When I published my first edition of the Artist of the Month feature, I had not thought that my inspiration for that column, Anuradha Sriram, herself, would comment on the article. The comment is the most heartwarming thing on my website and I will cherish it forever. After such a great response to the first article in the series, Whims and Quirks is here with the second edition and we are going International this September as the artist I am going to write about is the current pop sensation Charlie Puth.
Dance Pop has to be my most favorite genre in music and I was the happiest when I heard Attention. It was peppy, sassy, and also brought back the pop sound that I was craving for lately. Attention also introduced me to this wonderful singer-songwriter Charlie Puth, who I became an instant fan of and have practically liked all his creations. Puth started his mainstream career with the Wiz Khalifa song See You Again, a tribute to Paul Walker, which topped the Billboard Hot100 for 12 consecutive weeks. He consolidated his status as the nextgen popstar with hit singles like Attention (peaked #5 on Billboard Hot 100) and We Don’t Talk Anymore feat. Selena Gomez (peaked #9 on the Billboard Hot 100). His last release Girlfriend too is superfun and something every pop fan can add to their playlist.
Why I love Charlie Puth
I love Charlie Puth’s style of music. It is peppy and catchy yet soulful. The vibe is always upbeat and does not bore you one second. Additionally, the hook is always super addictive (like in How long). I also, love the way he sings in falsetto. It adds so much to his songs and his own versatility as a vocalist. Apart from being an accomplished singer, Puth is also an avant garde songwriter. He is one of the artists who has revived the pop genre lately I believe, breaking the dominance of HipHop/Rap with his music. Puth’s lyrics too, are super cheeky and sassy, and are very relatable which makes me love his songs even more. Overall, Charlie Puth, currently, has to be the best pop singer-songwriter we have globally.
Charlie Puth : Top 3 SongS
1 ) Attention (2017, Voicenotes )
Attention is the song that made me revisit western music after the Black Eyed Peas. Thanks to this masterpiece, I discovered songs like Cheap Thrills (Sia), New Rules (Dua Lipa) and Sucker (Jonas Brothers) that became my all time favorites (along with Puth’s own repertoire of course). The best part about the song is its awesome lyrics and the super catchy hook tune. Puth’s soft and popish voice only adds to this wonderful creation. You just feel like humming the hook ‘You just want attention, you don’t want my heart, may be you just hate the thought of me with someone new‘ all day long once you hear the song. Also, the rhythm and musical arrangement used in the prelude is so cool. The video too is super sexy and makes you celebrate Break Ups and ironically also fall in love with them. Watch out for my favorite lines from the song, it’s pure gold!
I know that dress is Karma, perfume regret, you got me thinking ’bout when you were mine, Oh, And now I’m all up on ya, what you expect? But you’re not coming home with me tonight.
Charlie Puth (Attention)
Attention (Voicenotes)
2 ) How Long (2017, Voicenotes)
After making break ups celebratory, Puth dances his way to Adultery in this fun song. This is the song Ross could have sung for Rachel after the “We’re on a Break fiasco”. The hook here is even more addictive than Attention here. I remember hearing it first in one of Kanan Gill’s Instagram memes and listening to the song on loop for days after that. The hook (How long has this been going on?) just does not leave you after the first hearing and is also my favorite verse from the song. Lyrics here too are are super cheeky and the rhythm is upbeat throughout. A perfect sequel to Attention! I love the way Puth dances on the streets on the way to the office space, something which I personally loved doing with my head phones on, 5 years back. All in all, another gem from Puth.
How Long (Voicenotes)
3 ) Done for Me feat. Kehlani (2018, Voicenotes)
The third song on my playlist is probably my most favorite duet in the last 5 years. It’s short but super effective. Puth starts the song with his signature ad lib which I adore. This is followed by two verses, one male and one female both being equally good and sassy. I love the way Puth uses “No Oh Oh Baby” and the hook “I lie for you, baby
I die for you, baby Cry for you, baby But tell me what you’ve done for me” in the song. I also love the way Puth glides into the falsettos between the verses here. Kehlani too gets ample scope and gives Puth back emphatically with her verses, something that was required for a duet like this. The video here reminds me of the Attention video as it has a similar setting. Also, here too in the video, Puth seems to be inspired from Ross from Friends (the Carol-Susan storyline). Watch out for the musical arrangements, super cool stuff!
Done For Me (Voicenotes)
Recent Work
Although Puth has released a lot singles post Done for Me, he is yet to release a new studio album. Among the recent releases, I really like ‘I warned Myself‘ and ‘Girlfriend’ and am always eagerly awaiting new music from Puth.
From singing covers on YouTube to being a successful singer-songwriter in Hollywood, Charlie Puth surely has come a long way. He has been instrumental in bringing the Pop genre in vogue again and I will always be grateful to him for that.
I hope you liked this edition of Artist of the Month. If you liked the blog please do share it and also subscribe to my blog for more pop culture content.
More from the Artist of the month Series
August 2020 Edition : Anuradha Sriram
(Disclaimer – I do not own the rights to the images displayed on the page. The rights remain with their rightful owners. The images are sourced from various public online sources to provide references to Charlie Puth.)
Whims and Quirks 