Charlie Puth Reflects on Blue Note Residency and Upcoming Album 'Whatever's Clever'
Charlie Puth revisits his Blue Note residency in Los Angeles, discussing memorable moments with Jeff Goldblum and insights into his forthcoming album, Whatever’s Clever.
Charlie Puth recently returned to the Blue Note Jazz Club Los Angeles, a venue he briefly called home last fall. In a conversation with Billboard, he reflected on his residency there, which followed a similar stint at the New York Blue Note, and offered a glimpse into his upcoming fourth studio album, Whatever’s Clever, slated for release on March 27.
Instead of the typical meal, Puth, known for his musical expertise, sat at the piano with interviewer Tomás Mier. He demonstrated how the songs came together and shared his intentions behind his most personal collection to date.
He reminisced about jamming on a Boyz II Men classic with Babyface during his New York residency, as well as performing with album guest vocalist Coco Jones (“Sideways”) in Los Angeles. One highlight was a surprise collaboration with Jeff Goldblum, who challenged Puth with an unexpected request. "He gets on stage and he looks at the crowd and says, ‘Is anyone in here young enough to remember ‘All This Love’ by El DeBarge? And he was like, ‘You know how to play it, right Charlie?'"
The performance stretched to two hours as Puth and Goldblum played 30 minutes of covers based on the actor’s suggestions, including a crowd sing-along to Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.” Goldblum also appears on track 11 of the album, “Until It Happens To You,” offering some words of wisdom.
Puth described the BloodPop-produced LP as “inherently jazzy,” addressing a common critique that his music is more recognizable than he is. BloodPop shared this sentiment and wanted to help Puth change that perception. "Slightly rearranging the perspective, put life first and let the music follow," Puth explained. (Watch the full interview below.)
So, Puth began by writing a song about his father, a topic he hadn't explored before. BloodPop suggested it, believing Puth’s dad might need it someday. The song, titled “Cry,” moved Puth’s father to tears. Following that success, Puth also wrote a song for his brother, called “Hey Brother.”
"What’s funny is I don’t consider any of these 12 songs to be clever, I consider them to be real," Puth said, emphasizing the “incredibly honest” nature of the tracks. He believes they will offer fans a deeper understanding of him as a person, as he demonstrated the tracks and discussed their inspirations on the Blue Note’s grand piano.
Concluding the album with the mea culpa “I Used to Be Cringe,” Puth revisited his past cringe-worthy moments, from his fake lip ring to writing a humorous song called “Marvin Gaye,” and his high school-era CharliesVlogs, where he shared original songs and did Auto-Tune prank calls. Check out "I Don’t Wanna Hurt You Baby".
Despite the album's intimate, jazzy feel, ideal for venues like the Blue Note, Puth assured fans that his team is creating a dynamic stage setup to bring the songs to life on his Whatever’s Clever arena tour, which starts on April 22 at Viejas Arena in San Diego.
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