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In short

Podcast Summary: Broken Record - Charlie Puth Episode

Podcast Title: Broken Record Hosts: Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam, Justin Richmond Guest: Charlie Puth Episode Release Date: [Insert Release Date]

Episode Overview In this episode, Charlie Puth, a meticulous songwriter with a deep understanding of pop music, discusses his journey and creative process in making his latest album *Whatever's Clever!*. Puth rose to fame with his hit "See You Again" in 2015 and has continued to produce numerous chart-topping tracks. The episode features discussions on his songwriting techniques, collaborations with notable artists, and the emotional depth of his upcoming album.

Key Points

Charlie Puth's Background

  • Educational Foundation: Studied music production and engineering at Berklee College of Music.
  • Breakthrough Moment: Gained recognition with "See You Again," which received three Grammy nominations.
  • Notable Hits: Includes "Attention," "We Don't Talk Anymore," and "One Call Away."

Upcoming Album

*Whatever's Clever!*

  • Described as Puth's most honest and personal work to date.
  • Features collaborations with Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins.
  • Puth shares his unique approach to songwriting, particularly the integration of gospel chords into pop music.

Notable Collaborations

  • Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins: Discusses how he approached them for collaboration and the creative process during recording.
  • Kenny G: Explains how he convinced Kenny G to feature on his album by creating a musical map of what a sax solo could sound like.

Songwriting Insights

  • Gospel Influence: Puth emphasizes the importance of gospel music's harmonic foundations in pop.
  • Emotional Authenticity: Reflects on his songwriting process, revealing that many of his songs are personal and drawn from life experiences.
  • Influence of Classical Music: Puth enjoys blending different genres and often cites influences from classical and jazz music.

Industry Observations

  • Music Landscape: Puth discusses the rapid changes in the music industry and how streaming has altered music consumption.
  • Emotional Connection in Music: Stresses the importance of conveying emotion through music, citing the works of artists like Bob Dylan and Whitney Houston.

Humble Reflections

  • Puth shares his journey of self-discovery and acknowledges the pressure of being in the public eye.
  • Talks about the balance between personal authenticity and public persona.

Key Takeaways

  • Authenticity in Music: Charlie Puth underscores the significance of being true to oneself in songwriting and performance.
  • Collaboration as a Tool: Puth's approach to collaboration highlights the value of learning from established artists and finding common musical ground.
  • Emotional Resonance: The harmonies and melodies in pop music, especially those influenced by gospel and jazz, can elicit strong emotional responses from listeners.

Conclusion This episode of *Broken Record* offers an insightful look into Charlie Puth's creative process, his growth as an artist, and the deeper emotional themes present in his music. His reflections on the music industry and personal experiences provide a holistic understanding of what it means to be a contemporary pop musician navigating a rapidly changing landscape.

Further Listening

  • A curated playlist featuring favorite songs from Charlie Puth is available on Spotify.

For more episodes and insights, visit [Broken Record](https://brokenrecordpodcast.com).

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

Tap a time to open that second in VO

Interview Introduction

3:45 to 4:00

Introduction to the interview with Charlie Puth.

“or call 1-800-LILY-RX or 1-800-545-5979.”

The Journey to Authenticity in Music

4:00 to 7:40

Charlie discusses his journey from Berklee to finding his sound.

“But I imagine there's like, if you go to Berklee, if you graduate from Berklee, there's like an audience you could be focused on pleasing if you were there, right?”

The Evolution of Pop Music and Personal Growth

7:40 to 10:50

Discussion on the changing landscape of pop music and personal evolution.

“Like, did it feel like I know what this is?”

Collaborating with Legends: Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins

10:50 to 13:00

Charlie's experience working with iconic artists on his new album.

“It started playing one day after I was listening to, I don't remember what the new song was, but that is one of the benefits of streaming.”

Creative Process and Songwriting

13:00 to 14:00

Insights into Charlie's creative process and writing songs with others.

“and he was like, put it on top of it, and I'm like, oh and I remember there was this, um I think it was like on Pretzel Logic Steely Dan, really, yeah, you know a lot of music.”

The Creation of 'Love in Exile'

14:00 to 21:20

Charlie Puth shares the inspiration and process behind the song 'Love in Exile.'

“um i was like okay we're gonna make a song called love in exile sounds like uh one of those the titles of books you see at the grocery store when you're checking out your food.”

Reflecting on Early Songs

24:09 to 28:00

Charlie discusses his early songwriting and the evolution of his music style.

“Do you remember the first song you think, the first good song you wrote?”

The Power of Hooks in Music

28:00 to 29:00

Learn how strong hooks influence listener perception in songs.

“You take all of that away, and if you can just...”

Gospel's Impact on Pop Music

29:00 to 30:20

Explore how gospel music shapes pop music through chord progressions.

“I'm not going to the Dixie Hummingbirds.”

Understanding Musical Influences

30:20 to 31:40

Discover the various musical influences that shape an artist's style.

“People have a deep appreciation for all of those chords.”
Show all 26 chapters

The Role of Jazz and Gospel

31:40 to 32:50

Examine the blend of jazz and gospel elements in contemporary music.

“And it can be, I mean, it's jazz, gospel.”

The Evolution of Soundtracks

32:50 to 34:10

Discuss the significance of soundtracks in popularizing gospel music.

“And baby face, like, uh, Tevin Campbell.”

Gospel Choirs in Modern Pop

34:10 to 35:30

Understand the subtle presence of gospel choirs in modern pop songs.

“The Shaka one, but it was brought to the next level, even more so.”

Personal Connections to Music

35:30 to 37:30

Hear how personal experiences shape Charlie Puth's musical journey.

“Sometimes you laugh Sometimes you cry That's why for the Super Bowl I had the gospel choir on the field.”

Lessons from Meeting Heroes

41:47 to 42:00

Reflect on the lessons learned about expectations vs. reality from meeting heroes.

“I was thinking about, I might get the title wrong, but it's basic.”

Meeting Your Heroes: Expectations vs. Reality

42:00 to 43:36

Exploration of the letdowns and surprises when meeting personal idols.

“Big orchestra, 19 people in that orchestra we recorded at Conway.”

Influences and Mentorship in Music

43:36 to 45:04

Discussion on influential figures in Charlie Puth's life and career.

“But being 23 and being in LA and having access suddenly and all these people want to come meet you and then you meet them and they're, some are amazing.”

The Emotion Behind Songwriting

45:04 to 47:36

Charlie Puth shares insights into the emotional depth of his songwriting process.

“Yeah, you don't have to force it, though.”

The Balance of Perfection in Music

47:36 to 48:52

Exploring the concept of musical perfection and its challenges.

Performing Under Pressure: The National Anthem

48:52 to 50:57

Charlie discusses the preparation and pressure of singing the national anthem.

“I wasn't as good of a singer as her, but she was able to, it's just like this fine line.”

Album Structure and Musical Evolution

50:57 to 53:22

Insights into the structure of Charlie's new album and its themes.

“I always knew it was going to be in D major.”

Jazz and Pop Fusion in Modern Music

53:22 to 55:42

Charlie Puth discusses the intersection of jazz and pop in his music.

“I want you to be able to replay it, replay value.”

Cultural Influences in Music Production

55:42 to 56:01

Exploration of cultural influences and collaborations in Charlie's album.

The Influence of Jazz on Pop Music

56:01 to 57:32

Explore how jazz elements shape Charlie Puth's pop music.

“but I always wanted to answer your question from way before, probably from an hour ago.”

Nostalgia for Music's Golden Days

57:33 to 1:01:17

Discussing the nostalgia for the golden era of music and the changes in consumption.

“which is new jersey the chronic was like the first album i remember being like enveloped by like as not even by choice, but just as a kid.”

The Evolution of Music Appreciation

1:01:18 to 1:02:39

How the appreciation of music has evolved with technology and culture.

“And if you didn't rush home, you missed it.”
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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:10Charlie Puth is a singer-songwriter whose knowledge of pop music runs deeper than your average chart-topper. He studied music production and engineering at Berklee College of Music and first gained widespread attention in 2015 with his ubiquitous single, See You Again, a collaboration with Wiz Khalifa for the Furious 7 soundtrack. That song earned him his first Grammy nomination. In fact, three of them. Since then, he's released hits like Attention, We Don't Talk Anymore, and One Call Away, while also writing and producing for other artists, including co-writing and co-producing Stay for the Kid Leroy and Justin Bieber.

0:47His fourth album, his latest, Whatever's Clever, comes out next month. And as he'll reveal in this episode, is his most honest and personal work to date. On today's episode, I'll speak with Charlie about making whatever's clever in the process of recording a song with Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. He also discusses the sly way he convinced Kenny G to appear on the album and sits down at the piano to demonstrate how gospel chords always have found their way into pop music, revealing the harmonic foundations that shape his songwriting. This is Broken Record. Real musicians, real conversations.

1:28This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human. This is Malcolm Gladwell from Broken Record. Sunday is built on a deceptively simple premise. A healthier yard starts beneath the surface. By analyzing your soil and using climate data, Sunday creates a custom yard plan powered by nutrient-dense ingredients instead of traditional synthetic treatments. It's a shift away from guesswork and towards understanding, which historically tends to produce better outcomes. Go to GetSunday.com to get your free custom yard analysis. That website again is GetSunday.com. Small businesses are the pulse of every community.

2:15They bring people together, create opportunities, and drive growth. Chase for Business helps business owners like you with personalized guidance and convenient digital tools all in one place. With that guidance and your determination, you can take your business farther and help build a brighter future for your community. Learn more at chase.com slash business. Chase for business. Make more of what's yours. The Chase mobile app is available for select mobile devices. Message and data rates may apply. JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA member FDIC. Copyright 2026. JPMorgan Chase and Company. Eczema isn't always obvious, but it's real.

2:53And so is the relief from EBCLIS. After an initial dosing phase, about 4 in 10 people taking EBCLIS achieved itch relief and clear or almost clear skin at 16 weeks. And most of those people maintain skin that's still more clear at one year with monthly dosing. EBCLIS, LibriKizumab LBKZ, a 250 milligram per two milliliter injection, is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe eczema. Also called atopic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals or who cannot use topical therapies.

3:25EPCLIS can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you're allergic to EPCLIS. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with EPCLIS. Before starting EPCLIS, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Searching for real relief? Ask your doctor about EPCLIS and visit ePCLIS.lily.com or call 1-800-LILY-RX or 1-800-545-5979. Here's my interview with Charlie Puth. Head over to youtube.com slash brokenrecordpodcast if you want to see the video.

3:57The new album is really, really good. Well, thanks. You went to Berklee. Yeah. And I imagine there's... Can you tell? No, I can't tell. But I imagine there's like, if you go to Berklee, if you graduate from Berklee, there's like an audience you could be focused on pleasing if you were there, right? Yeah. And then you come out of there and you're in the pop world. And that's its whole own other audience that you might have to worry about. sure pleasing very different yeah and it seems like you somehow land somewhere between the two right well i i've always for even before i went to berkeley when i went to manhattan school and i i always wanted to take what i learned in conservatory and apply it to pop music because i always just got the most visceral reaction from pop music like listening to lucky by britney spears my all-time favorite artist like a max martin production the drums being like sitting perfectly in the record there's nothing better than a pop record that you can really crank up volume wise and just it won't pierce your ears because the mix is so crispy and good but i would listen to you know james taylor of course they go he i learned how to play piano by listening to like fire and rain

5:23and i'm listening to like uh like like the intro to mexico that he performed in like 1993 and i'm like this this is like kind of a brazilian influence but this guy lives in the berkshires in massachusetts and he has he has a he's playing but it's a pop song but it sounds like Antonio Carlos Joe Beam. Like, oh, I get it. He's blending all of these different worlds together and he is thus James Taylor. I can blend different worlds together and be influenced by different things, work with boys to men. I've worked with James Taylor. I can work with X, Y, and Z and be influenced and be Charlie Puth, which is what I've always wanted to be.

6:07Yeah. Which I finally really am now. What do you mean by that? meaning I feel like I always put a front up uh the music not musically but personality wise that's why the a lot of people might know my music before they know me I never really get gave them a chance to know me because I was kind of maybe growing up and trying on a lot of different hats pretending to be a lot of different things I'm dying my hair blonde one day and then shaving it the next day I Didn't really give people a chance to get to know me. When you're young, you don't even know yourself. Yeah. So how do you... My frontal lobe developed 29, probably.

6:48How old are you now? 34. So, okay, relatively recently. Relatively recently, yeah. You felt the music was authentic, or you feel the music was authentic. Yeah, I felt the music was authentic. I just thought everything else that came after it, I was fudging the truth a little bit because I was maybe not advised correctly that I needed to concoct some fake story or exaggerate this little element to get people intrigued. When all along, my songs still are, people are still discovering them, like kids born in 2014 are discovering We Don't Talk Anymore for the first time. And they like it just because it's a good song.

7:29They're discovering how long and attention and one call away all for the first time just based on the music. The way that you were able to pick out James Taylor, like what made James Taylor, James Taylor, by the time you get out and you're signed to Atlantic, like, did you feel like you could just figure out pop music? Like, did it feel like I know what this is? I know how to. I knew what it was to me. I actually set out to write songs for other pop acts. I never in the back of my mind, I wanted to be the artist, but I wouldn't admit that to myself. So I just kind of played a fake game of, oh, I'll just be the song.

8:03I shouldn't even say fake game. I wanted to write songs and hits for other artists. I just didn't realize how badly I wanted to be the artist. So I knew what it was like to be in the studio with X, Y, and Z and hear what they're working on and trying to improve it or come up with something similar in that world. I got a really early glimpse on what it was like to be an artist and what pop music was. What was your early impression? Well, I moved to L.A. in the days of big co-writes and double, triple sessions, starting a session at 7 o 'clock in the morning after having just left the Interscope studios at 5 o 'clock in the morning.

8:40I was grinding. So it was kind of... It was high tempo and dancey and all over the place, lots of features, lots of syncopated rhythms. Like...

8:54And that might come back one day. There's like a big nostalgic 2016 trend going on right now. That's right. But I mean, I think the music industry changes every month now. Really? Yeah. Taste seems to change. There are artists that are popping right now that for the first time I'm not even aware of. I used to be aware of everything. I don't know if that means I'm getting older. I'm pretty keen and sharp on everything that's going on. But my friend showed me an artist that he's working on the other day. and she has this whole little fan base growing on kind of unusual sounding music and i was just like wow i maybe five years ago i would have known about that but there's like 15 other acts like that right now yeah you're having a kid right yeah i hate to yeah yeah i have three i hate to break it to you right the attention kind of my hard drive is partitioned right now it's totally like you might be late to the party a few more times i don't mind being late to the party because I can always show up late.

9:54That's right. That's right. Yeah. You know, I know there's a lot of people who have complaints about streaming and there probably is a lot that is, it does create a lot of challenges. Yeah. But it does seem like one of the real benefits of streaming has been the way that people playlist things. And it's just like putting a Billy Joel song next to a, you know, Sade song next to a Charlie Puth song next to like, and it's just like, so everything is on the table, you know, for every, for the listener. Yeah. Absolutely. And to your point, I was reminded of an amazing Billy Joel song, the...

10:31I don't know the lyrics to anything.

10:41Oh my,

10:46it's so Billy Joel. But I hadn't heard that song, River of Dreams. I hadn't heard that album. I haven't on a CD. I just hadn't heard it in a long time. And it just showed up. It started playing one day after I was listening to, I don't remember what the new song was, but that is one of the benefits of streaming. Some not great things, but. It's broken like the audience out, you know? Absolutely. Michael McDonald, who's on your new album, and Kenny Loggins, you know, you think about like those guys and, you know, they kind of got lumped into, like at some point it was like, it was like, it was, it still is.

11:16It was AOR, album-oriented rock when they were around. and it became yacht rock. But it's like they were just making R &B, you know? But they wouldn't let the white guys just make R &B music. Absolutely. God forbid. Absolutely. But again, here we go with the... Taking it to the streets first chord. That is the most gospel-y chord. That is the chord of God right there. Like, you can't sit down and be like, I'm going to write a song today. That's going to sound like... No, this...

11:50It's very hard to explain, and I'm still trying to get better at explaining how music makes me feel, but that comes close to it. But I do have Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins on my album. Did you have the song and then think, this sounds like something that we could get Michael and Kenny on, or did you reach out to them first and just kind of open-ended? I reached out to them and I said, let's make a song in a very classic way, Blank Session. and I was playing something I think they thought it was cool and Kenny came over and whispered in my ear quite loudly in my ear I think you should let Mike play something and I was like absolutely let me be the engineer and Mike sat down and started playing

12:41oh and Kenny took a guitar and it was like, and I had a microphone like this and they, then I started to be I wasn't the artist anymore, I was the engineer which I'm totally fine with, he was like record this, here, ready, one, two, three, four I was like, why are we recording that? and he was like, put it on top of it, and I'm like, oh

13:07and I remember there was this, um I think it was like on Pretzel Logic Steely Dan, really, yeah, you know a lot of music. That's a great album. Steve and Dan, they're amazing. Any major dude would tell you that album, Prezel Logic, there was a snare drum that I just, I want my snare drum to sound like that on any major dude. And I went, really dry, like a Hay 19 kind of snare.

13:36And Kenny was like, okay, the song's called Love in Exile. Wait, before there were lyrics? Before there were lyrics, I'm like, what but by the way that's happened to me before i wrote a song with katie perry called harleys in hawaii she came up to me she was like this is we're gonna write a song called harleys in hawaii and then cash looked at me like you and i ride in harleys in hawaii i'm like oh we're lit we're gonna make the whole thing but it's a great title yeah it was a great title uh important to her and um i was like okay we're gonna make a song called love in exile sounds like uh one of those the titles of books you see at the grocery store when you're checking out your food.

14:15I'm like, oh, I'll get this book by Dan something. Love and Exile. It sounds really intense. Are you sure? And he was like, yeah. Just like, and Mike's just started. He was like, okay, I think the pre-chorus should be, what changed? And I'm like, what changed? What changed? And he goes, I thought we were with it. I thought in it. I'm like, we were just communicating through song. And then I find out they live 20 minutes away from me. I thought they drove like an hour because I live up in Santa Barbara. Oh, yeah. They were like, he's right there. Yeah. I thought they were like, no, do you want to go get some lunch?

14:53I'm like, sure. It was like the most casual, easy thing ever. And I said, we'll finish this at Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood. And that's what we did. Oh, man. And did you ever get back on keys? Yeah. Yeah, I kept, there was something about the energy that I couldn't replicate from his playing, but I just added, I kept the Rhodes, like a Rhodes 73 that he played, and then I just like, you know, sprinkled some.

15:26Like, you know, those kind of 112 sounding chords.

15:38And the bridge is out of control. Like, how the hell did we get back to the B? Those are amazing. There are a couple of amazing bridges on this album. Thanks. I can't take all the credit for writing that bridge. That was really like the two of them in their classic way getting together. They have a very modern approach to writing songs. What makes it modern? Meaning that it's not outdated. It's just about the song. Just because they've been doing it for a while doesn't mean that they just stopped knowing how to do it. They are better at it than ever. And they're very particular about lyrics. I'm like, oh, maybe we should approach this a different way.

16:21I feel like I'm honestly with Max right now. I feel like I'm in some of the songwriters who had hits last year. A great song is a great song. They're not trying to capture. no they're not trying to they're not trying to be like how they were 40 years ago they're just trying to be them now yeah and that's that's what makes them still dope and you know playing on thundercat records and like why they're still regarded in like a really hip way yeah no no that's a good point and they still sound great too absolutely sound amazing there are a lot of good bridges on i'm glad you think so just one of the first things i noticed it's okay if you don't remember all the titles songs cry oh man thank you i was just listening to that with somebody and I was at Conway.

17:04I live at Conway. It's a long way from Santa Barbara. It's a long way from... That's actually one of the simpler songs, one of the only songs that just has four chords on the album. And Blood Pop, my collaborator on this album, was like, you know you can get any musician on your album, right? And I'm like, well, I don't want to bother anybody. He's like, no, anybody would love to be on this album. You should call Kenny G. I'm like I don't have Kenny G's number like let's get it so and I'm like before we do that why don't I have this program called Moises a lot of you know I use that too I do okay cool I love Moises and I found a YouTube video of Kenny G playing a Christmas song or something because I could have easily gotten the soprano sax VST sound just like you know but it wouldn't have sounded really that good I like to work with audio so I open it up in Moises and isolated Kenny G's soprano saxophone solo there and kind of laid it out in the song as like a map, almost like an audition, because I was so sure that he was going to be like...

18:12A solo from a Christmas, like some random YouTube... Yeah, but then I transposed it slowly. It was like...

18:23It was completely different. I was just grabbing samples at that point. And it was just to show Mr. Kenny G that I was serious and I took the time to put a soprano map of what it could sound like if he did decide to make a solo and play a solo, rather, on my song Cry. Because I had a really specific vision for it. We had a very specific vision for it. And my friend got his manager's number. I got Kenny's number. I said, hey, no worries if you have no time for this. But I took the liberty in mapping something out there, what this could sound like. And he was like, I'm going to be back from wherever in a week.

19:04I'll take a listen to it. And I'll never forget, I'm in Goleta, California, going to the In-N-Out with my very hungry wife at the time and me, who was also very hungry. And it was 5 o 'clock because that's what you do in Santa Barbara. The 5 p.m. in Santa Barbara feels like 10 p.m. And I get a call from Kenny G. And he was like, it's done. I had to record it right away. I was actually home. No way. No way. I was like, oh my God. I called blood and like, we have the first feature on the record. How close is it to what you had kind of mapped out? It was probably like 75 % there. Like there was.

19:44That I did that. I melodyne that and then he replayed it. It was just a trip hearing something that I melodyne, but then actually having the guy play it. It's interesting because, I mean, there's a world where you could have been offended that you even, you're like, well, this is, you know, Kenny, this is what I, it's either could be thanks because, you know, now I know where you want me to go with it or it could have been like, why, I'm Kenny G, why are you? Yeah, I think he knew my heart was in the right place for it and I wasn't like, you know, putting it over a rock song or something. Right, right.

20:13It felt, it had the big snare. It almost felt like, it's a very Michael Bolton, Baywatch, hair blowing in the wind, running at 32 frames a second, whatever. Slow motion with these chords. Great chords. Yeah, a song for my dad. That's for your dad? Mm-hmm. It's about showing, not being afraid to show emotion, which I guess all of us can use that reminder sometimes, but I wrote it a week before his mom had had passed away and I didn't realize how much he would need that song so he's very grateful for that song you were super close to your dad growing up too right oh yeah in terms of I'm still I'm still close to my dad it's great to hear I mean because he was like a big he was really big supporter supporter of your music right and my mom too number one support of my mom and dad always pushing me like my mom was my first A &R I make the joke, she was always brutally honest growing up.

21:09If a song I made on my little sequencer on my MPC was good or not, she'd be like, I would change this, that, this, that. And I was like, okay, I'm going to get better at this. We'll be back with more from Charlie Booth after the break. This is Malcolm Gladwell from Broken Record. Sunday is built on a deceptively simple premise. A healthier yard starts beneath the surface. By analyzing your soil and using climate data, Sunday creates a custom yard plan powered by nutrient-dense ingredients instead of traditional synthetic treatments. It's a shift away from guesswork and towards understanding, which historically tends to produce better outcomes.

21:53Go to GetSunday.com to get your free custom yard analysis. That website again is GetSunday.com. Being a small business owner isn't just a career, it's a calling. Chase for Business knows how much heart and effort go into building something of your own. That's why they make your business growth their priority. The team at Chase takes the time to understand your mission, where you are now and where you want to go. Their broad range of solutions is designed with you in mind so you can bring your ideas to life. From banking to payment acceptance to credit cards, you can conveniently manage all your business finances all in one place with their digital tools.

22:36Looking for tips and advice? Their online resources are always available to give you the solutions you need to help your business thrive. See how your business can get stronger and go farther with Chase for Business. Learn more at chase.com slash business. Chase for Business. Make more of what's yours. The Chase mobile app is available for select mobile devices. Message and data rates may apply. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. member FDIC. Copyright 2026, JPMorgan Chase and Company. Eczema is unpredictable, but you can flare less with EpGliss, a once-monthly treatment for moderate to severe eczema. After an initial four-month or longer dosing phase, about four in ten people taking EpGliss achieved itch relief and clear or almost clear skin at 16 weeks.

23:23And most of those people maintain skin that's still more clear at one year with monthly dosing. EbGliss, LibriKizumab, LBKZ, a 250 milligram per two milliliter injection is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe eczema. Also called atopic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals or who cannot use topical therapies. EbGliss can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you're allergic to EbGliss. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe.

23:51Eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with EBCLIS. Before starting EBCLIS, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Ask your doctor about EBCLIS and visit EBCLIS.lily.com or call 1-800-LILY-RX or 1-800-545-5979. Do you remember the first song you think, the first good song you wrote? Probably, See You Again. No. Really? I think, uh, that has to be something before that. I think that's correct, actually. I think the first good song, it's so subjective. I think my fans from my early days of YouTube might hear my old YouTube music and be like, oh, maybe.

24:30Something from there. Something from there is really great, but I cringe at a lot of that old music. What makes you cringe at that stuff? Because there are people who really love that. My voice sounded like this. I was really enunciating everything. I had a deviated septum at the time and my tonsils. That doesn't mean the song's not good, though. No, I mean, there's probably some really great ideas in those old. There was a song on this little EP that I put on Bandcamp back in college. And I remember I recorded the whole song in 432 hertz, not 441. So it all sounded kind of, I was listening to a lot of Donuts by Jay Dilla at the time.

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25:15and I think it was called Full of It, and the melody...

25:29And I remember I played it for a teacher in class, and he was like, I'm really surprised. That was very nice. So maybe that was an inkling of a first good song that I wrote. But when I wrote that, I was like, Ah, that's... How did that melody specific? Because it seems like it's that melody that really... Well, I always played a sample with that melody. And then we replayed it on the piano. Because it's so funny. I remind myself, that's the only time that happens in the song. This little iconic intro. You don't hear it again after that. I didn't even realize that until you just said it. And after I took the chords, there's some things I can't explain.

26:22It's just from God. It just fell down. It's been a long day without you, my friend. And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again. And we all just looked at each other. Me, Andrew Seder, and DJ Frankie. And we had just met each other. They were working on a Flowrider record right before that. But I think it was like, I have it in my notes saved. I just saw a picture of it on my phone from 3 o 'clock in the morning. I just wrote the lyrics down in my notes. Wow. It's a, that was a, if that never, if that moment never happens again, I'm totally fine. Because that was like an act of God. It really was.

26:57It's cool that you honor that song as much as you. Because, you know, some people get kind of tired of the, you know, the hit that they have to play and live with forever. But it's like. No, never. Never. Certain songs, yes. but I mean, I just, I grow, I used to hate on my song Marvin Gaye. I'm like, I don't like that song. It's corny. And then I listen to the production. It's kind of fun. It's like, it's kitschy. It's of a time period. It reminds me of going to LA for the first time. But See You Again and One Call Away, I just, I'm very happy to play those songs for the rest of my life. And that's, by the way, very churchy.

27:34I know.

27:42on the live version i do

27:49it's it's it's almost that you hear that melody and you're like i feel like i've heard that song before it's like that song was written millions of years ago and i just found like a little portal and just pulled the star down and just brought it back and also just the fact that like your point to your point that that only happens once in the intro that um the little

28:12it's a hook in itself and it's such a strong hook that in your mind you think it occurs more than one way more like a few times in the song that's it it was kind of made modeled after a church song

28:34Every great song, if you take away the drums, take away all the background vocals, take away the organs, the horns, I was listening to a lot of Jadakiss at the time. You take all of that away, and if you can just...

28:59It works. Wonderful. Gospel music, big. like big or small is just i don't know man it's gospel music played a huge role into simon and garfunkel too and like you listen to and it makes sense when you listen to bridge over troubled water

29:25that's that's a gospel chord progression that's all any anytime a little flare of that isn't pop music i believe it makes the pop music better that was layer necktel that thing that did the piano on bridge of trouble water he would have been i don't know for sure i think you're you're correct i hope people fact check me but i think it is and you know he would have grown up absolutely i can't remember who paul simon was listening to but he said he was listening to someone specifically. I think the Dixie Hummingbirds. Nah. Not the Dixie Hummingbirds. Something like that. I'm not going to the Dixie Hummingbirds.

30:00Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. I mean, there's a... Gospel music's just amazing. Remember, what was that? The movie with Lauryn Hill singing Joyful, Joyful... Sister Act 2. Sister Act 2. Like, people... That video has 36 million plays on YouTube. People have a deep appreciation for all of those chords. Like... there's something that that that every anybody could be affected by that they don't they didn't have to grow up in the south or no whatever they just it's just about the note values we even think about 30 i mean you had boys to men on your album voice notes yeah boys to men third uh i mean to the map about 30 years ago roughly yeah as big as you could possibly be and absolutely there's like that in their music and in their and in their hits yeah and all of And all through the influence of all their collaborators, too.

30:55And I was talking to Jimmy Jam about this once when I was like, you know the coldest thing you ever did, Jimmy Jam? And he was like, what? And I was like, on bended knee, when it started.

31:08That's the intro, and then the chorus goes to the one. Can we go back to the days our love was strong? Can you... Can somebody tell me how to get things by the way they used to be? There's Jesus. You're the Santa. Like it's all in its DNA is gospel music. Yeah. And it's my quest to find everyone's influence where it first started. So when you're listening to the radio, is that how you're listening? Yeah. And it can be, I mean, it's jazz, gospel. R &B. You could listen to Digging On You by TLC. Came out in 1994 off Crazy Sexy Cool, Babyface and L.A. Reed.

32:12That's like you could Bill Evans jazz pianist would play.

32:22Embellished like that, that's jazz to me. What was the second chord on D major? I would have warmed up my voice had I known I was singing, but you get the feeling.

32:53And baby face, like, uh, Tevin Campbell. The bridge on that is very gospel, in my opinion. Oh, my poor voice. It's beautiful.

33:22It's what you would hear in a church. Yes. I believe that the best music, it can be the poppiest of pop music. If it's great, there's a little bit of gospel or jazz hiding in there. Do you feel like gospel found its way mostly out of pop music in the last decade, decade and a half? I think so. Like you hear, especially in the 90s, and there was so much iconic cinematography attached to soundtracks in the 90s. The Bodyguard, you listen to I Am Every Woman, like Whitney Houston. I'm every woman.

34:04I'm every woman. And of course that was done before in the prior arrangement, but it was brought into... The Shaka one, right? The Shaka one, but it was brought to the next level, even more so. And introduced to an entirely new generation at that time. And they have a gospel choir on that song. Diane Warren would write songs and David Foster would produce them. There would be gospel choirs in the background. You listen to a Britney Spears record. You listen to Lucky by Britney Spears. There's a gospel choir, not super prominent, but it's tucked in there. Maybe a better example is... When you want it the most, there's no easy way else.

34:42Celine Dion, they do a whole... When you want it the most, there's no easy, easy way. It's like there's a choir in the background tucked under Celine, but you're just listening to Celine. They're supporting her. You said the bodyguard, wait and exhale. Everyone falls in love sometimes. Sometimes it's wrong and sometimes it's right.

35:12I messed it up. There comes a form when we exhale. Yeah, yeah. Say shoo.

35:29All you gotta do is say.

35:36You know the bridge on that?

35:50Forgive me, I don't know the words.

35:56Sometimes you laugh Sometimes you cry That's why for the Super Bowl I had the gospel choir on the field. I had all the orchestra elements because I just... And that's why it's all over my album too. I'm obsessed with those chords. Like a C major is nice, but when you add a little... What'd you add? A little... I think it's a nine. B-D-D-D. little clusters see that's the only part where I fall off I don't really know the names of these chords I just C major 7 something

36:38a little clustered does it well so when you sit down to play if you're just at home and you set the piano calls you for some reason is that typically the stuff you're playing it depends as of recently yes. Do you enjoy playing classical? I do, but not as much as I like just freestyling. I like Nocturne in C-sharp minor by Chopin.

37:07Just because of how all the notes fall.

37:15And I like... It's the temperament of the piece.

37:28You know what I mean? I don't know what any of this is called.

37:35You know, et cetera, et cetera. Right. There are people who can play it 10 times better than me, but it's just the feeling that I get. Nothing makes me feel better than being in front of this. Wow. It seems to me clear that you do a lot of listening. And thinking. and talking to myself. I love listening to music. I love music so much. Do you ever hear a song and feel like, I want to do... Do you ever hear a song, sit down, start playing it, and then spin it and do something of your own? Yeah. That becomes complicated because you never want to take something because then it's not your song. But, I mean, I haven't done that recently because on this album it was all about...

38:18it was kind of and i had to really force myself blood pop helped me like get there i had to really force myself to put the life experience first hey you should write a song about your dad no melody in mind what would the lyrics be and then the next day let's figure out what the music is going to be i was very uncomfortable with that but i like being uncomfortable because that's how i get comfortable and that was blood pop's influence on absolutely this album yeah and i It took a year to allow myself to get there, which is why I've been kind of gone a little bit. I haven't put out an album in three years.

38:53One last break, and we're back with Charlie Puth. This is Malcolm Gladwell from Broken Record. Sunday is built on a deceptively simple premise. A healthier yard starts beneath the surface. By analyzing your soil and using climate data, Sunday creates a custom yard plan powered by nutrient-dense ingredients instead of traditional synthetic treatments. It's a shift away from guesswork and towards understanding, which historically tends to produce better outcomes. Go to GetSunday.com to get your free custom yard analysis. That website again is GetSunday.com. Small businesses are the pulse of every community.

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41:29Eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with EBCLIS. Before starting EBCLIS, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Ask your doctor about EBCLIS and visit ebglis.lily.com or call 1-800-LILY-RX or 1-800-545-5979. I was thinking about, I might get the title wrong, but it's basic. It's in essence, it's never meet your heroes. Yeah, don't meet your heroes. Perfect.

42:02Six, eight time. Big orchestra, 19 people in that orchestra we recorded at Conway.

42:11Yeah, that's a great example. That came about from a conversation I was having with Blood about the time I met someone who I really looked up to and was so excited to drive up to their house. And then I met them and it was like maybe they were having a bad day. I don't know what it was, but it was just the vibe was terrible. and it didn't like it kind of ruined it for me because someone i've like you know just admired in all sorts of ways it's just like it wasn't ruined in i just i i just like it felt like growing up in like 20 minutes i'm like oh okay it's not all the world's not all perfect having your illusions shattered a bit yeah don't meet your heroes it's they're not as they seem i just should have kept them on my tv screen kind of yeah it wasn't that's a little bit of a fudgy lie I wasn't watching TV, but.

43:01Well, and then there's another great line that's more. A fudgy lie. There's another line that's something like, you don't meet your heroes unless you know who you are. Yeah, don't meet your heroes without knowing yourself. Without knowing yourself. Yeah. Dramatic. The reason why I said that is because I think if I had met this person later in my 30s, it wouldn't have affected me so viscerally. I'd be like, oh, that's okay. You probably, there's, you have your life and I have my life. I'm not keen to everything that's going on. I'm not hip to everything that's going on in your life. It's, it's okay.

43:37We'll, we'll, we'll put a pin in this. But being 23 and being in LA and having access suddenly and all these people want to come meet you and then you meet them and they're, some are amazing. And then some are just like kind of a letdown. Who were some of the amazing people? Cause I know you've got, I mean, you've, there's people you've really looked up to that you've gotten to know and it seems like it's been really positive i think when when bruce springsteen called me after i had sang his song somewhere and a 732 number popped up i don't want to blow up his spot but i have a 732 number jersey baby jersey yeah that's right and i think when billy joel called me personally asked if i'd open up for him this is a long time ago getting to play beat yourself up for max martin meeting knowing max for for 10 years and not really we've never like officially like worked together but just just having that relationship of like even if two months go by like i can call him and he can give me advice like he he's giving me great advice about like what i maybe could explore musically what is he compelled you to explore he called me once and and said do you know what i miss and i said well what's that he's like the emotion in some of these these records sometimes i i liked it when like like i really felt like i could feel what you were singing about and i i couldn't even hear the lyrics like it and i was it was something i'm paraphrasing it was something to that extent and then i ended up starting this album based on that based on that there is some of that going on in this album because even Cry there's a moment and I know you have perfect pitch and I actually want to ask you about that I don't know how that impacts how you feel about your own performance sometimes but on that song Cry there's a moment in the opening few lyrics your voice sounds very imbued with something I knew I was and that was the first time I had sung that lyric I didn't re-sing that I knew that I was writing about my dad like a message to my dad because I had already seen him experienced the loss of his mother who lived 94 years old a wonderful beautiful life but i never had written a song for him and these chords even sounded like dad this is for you like that's what those chords sound like to me without any lyrics written so the emotion was uh it was in the box right away and you didn't redo the top of that song no i added layers but i didn't redo the lead vocal it's really stunning because it is like it it stands out it you know it stands out as something it feels you can it feels like a moment you know that you're listening to that's that's what i was hoping for having perfect pitch i've always been curious because i have a baby right now you can how old is your baby five months old oh congrats that's amazing and so sometimes i'm up middle of the night just doing like ear training next to her because i've read that you can teach babies to have perfect pitch so i was like i'm gonna i'm gonna like i'm gonna you know I'm going to see what I can do here, you know?

46:37Yeah, you don't have to force it, though. I think the best thing you can do is just play music a lot. Because their minds are sponges. Right. Having perfect pitches, there are amazing musicians who don't even know how to read music or play instruments, and they make the best music ever. It's just kind of a nice thing to have. Is it ever an impediment, though? Like, can you listen to, like, a Thelonious Monk song and be like, or is it just, like, painful? I mean, you saw me. I mean, this piano isn't perfectly tuned, and you saw me wince at it, but I got over myself, so now I'm used to it. Because I already have OCD, diagnosed OCD, and I really care about the details, the minute details about everything.

47:17And I feel like the perfect pitch may make me want to make things a little too perfect sometimes. So it's great to have collaborators who either have it and are cognizant of not making it too perfect or don't have it at all. or might not even play an instrument or like no just make it simple like that's why i love collaboration for that reason are you able to hear songs like um like you know dylan or like the lonie's monk like you're able to hear the beauty in those songs even though they might not be i'm asking you to say like no i don't think bob dylan's songs are great but no but there's like is it and i was i so funny you're i was just talking about this with another artist just right before this too and i i will watch all the talent competitions and i'll hear there are so many better singers than me and i can hear them sing the phone book perfectly hit every run crisp and perfect but i'm not getting any emotion out of it i'm not going to be interested in it ultimately i'd i'd rather hear dylan i don't know a whole lot of bob dylan songs but i if if i did i'd rather hear him sing off pitch and sing it with conviction so i can really feel what he's singing about i'm not i'm not really looking for him to you know mariah carey is a good example of somebody who can sing around the you know the sun but has some restraint for the rest of us who can't do that makes that's why she has had so much success that she's able to make music that's kind of universal for everybody you think she pulls it back i think she pulls it back and then there are moments when she needs to hit the whistle tone like on dream lover she can she can do it but she's not starting the record off with it she's that's why whitney was great too whitney there will probably never be another singer like whitney in our lifetime she grew up in newark the first new jersey native to sing the national anthem at the super bowl and i was the second No pressure, man.

49:14No pressure. I wasn't as good of a singer as her, but she was able to, it's just like this fine line. She was so proficient vocally, but made it so palatable for people who can't even sing. Everybody can feel, everyone feels like how to sing when they listen to Whitney. It's interesting you bring up Whitney because the first two tracks on your album, which I think are the first two singles. Yeah, Changes and Beat Yourself Up. they kind of remind me of like yeah whitney a bit like like you know in terms of like they just go a lot of places yeah you know like the way bright keys yes um a lot of movement a lot of movement a lot of packed with instrumentation but not not too much not too much not too busy you know it's like it's like it's the album is constantly other than a couple songs like beat yourself up is like constantly if it went here too much yeah and it did go here and i had to pull it back when i was mixing it with manny but like it hits here and then well it's like i want to dance with somebody could like absolutely very easily you know spill over into too much but it's it's but it's perfect yeah i mean there's i think there's a way to nudge at your influences without completely taking the art it's you're you're able to listen to rick astley never going to give you up and you're able to listen to i want to dance with somebody but it's just about like a feeling that those songs gave you and you want that feeling capture that feeling yeah yeah i want to go back to the national anthem yeah we have a mutual friend in um in eric vitro yeah that's my guy eric's amazing dude amazing dude such a like i've never seen him frown the nice the greatest the best the one of the most do you study with him or he's just he's he's he's given me a lesson before and he's like offered to keep going and i just and i felt like you know like i don't want to i just i don't want to waste his time that's the kind of that's the kind of person he is he doesn't think it's a waste of time he's is so in love with teaching and he's been doing it for such a long time that like he just he doesn't he'll work with a-list stars and people who are just starting out i know and he's lovely like that but i'm like i just you know i'm like i just i don't want to impose on him but did you work with him with an on the national anthem i did work with him i warmed up with him right beforehand and oddly i wasn't nervous before going on i like wasn't nervous just putting the arrangement together in my head, I always kind of knew what it was going to be.

51:39I always knew it was going to be in D major. But it's kind of like writing a song. It's like you have the finished product in your head, and then you reverse engineer it. What is warming up before an event like that like? What are you doing? Yo, yo, yo, and brrrr.

52:01Just your voice is a muscle. so your vocal chords are a muscle rather. It's like you're just warming them up. National Anthem's hard to sing too. It's insane. Like the range of it is... Oh, I'm insane. You're going octave jump. Like, you know, there's somewhere over the rainbow I know who I want to take me home. It's all the octave jumps, but that's an octave jump plus a fifth. That's ridiculous. What's your favorite song on the new album? My favorite song on the album seems to change every day. I love changes so much. I love I Used to Be Cringe because I hated it when I first wrote it. But because it's kind of the first time where I've made something that is a little, almost like borderline comedic.

52:51It's like, why would you put that against such... Like kind of James Taylor. maybe like simon and garfunkel sounding it made me think of um her majesty at the end of uh abbey road like the way just pops in because it's it's not as short as that but it's like it's a feels like a really great postscript yeah i thought it was the i appreciate that that's a i i i thought it was a perfect way to end the album because the whole album is filled with moments of me reflecting on past decisions of how i used to act and growing up as a young man in the ever-changing music industry being influenced by things it's uh i i thought it was a nice period mark at the end of the album yeah who played that was my friend curtis from philadelphia he's a wonderful guitar player he played um that at three o 'clock in the morning and i got so sick the next day thank god we got that guitar down because i was so spent i was so tired it was a the second half of the album is a little um feels a little heavier than the first half yeah not like in about but it just feels a little more weighty by design because i didn't want to come out right yeah all the kids being like oh unks in his emo error or whatever they say i i want i i wanted to start with the fun stuff and the album in my opinion is like how a concert should be laid out you start with the fun stuff and then in the middle it gets like a little melancholic and heavy and then surprise here's another fun one it's not as fun as the first one but it's like it's it's there and then encore is a song that you wouldn't expect i'd play or something yeah it's perfectly sequenced and um it's like a really quick listen too like it doesn't it just go yeah it goes by really quick.

54:47I want you to be able to replay it, replay value. There's a lot of replay value on it. And I just, there are, I don't, on Don't Meet Your Heroes I had a solo on there where I was really, like all that. Yeah, what was the, the,

55:11probably the jazziest thing on the, on this album.

55:18And then,

55:23Don't meet your heroes, they're not as they... I mean, jazz is all over the album, but I think that's the jazziest one. Well, then there's a... You scat along to a guitar solo. Oh, yeah, on Hey Brother. Damn, he's not even using notes right now. It's impressive. That's Curtis playing the guitar, too. That's a great solo.

55:56I've always wanted to, I mean, I'll get better at that as the years go on, but I always wanted to answer your question from way before, probably from an hour ago. I've always known that jazz was a part of my DNA when making pop music. It feels like a great synthesis of pop and jazz. and gospel in a way. There's choirs all, I'm washed up, we have a choir. I think Cry, there's a choir. Changes, there's a choir. Beat Yourself Up, no choir. The Raven Lene, am I saying her name right? Yeah, Raven Lene. She's a new one too, for me. My kids love her though. She had a massive hit this year. She did. She did.

56:35And she sounds amazing on your album. Yeah. And I love that song. It's almost like a... Well, New Jersey, but it sounds like it was produced in South Central. Like, my love of the... One of my favorite songs is the intro record on the chronic with the solo tip. And Snoop Dogg just talking an immense amount of shit. Crazy shit. Crazy shit. The craziest shit ever.

57:08Like, those don't... That whole album is feeling based. nothing about that is diatonic yeah that's like that's c minor and a flat minor though that should clash why does it feel good it just does yeah it's it's all feeling based how do we start talking about that oh yeah new jersey is kind of a west coast sonic anthem but about the state i'm from which is new jersey the chronic was like the first album i remember being like enveloped by like as not even by choice, but just as a kid. And so, you know, I'm from LA. So I love that album. I'm very proud of it. What was it like when that dropped? What was a big deal?

57:48Well, I didn't know life before. I mean, because I was so young, but it was, I thought it was the way everything always was. Like I thought, like, you know, Are you my age? I'm 34. I'm 36. Okay. Just 36. So you were kind of the same. Roughly the same. Three when that came out. And, you know, you turn on the TV and it'd be like the promo of like the um gin and juice video oh my god pouring out the fucking oh my god it's so amazing you know i wasn't there's no way i was supposed to be seeing that but you look and you're like life is remember having the feeling of like i'm in for a ride like this life is but you know that was a moment in time there was that you know the source awards in 1995 and snoot when doggy style came out i mean you have to imagine me a kid going to catholic school listening to doggy style my actually my first snoop dog album was uh paid the cost to be the boss and i heard the uh the neptunes production from the church to the palace yeah man very cool chad hugo like why does those monsters that was the e minor that that's not supposed to work but it just worked because it was just the neptunes feeling it and then snoop sounds sinister on it it's like damn boo what you gonna do cuz with them baby blue like i didn't I didn't even know what the Crypt Walk was.

59:03I was in school listening to that. You're not supposed to know Charlie. Oh, I was so enamored. It was the early days of YouTube, and I was looking up all the videos. I think Drop It Like It's Hot was the first music video I watched on the internet. Wow. It was Pharrell blurring out the ice creams that he was like. That's right. I want people to be excited about music again because I feel like they're not. I feel like there's so much. You and I love music, but I feel like everybody feels that music is disposable because you can go on Amazon and listen to it. You can go on Spotify. Spotify, yeah.

59:39You can go on Apple. It's just I used to have to order CDs. If I wanted the chocolate starfish and hot dog flavored water, I had to put an order in. It sold a million copies first week off Interscope when Jimmy was there. The marketing was amazing. Crazy. I had to put an order in for Crazy Sexy Cool. They didn't have it at Jack's Music Shop in Redneck, New Jersey. I would stay in the record store and listen to the CDs I had. But it wasn't just me. It was like, oh, you have the mix CD? You have My Name Is off the Slim Shady LP? Let me borrow that. You kind of had to jump through some hoops to get to music.

1:00:17Absolutely. You don't even have to illegally download anymore. There's no need for bit torrents or anything. There's no LimeWire. anyway you just can if you want to hear a song you can find it even limewire was a bit of an impediment to like there was a you had to go through some hoopla and then it would be the wrong thing i had riddled my parents computer with viruses and and but it was worth it because i got to hear goodies by ciara these kids today like they like i shouldn't i shouldn't say that there's not an appreciation of music i let's i retract my statement there is an appreciation of music it's just changed there's just kind of fervor the way like i know what you mean i i think kids like to our earlier point i think kids appreciate a wider array of music no older music you know there's they really have in a way but there's not like um the excitement from a because the distribution is so easy now like the excitement like even just like trl was like oh my god exciting thing like having a backstreet boys you know all the fans line up for christina aguilera You had to rush home from school to see it.

1:01:19And if you didn't rush home, you missed it. And it was it. You'd be like, how do I see that? Explain that concept to Gen Alpha. What do you mean I have to rush home to watch something? If I want to watch something, I'll watch it whenever I want. That's fine. I'm not going to be unk and be like, oh, the good old days. I've had success in these new days. I'm very happy about that. I just want to make a body of work that makes people somewhat feel what I felt when I first heard, ooh, on the TLC tip. and x y and z i i just i i want that feeling to never die well i think you captured a really great feeling on this thanks and like the melodies like that there's so there's melodies for days and just the last thing i want to say about it just just because you have you here yeah is when i was listening to it like there are melodies that i feel like it recycled through pop music and i don't hear any of those on here like it sounds it's just like everything sounds appropriate to the song organic everything sounds new it's inspiring i appreciate that probably because i don't really listen to a whole lot of pop music i'm not going to be the cool artist and be like i don't listen to any pop music i am cognizant of pop music i i i know olivia dean i know all sabrina songs i she's great i mean for a pop i mean the fact that she's like a or levy like you know that some of these people are like pop artists now you're like it's that It does speak to some of the savvy of the music listening public at this point.

1:02:41I appreciate you saying that. It's very nice of you. It was amazing. It was great to meet you, man. Very nice to meet you, too. I feel like I've known you for my whole life. Weird. Very nice to... It's good to know you. Good to know you, too. And this is a really... Wow, what a dump this is here, right? Yeah, well, we'll get this... Get this up tuned. We'll get this going. Can we... We just talked for more than a minute.

1:03:07In the episode description, you'll find a link to a playlist featuring our favorite songs from Charlie Puth. Be sure to check out youtube.com slash brokenrecordpodcast to see all of our video interviews. And be sure to follow us on Instagram at thebrokenrecordpod. Broken Record is produced and edited by Leah Rose with marketing help from Eric Sandler and Jordan McMillan. Our engineer is Ben Talliday. Broken Record is a production of Pushkin Industries. If you love this show and others from Pushkin, consider subscribing to Pushkin Plus. Pushkin Plus is a podcast subscription that offers bonus content and ad-free listening for$4.99 a month.

1:03:41Look for Pushkin Plus on Apple Podcast Subscriptions. And if you like this show, please remember to share, rate, and review us on your podcast app. Our theme music is by Kenny Beats. I'm Justin Richmond.

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From the publisher

Charlie Puth is a meticulous songwriter whose knowledge of pop music runs deeper than your average chart topper. Charlie, who studied music production and engineering at Berklee College of Music, first gained widespread attention in 2015 with "See You Again," his collaboration with Wiz Khalifa for the Furious 7 soundtrack. The song earned him his first three Grammy nominations.

Since then, he's released hits like "Attention," "We Don't Talk Anymore," and "One Call Away," while also writing and producing for other artists, including co-writing and co-producing "Stay" for The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber. His fourth album, Whatever's Clever!, comes out next month. It's his most honest work to date, and as he'll reveal on this episode, the songwriting is far more personal than anything he's released in the past.

On today's episode, Justin Richmond talks to Charlie Puth about making Whatever's Clever! and the process of recording a song with Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. He discusses the clever way he convinced Kenny G to appear on the album. And he sits down at the piano to demonstrate how gospel chords always find their way into pop music, revealing the harmonic foundations that shape his songwriting.

You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite songs from Charlie Puth HERE.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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