Charlie Puth has shared how Elton John‘s brutal criticism of his 2019 music inspired him to be more honest when he was writing songs.
During an appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show, the 30-year-old singer-songwriter explained the importance of ‘telling the truth’ in making music.
‘I felt like my music in 2019, I wasn’t…the most important thing you can do, all the songwriters watching this right now, is when you write a song, it’s important to tell the truth, and I wasn’t really doing that in 2019,’ Charlie told Ellen, 64, on Wednesday.
Motivation: Charlie Puth has shared how Elton John’s brutal criticism of his 2019 music inspired him to be more honest when he was writing songs. Seen in April 2022
The How Long hitmaker continued, ‘The person who really kind of awoken my senses was none other than Elton John.’
Honest: During an appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show, the 30-year-old singer-songwriter explained the importance of ‘telling the truth’ in making music
I met him at Craig’s, the restaurant, and he came up to me and said, you know, ‘Hi, how are you?’ Charlie recalled. I’m like, ‘You’re Elton John.’
The four-time Grammy nominee said that Elton told him, ‘Yes, I am. You know, your music sucked in 2019, it wasn’t good.”
Charlie added, ‘And it was like a gut punch, but I had been thinking that as well. I had gone through a messy breakup and I think that was also going alongside it.
Harsh: The four-time Grammy nominee said that Elton told him, ‘Yes, I am. You know, your music sucked in 2019, it wasn’t good”
‘And it was kind of a wake-up call, a little bit. I was in denial a little bit,’ he admitted.
Charlie and singer Charlotte Lawrence dated for seven months in 2019 before calling it quits.
Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the recording artist said that he was able to ‘sit with a new way of making music’.
‘And it was like a gut punch, but I had been thinking that as well,’ he said
He said, ‘I decided that I would never put out a song again if it weren’t the truth.’
Though Charlie did not specify which songs Elton disliked, he released three singles in 2019 including I Warned Myself, Mother and Cheating on You.
Charlie had first shared the story of his encounter with Elton during an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Teaming up: Elton and Charlie went on to work together on the duet After All for the Piano Man singer’s album The Lockdown Sessions
‘He basically said that like, I could make a lot better music,’ the performer told Kelly, 39.
Elton and Charlie went on to work together on the duet After All for the Piano Man singer’s album The Lockdown Sessions.
The Light Switch singer told Kelly, 39, that after Elton texted him his address, he discovered they were neighbors. He ended up walking over to the music legend’s house to record their song.
The 16-track album, which was released last October, also features collaborations with Dua Lipa, Lil Nas X, Miley Cyrus, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Nicks, Years & Years, Young Thug and Nicki Minaj, SG Lewis, Brandi Carlile, Jimmie Allen, Eddie Vedder, and Glen Campbell.
Neighbors: The Light Switch singer told Kelly that after Elton texted him his address, he discovered they were neighbors. He ended up walking over to the music legend’s house to record their song
