Charlie Puth looks back on his early years in the spotlight with a rare blend of honesty and self-awareness, admitting that parts of his past now make him cringe and that stepping away from alcohol helped him finally feel like himself.
In a new rolling stone In an interview published Tuesday, January 20, the 34-year-old singer explained how fame pushed him to pretend to be a version of himself that never seemed real to him.
This reflection comes as he prepares to release his next album, Anything smart!which includes a track aptly titled I used to grind my teeth.
“I would speak differently in 2016,” Puth said, explaining how he felt pressured to act a certain way once his career took off.
“I was going on a radio show and I was like, ‘You’re going to do a cool guy accent because you have a big song right now.’ It was so inauthentic…I thought I had to look a certain way to be popular.
He admitted that a lot of this behavior came from not really knowing himself and being heavily influenced by the people around him.
According to Puth, advice from record label executives and former executives often muddied his thought process.
“None of this is who I am,” he said. “I can’t even look at myself half the time between 2015 and 2022. I just didn’t know what I was doing. I used to grind my teeth.”
One of his biggest regrets was dying his hair blonde just for attention, a moment he directly references in his new song.
He also revealed that some stories he shared publicly weren’t even true, saying his superiors told him he needed “excitement” around his image.
Alongside his personal growth, Puth also opened up about how quitting alcohol played a key role in his transformation.
Now settled with his wife Brooke Sansone, pregnant with their first child, he looks back on a decisive turning point in New York. “I don’t drink at all,” he said. “I think it clouds my judgment.”
He recalls a night of intense partying before releasing his 2023 album Charliewhich ended with a brutal hangover and a moment of clarity.
“It’s profound when everything suddenly stops one day, at 30, in New York,” he said.
Puth said Anything smart! This is the first time he’s truly slowed down to create music without following trends.
“This album… it’s the first time I’ve sat down and I’ve had a lot of time,” he shared. After nearly a decade of “chasing my tail,” he says he has finally found balance and peace.
