Charlie Puth first gained traction in the music world when rapper Wiz Khalifa's song "See You Again," on which he was featured and co-wrote, came out as part of the soundtrack to the movie "Furious 7." Since then the song has become a global phenomenon, much like Puth.
Blessed with perfect pitch (seriously), the singer, songwriter, producer and former YouTuber recently traveled to Manhattan helped to kick off SiriusXM's Dial Up The Moment Campaign in New York City. According to a release, the new campaign from the radio broadcasting company "is a month-long experiential initiative that will include pop-up performances from some of today’s biggest stars, including John Legend and Jason Aldean." Along with the epic performances comes the creation of The "Moments" Hotline, "an interactive phone experience that provides an exciting way for everyone to explore and connect with moments and channels on SiriusXM. By dialing (1-844-SXM-MOMENT) you will be immersed in surprise conversations with celebrity hosts Jenny McCarthy and Andy Cohen."
In The Know's Julia Webb caught up with the 27-year-old moments before his intimate performance to talk about bonding with fans and writing songs that people can't help but to relate to. Keep scrolling to read their full conversation.
In The Know: So tonight is the kick off for SiriusXM's Dial Up The Moment Campaign. What is like for you to be here on the first night of the campaign and to get to perform?
Puth: This is definitely a special, special moment, that’s why I flew in for it! Sirius just as a company means a lot to me. They are a huge reason why I am sitting [here] talking to you about my being here, my music and being involved with them. I remember they were one of the first things that I ever subscribed to. Like when I first started making money from teaching piano lessons, I subscribed to Sirius to listen to Hits 1 and Howard [Stern], and I still have those channels in my car, I have it in my phone. It just means a lot to be here with them right now.
Dial Up The Moment is going to be a new way for artists and personalities to connect with their fans. What is your favorite way to connect with your fans?
I go on Twitter, but I limit it for 20 minutes because it gets a little crazy. I don’t go on it too much. I try to just talk about music and if [my fans] have any production questions or songwriting questions, I try to make it like a class and impart some knowledge that I've learned over the years from working with other artists so I can give it directly to them. But other than that I think maybe this [event] is a great new way to interact with fans as well.
In a recent reaction video that you did with FBE, where you reacted to college students reacting to you and your music, you said that a lot of your lyrics come from you putting music to phrases that everyone says, like "we don't talk anymore." Do you have a favorite lyric you’ve ever written?
That’s definitely up there -- "we don’t talk anymore" -- because it's so simple. I love lyrics that aren’t big sentences, but are packed with a big meaning. Like "we don't talk anymore" can branch out to so many things. "You just want attention" is pretty direct, that’s pretty literal. Maybe a better example is "see you again." Like "see you again," I never thought would be used as a graduation song, as well as a kind of remembrance record as well.
You recently put out three new singles, "Mother," "Cheating on You" and "I Warned Myself," and in the FBE video you also shared that the music that you're about to put out is unlike anything you’ve ever released before. What can you tell us about your upcoming music?
There’s a lot of live instrumentation integrated with the synthetic drums [in the new music]. Because I'm producing these records, I'm usually just by myself in my room, so it's kind of the first time I'm bringing outside musicians -- like really talented people, actual humans -- playing on the record and kind of having that nice hybrid. Like Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers is playing drums on "Mother," which you’d never expect.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
