Charlie Puth Releases Fourth Studio Album, Whatever’s Clever!
Ahead of his Whatever’s Clever! World Tour starting next month, Charlie Puth has released his highly anticipated fourth studio album Whatever’s Clever! via Atlantic Records.
Charlie on Whatever’s Clever! says:
“I had to take a closer look at myself to make this record and sing about things I normally wouldn’t sing about. Audiences knew my music more than they knew me because I never really gave them a chance to know me. This is the chance.”
Immersed in classics from Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, and Philip Bailey, embracing sounds like the Yamaha CP70 and experimenting with techniques during sessions at his home studio, “I knew I wanted to make a rich, warm, and big-sounding record,” he states. and found the perfect collaborator in co-producer BloodPop®
“BloodPop® pushed me to use sonics I hadn’t touched before, to sing about subjects I’d never sung about, and write songs that might’ve made me uncomfortable in the past,” he admits. “The best singers don’t flawlessly sing on pitch, the guitar goes out of tune, or the record skips. If A.I. is going to take over the world, we decided to be as human as possible. It only took a couple of songs with BloodPop® pushing me, then I was pushing myself.”
Last night, the multi-Diamond and award-winning artist appeared as the lead guest and performer on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, performing his latest single “Sideways” alongside Coco Jones. A blissed-out ’90s-inspired R&B love song, “Sideways” features Puth’s close friend and collaborator Coco Jones, who first joined him to debut the track live during his Blue Note LA underplay shows last winter and also appears on the official studio version.
Coco Jones shares:
“Charlie is such an incredible artist, constantly refining his craft. We had so much fun bringing “Sideways” to life, and it was such an honor debuting the song at Charlie’s Blue Note show together in Los Angeles. I’m so excited that the world can finally hear it!”
Charlie Puth shared,
“I love working with vocalists who can take a song to the next level – and Coco did just that. When writing Sideways, I wanted to evoke a very cinematic picture through the chords and melody. And this vision came alive the moment Coco sang into the microphone. She is an incredible artist and it’s been a joy to work with her on this.”
Other sonic delights taken from his latest body of work, out today, include the timeless yacht rock gem “Love In Exile” (featuring Michael McDonald & Kenny Loggins). Fueled by the interplay of loose guitar and neon keys, it takes flight as a vocal masterclass with Charlie holding his own shoulder-to-shoulder next to a pair of icons. This mega-collab concludes on the wistful refrain, “We had it all for a while, but now it feels like love in exile.”
Puth remembers:
“I started playing in my studio, and Kenny whispered to me, ‘You should really let Mike play because he’ll play something you wouldn’t play’. It was the best advice ever. My mind was just blown when they each sang, but they are the humblest guys ever. To me, it’s like a classic record from the seventies or eighties.”
“Until It Happens To You” splices spoken word from Jeff Goldblum into a sunny and upbeat Charlie anthem. The legendary actor’s words practically ping-pong in spiritual harmony with vocals boosted by choir harmonies.
“Thematically, you’re watching a loved one go through hardship,” he notes. “This person has guided you through so much turbulence. The tables have turned though, and you need to help. Jeff wasn’t acting. He did a non-memorized monologue where he was speaking from the heart to his two young boys—one of whom is named Charlie.”
For the first time on “Hey Brother,” he directly addresses his younger brother Stephen. He urges, “I wish you could see in you what you see in me.” Charlie states, “I’m telling Stephen, ‘You’re always going to be my brother.’ I see the potential in him like he sees greatness in me. It’s not the most comfortable thing for me to sing about, but he hopefully has great comfort from it. He’s his own person.”
Puth concludes on Whatever’s Clever!,
“I’m back to who I always was, I tried on a lot of different outfits and styles, but I believe everything happens for a reason. With a ring on my finger, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been and the most at-ease. These are real songs. They’re about my brother, my dad, my wife, and people who aren’t in my life anymore that I thought I needed. This is finally me.”
Stream Whatever’s Clever! here.
About Charlie Puth
GRAMMY-nominated and multi-platinum singer/songwriter/producer Charlie Puth has proven to be one of the industry’s most consistent hitmakers and sought-after collaborators across multiple genres. To date he has amassed over 35 billion career streams, nine multi-platinum singles (including “Attention,” “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” “See You Again” & more), four GRAMMY nominations, three Billboard Music Awards, a Critic’s Choice Award, and a Golden Globe nomination. Puth is currently working on his highly anticipated fourth studio album, the follow-up to 2022’s CHARLIE which featured platinum-certified hit single “Light Switch” and “Left and Right” featuring Jung Kook of BTS. Meanwhile, his 2021 co-penned/produced single “Stay” for The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber reigned #1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart for eleven weeks, and his collaboration with Gabby Barrett on their “I Hope (Remix)” earned him his fourth top 10 charting track on the Billboard Hot 100.
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