Charlie Puth took advantage of the popular social media platform, YouTube, to gain fame and then leveraged on the digital success to kick start his music career. The pop singer, songwriter, and vlogger became known for his catchy hooks and distinctive falsetto, but not many are aware that he also penned the lyrics of several successful artists’ songs over the years.
The young music star did not just attain such great heights in the entertainment sphere by accident, as reports have it that Puth had always wanted to pursue a career as a singer and he received the appropriate training for his career from a young age.
He Was Introduced To Music By His Parents At Age 4
The New Jersey native was born on December 2nd, 1991, in Rumson, New Jersey. He is the oldest child born to Debra, a music teacher and Charles Puth, a builder and real estate agent. He has a brother named Stephen and a sister named Mikaela with whom he was raised. Charlie attained a normal formal education as he attended Holy Cross School and Forrestdale Middle School before proceeding to Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School where he graduated from in 2010.
Besides the regular schooling, Charlie was also enrolled at Manhattan School of Music Pre-College where he studied jazz piano and classical studies. He went on to study music production and engineering on a full scholarship at Berklee College. During those days, the young singer wanted to become a jazz player but had to switch to pop due to his parents’ influence; they were more interested in pop than Jazz.
Still bent on developing his skills irrespective of the genre he was concentrating on, Puth started to work on his own songs and in sixth grade, he reportedly produced a Christmas album which he sold in his neighborhood. At that time, Charlie was able to make up to $600 from selling copies of his song, and in the spirit of the season, he donated the money to his local church.
Charlie Puth Began His Career On YouTube
In 2009, Puth started to make funny videos and covers of popular songs of artists such as Sia, Bruno Mars, Demi Lovato, among others which he uploaded on his YouTube channel, Charlies Vlogs. He went ahead to release his first music video in 2010 entitled These Are My Sexy Shades. This was followed by the release of The Otto Tunes, his debut EP in December 2010.
The next year he won an online singing competition by making a cover of Adele’s hit song, Someone Like You. The budding singer then garnered thousands of followers on his channel so much that Ellen DeGeneres took notice of him and featured him on her talk show in 2011 where he also performed.
Thereafter, Charlie experienced a major career breakthrough as DeGeneres signed him to her record label, eleveneleven. This set him on a path to more recognition as his fan base increased tremendously even after leaving eleveneleven towards the end of 2012.
The next year, Puth released his second EP titled Ego on October 23rd, 2013. That same period, he was also credited for writing and producing jingles for YouTubers like Shane Dawson and Charles Trippy among others. He then dropped the promotional song L.U.V and co-wrote Celebrate with the popular American rapper, Pitbull, for his studio album, Globalization.
Furious 7 Soundtrack Earned Him International Recognition
In 2015, Puth joined the Atlantic Record label and released his first song Marvin Gaye, in which he featured the Grammy award winner, Meghan Trainor. The song was a commercial success, a top chart climber, and one of his most popular works so far.
He also collaborated with Wiz Khalifa to produce the song See You Again, in loving memory of the Fast & Furious actor, Paul Walker. For 12 weeks in 2015, the song topped the Hot 100 Chart and received numerous nominations from prestigious associations like the Grammy Awards, BBC Music Awards, and the Golden Globe Awards.
Following the release of the hit single, Charlie was called upon by fellow artists to work on numerous projects. He worked with Jason Derulo on his album Everything Is 4, in which they penned down and produced songs like Broke and Pull Up. He also co-wrote the song Bombastic alongside Bonnie McKee and collaborated with CeeLo Green to co-produce Working Class Heroes (Work) for his album, Heart Blanche.
In 2016, Puth’s first studio album Nine Track Mind was released. The album had the notable single One Call Away, which ranked 12th on the US Chart, 26th on the UK Chart, and 4th on the Australian Chart upon its release. He also sold more than half a million copies of the song in the United States. Charlie even went on to record a remix for the song which he called One Call Away (Coast to Coast Mix), in which he featured rappers Tyga and Ty Dolla Sign, country singer Brett Eldredge, and popular Mexican artiste, Sofia Reyes.
A Second Studio Album Entrenched His Relevance As a Musician
The singer’s second studio album, Voicenotes, was released in April 2017 and it had its most popular single as Attention, which also happens to be the first single off the album. The song climbed to the 5th spot on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Puth’s highest-charting single so far. The second single off the album, How Long was released in October that same year and it ranked 21 on the Billboard 100. The next year in March, he released the 3rd single, Done for Me, as well as the 4th single, Change.
Charlie is working on the release of a 3rd studio album. The singer released a new single entitled Girlfriend in June 2020 which many believe will be part of his upcoming album.
The Young Singer Has Amassed An Impressive Net Worth
Although Charlie Puth kicked off his career on YouTube, he chose not to be stuck on the platform, hence, went on to establish a mainstream career for himself in the music industry. From releasing records on major labels to writing songs and collaborating with big stars, the pop star has earned himself a modest financial portfolio. He was named on Forbes 30 under 30 in 2017 when he released the hit song, See You Again.
As of 2020, his net worth is estimated at $10 million, an amount amassed from the successful sales of his studio albums. More so, Charlie Puth still earns lucratively from social media and it is expected that his net worth would go up as his career progresses.
An Overview of Charlie Puth’s Love Life
Charlie Puth has always made headlines for his relationships both the rumored and real ones. While the singer may currently be single, he has been linked to several celebrities and big talents in the music industry.
Puth is rumored to have dated actress Hailee Steinfeld, the Pitch Perfect 2 star, singer Meghan Trainor, as well as Selena Gomez among others. While Charlie denied dating Meghan Trainor and Hailee Steinfeld, he, however, confirmed having a short-lived relationship with Selena Gomez.
According to the We Don’t Talk Anymore crooner, he knew he had a bleak future with Selena but he walked into the relationship anyway. The pair reportedly ended things when Selena reconciled with her former beau Justin Bieber before they broke up for good.
As of early 2018, rumors had it that the singer had forged a new bond with Charlotte Lawrence. Charlie confirmed this news on Instagram via a post he made on Valentine’s day in 2018 but later deleted it. The pair were seen for most of 2018 having fun with friends. However, they seem to have broken up in 2019 as Puth started to address himself as a single man in December 2019.
