In this candid conversation, pop superstar Charlie Puth opens up about his latest single “Home” with Hikaru Utada, sharing the deeply personal inspiration behind the song and the creative process of blending English and Japanese lyrics. From collaborating with legends like Kenny G and Jeff Goldblum to navigating the pressures of vulnerability in his music, Puth gives an inside look at his songwriting, touring, and the honest, often humorous approach that has made him one of pop’s most relatable voices.

_

So your new single “Home” with Hikaru Utada is deeply personal. Can you walk us through the moment you knew you wanted to write this song?

Charlie Puth: And good on you for pronouncing that correctly.

Deeply personal, yes. I wanted to make a very international-sounding record with a sentiment that’s really universal. I mean, it’s Hikaru’s version of what home means to them and my version of what home means to me. So yeah, it kind of brought a bilingual element to “Home.”

How did you approach blending the English and Japanese lyrics?

Puth: That was really Hikaru’s idea. It’s something that I had hoped would happen. I never want to be too invasive in the early stages of songwriting for what’s going to be a very vulnerable, personal process, but in the back of my mind I was like, I hope there’s a mixture of English and Japanese on there as well because it just sounds so cool and it’s melodic.

Whatever’s Clever features a wide range of collaborators, Kenny G, Jeff Goldblum. How do you decide who to include and what it’s like merging these diverse styles?

Puth: Diverse styles, unlimited styles. For me, it’s just about honoring the musicians and the musicianship that came before me and helped mold me into who I am right now. You’re not gonna make a yacht rock song in 2026 without having the two guys that helped pioneer that sound. Same thing with the Hikaru song, same thing with “Cry” featuring Kenny G. It just colors the song in an even deeper way.

Whatever’s Clever World Tour is your biggest yet. What can fans expect from your live shows, and how do you think you can translate the album’s personal moments to a stadium setting?

Puth: Well, I would say that the songs were written to be played in a live setting. When people come to the show, they’re really going to experience layered musicianship and warmth, and that sound that we achieved on this record—you’re gonna get even more of that in a live setting with live background singers. We’re just putting the music first, that’s the most important thing.

You have 50 dates across North America, Europe, and the UK. How do you keep your performances fresh night after night?

Puth: It’s my band that helps keep the freshness. As we go on, like if you’re on show number 20, you’re really gonna know the set. The first show, you’ll know it really well too because we will have been rehearsing for many months before that. But sometimes we’ll change song positions if there’s consistent admiration for hearing one particular song in a particular order. It’s really about the music. My love of jazz, R&B, and everything in yacht rock, I guess now too, yeah. 

Performing with an orchestra—a throwback to the Super Bowl, performing with Kenny G and an orchestra. How do performances like that influence your approach to touring?

Puth: In the same way that collaborating with different musicians enhances the songwriting, I believe collaborating with other musicians in a live setting deeply enhances the live aspect of it all. Different musical brains—that’s more exciting too.

Talking about your collaborations, you’ve worked with so many artists across so many genres, from BTS’s Jungkook to The Kid LAROI to Justin Bieber. How do collaborations challenge or inspire you creatively?

Puth: I thought you were about to ask, “Why haven’t I performed with any Canadians?”

Yeah, hah! What do you have against Canada?

Puth: Nothing, except I have all aspirations to perform with… you know what’s great about Canada? Canada loves R&B. Canada has a real deep appreciation for R&B.

So how do you collaborate with so many different people, and how does it challenge or inspire you creatively?

Puth: Any different musical brain that comes into my musical world is going to inspire me. I think it goes the other way around too, when we’re writing for other artists’ projects. You’re gonna have the essence of you in that song anyway, but you’re gonna learn a lot about what the artist wants, and then you make something that maybe the two of you wouldn’t have made separately.

So, who is your dream Canadian collaboration?

Puth: I’ve always wanted to write a song with Justin Bieber, and I got to do that. I haven’t written with Drake yet—maybe that would be great. I don’t know if Drake needs me, but maybe I can contribute in some way musically.

You often wear your emotions on your sleeve in your music. How do you balance vulnerability with the pressures of being a pop superstar?

 Puth: I think you do your fans a disservice if you don’t tell the truth. It’s been a long morning. You always tell the truth in your music, and that way people can relate to you. I just put that first—that’s the golden rule for me.

Is there one track on Whatever’s Clever that you think fans might not expect to love but definitely will?

Puth: Yes, there’s a song that’s almost satirical in a way called “I Used to Be Cringe”, and it’s brutally honest. But again, you need to be honest.

How do humor and self-reflection play a role in your songwriting, using titles like “I Used to Be Cringe?”

Puth: I think humor is a device that can be used to bring forth the truth even more. A lot of it is sprinkled throughout—not knee-slapping funny stuff, but like, “Did he just say that?” kind of self-deprecating humor. Totally, in the Napoleon Dynamite-esque kind of scenario.

If you could give any piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?

Puth: Make sure you get plenty of sleep and don’t try to be anyone but yourself.

Head to AdmitONE to see artists like Charlie Puth LIVE!