Charlie Puth’s War
The 26-Year-Old Singer's Battle with Fame
Singer/songwriter Charlie Puth is flying pretty high with the release of his second studio album Voicenotes. After a string of hit singles like “Attention,” “How Long,” and “Done For Me,” Puth is releasing a new single that goes to the heart of his music with “The Way I Am.” In addition, the 26-year-old singer also released a new music video that gives his fans a peek at his life as a celebrity.
The music video, directed by Colin Tilley, features Mr. Puth wandering around a busy party while everyone is sped up, while he’s isolated and alone in real-time. It showcases his loneliness, even when he’s surrounded by so many people having a good time. It speaks to his own vulnerability as a pop star, while he’s just trying to make honest and good music day-in-and-day-out, especially with lyrics like:
“Yeah, maybe I’ma get a little anxious
Maybe I’ma get a little shy
‘Cause everybody’s trying to be famous
And I’m just trying to find a place to hide (oh)
All I wanna do is just hold somebody
But no one ever wants to get to know somebody
I don’t even know how to explain this
I don’t even think I’m gonna try”
The video also features his melancholy demeanor has a celebrity going from place to place trying to find something real. Even when he thinks he might have found something real, it’s seems fleeting and a passer-by. It’s a song about self-acceptance in the face of fame and fortune.
“I was known for who I was dating more than my music,” Puth told Entertainment Tonight Canada. “People were forgetting that I was actually a singer. And that was not good and multiple people told me that wasn’t good. I worked too hard to have that reputation. So I just did a slight steer to the left and brought it back to the music. I honestly feel better mentally than I ever have in my life.”
“The Way I Am” has yet to crack the Billboard Hot 100, but it’s making strides on pop charts in France entering the National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing (SNEP) at #175.
Voicenotes is out now and available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music. Charlie Puth is now on tour in North America this summer with support from Hailee Steinfeld, and this fall, he’s touring in Asia.
