Charlie Puth recently revealed he completely overhauled his songwriting process by being more open about himself. While he first credited TikTok for the change, it appears he first obtained permission from Elton John.
The two collaborated on Sir Elton's The Lockdown Sessions and, while working together, Charlie asked Elton his thoughts about his music.
"He was brutally honest with me," the Grammy nominee revealed Monday on the Kelly Clarkson Show. "He told me my 2019 music sucked, and I agree with him. It was not good… He basically said I could make a lot better music, and he said that I should just make it myself, like I always do."
Charlie added the "Cold Heart" singer is "the first person that ever said that to me." He also revealed he and Sir Elton are neighbors — something he didn't realize until "Elton texted me his address."
The "Light Switch" singer elaborated further when speaking with PopCulture about the "surreal experience" of working with Sir Elton.
When discussing the constructive criticism, Charlie said Elton agreed "[the] music that I was working on wasn't good enough." He said that honesty "reaffirmed to me [how] I have to truly be myself."
Charlie also raved about working with the legendary singer, saying "he didn't make it seem like he was Elton John" and that he "humanizes himself a lot." The 30-year-old singer said Elton John chatted up his parents and walked them through his songwriting process — saying his folks were stunned the "entire time."
"He kind of just sits down, and he invited my parents to come in and he started talking about how he wrote 'Tiny Dancer,'" Charlie described. "It was a surreal experience. But I felt like I was talking to just another fellow musician. Not intimidating in the least."
Puth's new album, Charlie, is forthcoming.
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