Tough love isn't everyone's ideal way to deliver supportive advice, but for musician Charlie Puth, it was just what he needed to make a change in his life.
During a recent interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Charlie opened up about the harsh advice he received from Elton John that helped his music evolve.
Charlie reflected on the music he released in 2019 and admitted that he wasn't being true to himself while he was writing those songs.
"The person who really kind of awoke my senses was none other than Elton John,” Charlie told Ellen. “He came up to me and said, ‘You know, your music sucked in 2019. It wasn’t good.’”
"It was like a gut punch, but I had been thinking that as well,” he acknowledged. “It was kind of a wake-up call, a little bit. I was in denial a little bit.”
Charlie released a string of singles in 2019, including "I Warned Myself" and "Mother." In 2021, he later teamed up with Elton for a song called "After All," which was featured on Elton's album The Lockdown Sessions.
Charlie also revealed his "messy" breakup with singer Charlotte Lawrence also contributed to his 2019 state of mind.
Then the pandemic hit and the 30-year-old used that as the perfect excuse to sit down with himself and his thoughts to create a new method for songwriting.
“I decided that I would never put out a song again if it weren’t the truth,” Charlie added.
To learn more about Charlie, check out his full interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
