknd, only works for him and like two other artists. Me, I need to really show my personality off," Puth, 30, told the outlet. "I wasn't doing that because I was surrounding myself with producers and record label heads who were like, 'You are a massive act. You need to go away and work on your art for a while.' "

Matthew Brookes Charlie Puth for Bustle

RELATED: Charlie Puth Gives Off 'Risky Business Vibes' by Stripping Down to His Underwear on Instagram

He continued, "The pandemic made me realize that I have to not only not do that, but the opposite of that. I need to show every step of the process."

He also reflected on the growth of his music, and how in 2019, he hit a low personally and professionally.

"The musical climate of things changed; songs that worked 10 years ago wouldn't necessarily work today," he said. "[It] made me feel pretty s---ty about my musical performance and how I wasn't as big as f---ing Harry Styles."

He also mentioned a "vicious" breakup, which was the cherry on top of it all. "It was like a big ice cream cone with two scoops of s---," he told the outlet.

Matthew Brookes Charlie Puth for Bustle

In March, Puth teased his latest release from the forthcoming album titled "That's Hilarious," and held back tears as he recounted that same breakup (which is believed to be about singer-songwriter Charlotte Lawrence, whom he was tied to that year).

"I'm really excited for the song to come out, but every time I hear it, I'm kind of brought back to a time that was really, really, really challenging in my life," he said while growing emotional. "It just rears its ugly head every time — sorry — every time that I hear it."

The "Attention" singer continued, "I'm also really excited for you to hear it — but I just heard the master and it brought me back to 2019 which was the worst f—ing year of my life."

Matthew Brookes Charlie Puth for Bustle

RELATED: Charlie Puth Fights Back Tears Teasing New Single 'That's Hilarious': 'Worst Breakup of My Life'

"I never told people what happened to me and the pain that I went through, going through the worst breakup of my life in 2019," Puth elaborated. "I just wanted to throw it under the carpet and just start over and surround myself with better people."

Now, Puth is more comfortable discussing his dating life. Speaking to Bustle, he even mentioned his profile on the dating app Raya and expanded on what he's looking for in a match. "I just want whoever sees that to be like, 'Oh, I get his humor,' more than, 'I want to match with him because I know him,'" he said.

"I don't want to waste anybody's time," he added, "and I don't want anybody to waste my time."

Puth's third studio album Charlie is set for release later this year.