I Was Charlie Puth Hater, But Now I'm A Fan — Here's Why

I have a confession. When Charlie Puth first hit the scene in 2015 singing the most overplayed songs of the decade with Meghan Trainor and Wiz Khalifa, I was ready to throw my whole Spotify account away.

I felt like I understood the inspiration for "We Don't Talk Anymore" and "One Call Away," because after hearing those songs again, I was ready to send Charlie straight to voicemail.

Then his sophomore album Voicenotes dropped. I ate all my words of unfounded hatred and became a die-hard fan of his music, and extremely thirsty for anything he produced, as the industry machine intended.

I was "running 'round, running 'round throwing dirt all on his name" for no good reason. Now, I'm Team Charlie, and I want the world to join me on this journey. Charlie Puth deserves his flowers, and here are my 18 reasons why.

TikTok/@charlieputh / Via tiktok.com

"I'll admit. I was wrong. What can I say, girl?"

1.Charlie Puth is nothing short of a musical genius. He has "perfect pitch," which is the ability to name or recreate a musical note without any reference or search for the pitch. He's basically a real-life superhero, and his superpower is naming the key of random sounds like farts.

2.His TikTok game is unparalleled, using comedy to low-key educate the musically illiterate folk, like me, about his production process or music inspiration. It's like Sesame Street for funky beats.

3.Charlie's a social media aficionado. He's not new to this; he's true to this. Before humble-bragging about his music process on TikTok — he was on YouTube making comedy, music covers, and selling homemade Christmas CDs door to door like a real hustler.

4.When trolls tried to body-shame Charlie after a picture of him leaving the gym went viral, he clapped back like a humble champion, and put the trolls in their place.

5.Charlie Puth has mad style. I think he dresses as great as he sounds playing the piano (and was a jazz piano major).

And he has great (ahem) style when he's not wearing all those clothes, too.

TikTok/@charlieputh / Via tiktok.com

Somebody get me a glass of water. Stat!

6.Charlie was severely bullied in high school, which led him to speak out against bullying as a celebrity. What would possess anyone to not want to squeeze, hug, and cherish this adorable face is beyond me. (Don't bring up my hater past.)

7.Charlie is very vocal about his sex life, like when he described losing his virginity at 21 to a fan after she asked him to sign her chest at one of his gigs. I feel like he could've kept this information to himself, but thank you for an oversharing and normalizing conversation around our sexuality.

8.Or the time he confessed he masturbated to Maroon 5's "This Love." As strange as the confession may be, I get it. Maroon 5 is catchy, and Adam Levine is a gorgeous canvas of tattoo ink. Casually talking about his sex life removes the idea these topics should be taboo.

NBC / Via giphy.com

Not me making it sound like he pleasured himself to Adam Levine versus the song.

9.Or the time he told everyone since he was always stinky, he sprayed peppermint (without reading the warning label) on his man parts before Pilates and "almost died."

10. When TikTok star and actor Axel Webber was rejected from Juilliard, Charlie replied back to his story with words of encouragement because that's just the type of decent human being Charlie is. Unlike people who didn't give him a chance back in 2015, like me.

11.During a 24-hour Vogue interview, Charlie showed that he still remains humble, while discussing becoming more intimate with his music as he matures. "I never thought they cared about that. I never thought anybody cared about what went on in my life, and I don't know, now for some reason people do."

12.One time he switched it up, stopped breaking down beats, and emotionally broke down explaining the story behind his latest single, "That's Hilarious." I am here for you now, Charlie. You can cry on my shoulder.

13.In 2016, Charlie went on Access Hollywood and shamelessly flirted with the hosts when they referred to his music as being "hot right now." The awkward flirting went on for longer than necessary, but the best part is when he returned years later, he picked up where he left off, confessing he was still attracted to the married hosts. Charlie, simmer down.

14.Charlie might be the master of the subtle thirst trap. He gives enough away that the fans question if it was a deliberate or a fashionable slip-up. He always shows a little skin or snaps unusual angles of his body.

15.At the 2022 Kids' Choice Awards, Charlie was the worst of the 1,000 slimes when he lost his balance, slipped on stage, and almost busted his face.

Kid's Choice Awards / Via giphy.com

Charlie was in danger. Who do I need to talk to?

It was really funny, though.

NBC / Via giphy.com

16.When Charlie shared this picture of him getting his hair and makeup done on set, he definitely got our attention. This is the thirst trap content we're talking about here.

17.To break up his musical content, every now and then Charlie reminds us that his roots are in internet comedy. Who knew an unintentional product placement ad for mouthwash and toothpaste could be so sexy? We're buying what you're selling, Mr. Puth.

18.Lastly, I must applaud his stage presence. He's a seasoned pianist and talented singer who never deserved me ignoring him for the early years of his career. I'll add that he looks like a muppet rockstar from the 1970s, and now I will put this as my type on my dating profiles.

He truly is a stroke of genius!