Charlie Puth Teases New Album and What Taylor Swift 'Nudged' Him to Do on It (Exclusive)

08/07/2024 04:35 PM

The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter says he's taken some cues from the "Anti-Hero" singer for his upcoming album

Charlie Puth is ready to try something new, thanks to one very famous pop star. 

The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, 32, is in the midst of working on his next album — following the release of his latest single "Hero" — and says fans can expect a little something different this time around.

"You can expect what you always expect from me, which is chords and key changes and what I think are interesting kind of rhythms in production sense," he tells PEOPLE while discussing his partnership with BIC ahead of back-to-school season. "I always think about what I've lacked every time I start a new project and one thing that I'd like to enhance even more is the storytelling of things. And maybe that lies in the lyrics and making the lyrics a little bit more less A, B, C, D."

While this might be new for Puth, he's taken some cues from someone who knows a thing or two about baring your heart in a song. 

"Taylor Swift kind of nudged me to do that as well," he says.  "And I think that's how she approaches her songwriting and that's how I'll approach this next album."

Puth says that for the time being he's planning on doing "the whole thing myself" which has proven "challenging" as it means going about his day and "wait[ing] for the melody to appear."

"But it's really, really worth it when it all comes together." he admits. 

Related: Charlie Puth Thought Taylor Swift's 'TTPD' Shoutout Was an AI-Generated 'Joke' Before Hearing the Song

Buzz around Puth and Swift's connection began months ago after the latter name-dropped the "Attention" singer on her album The Tortured Poets Department.

"You smokеd, then ate seven bars of chocolate / We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist," Swift sings on the album's title track. 

Following the album's release, Puth released his latest single "Hero" — a song he says is unlike music he's put out in the past. 

"It's one of the hardest songs I've ever had to write, but I wrote it in hopes that you've gone through something similar in your life, and that it can fill in the BLANK for you like it did for me," Puth wrote on Instagram while announcing the song's debut.

"I'm very excited to share my next album with you, especially this song because it's a great representation of what's to come. I've never put out a song like this before- it's very different for me, but I want to thank @taylorswift for letting me know musically that I just couldn't keep this on my hard drive any longer," he continued. 

Puth told PEOPLE that though the two "really don't even know each other like that," music has been their "connective tissue."

Related: Taylor Swift Adds 5 Opening Acts to London Eras Tour Dates: 'Love Their Music'

"I'm sure if we saw each other it would be great, but I always think it's really nice that music, you don't have to talk to someone every day," he says.

"Music just has so much connective tissue to it. And I just think it's nice when artists shout out to other artists or are supportive of other artists, which she is. Especially with Sabrina [Carpenter] and Gracie [Abrams] and Ice Spice and anyone else in there — and [Aaron] Dessner."

"I'd like to be supportive of other artists too, which is again, going back to BIC, which is another reason why I wanted to partner with BIC because they're literally supporting teachers and artists," he says, explaining why the partnership was a natural fit ahead of the BIC Creativity Camp he's hosting with the brand for students and teachers in New York City on Wednesday.

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Though "Hero" won't be on the album, he says the upcoming record "will make a lot of sense" following its release.

"I want them to hear [the album] and be like, 'Ah, I know what she was talking about,'" he says of Swift's lyric. 

"I'm perfectly happy with the level where I'm at, but if being a bigger artist means I get to inspire more people who want to do what I do, then that's great," he says.

And while it hasn't happened yet, Puth says he hopes to make it to the Eras Tour before it wraps up later this year. 

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