Charlie Puth Admits His Lip Ring 'Wasn't Real' and He Would 'Talk Differently' 10 Years Ago: 'I Used to Be Very Cringe'
- - Charlie Puth Admits His Lip Ring 'Wasn't Real' and He Would 'Talk Differently' 10 Years Ago: 'I Used to Be Very Cringe'
Ilana KaplanJanuary 21, 2026 at 3:22 AM
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Jim Spellman/WireImage; Phillip Faraone/Getty for The Recording Academy
Charlie Puth in December 2016 in New York City; Charlie Puth in May 2025 in Beverly Hills, Calif. -
Charlie Puth admitted there was "so much inauthenticity" about him at one point in his career
"I would go to a radio show and tell myself, 'You’re gonna put on a cool-guy accent because you have a big song out right now,'" the singer-songwriter told Rolling Stone in a Tuesday, Jan. 20 interview
Puth will release his new album Whatever's Clever! on March 6
Charlie Puth admits some of his past was "cringe."
In an interview with Rolling Stone published on Tuesday, Jan. 20, the singer-songwriter reflected on the past versions of himself and how at times there was "so much inauthenticity."
While discussing one of his new songs from his upcoming album Whatever's Clever! called “I Used to Be Cringe," Puth, 34, reflected on how he presented himself to the public early on in his career, noting that the lip ring he once wore "wasn't real either."
"I would talk differently in 2016" he told the publication. "I would go to a radio show and tell myself, 'You’re gonna put on a cool-guy accent because you have a big song out right now.' It was just so much inauthenticity.… I thought I had to be a certain way to be popular."
Puth noted that it was due in part to "growing up and not knowing himself and being very influenced by those around him."
"Comments that the higher-ups at the record label or former management would make were sometimes right. So if they’re right about that, they must be right about making up a bulls--- story, because it’ll make the song more exciting."
According to Puth, "none of that was who I am."
Matthew Eisman/Getty
Charlie Puth in June 2016 in N.Y.C.
"I can’t even look at myself half the time from the years 2015 to 2022," he said. "I just didn’t know what I was doing. I used to be very cringe."
Puth also noted that one of his most "cringe" moments was when he dyed his hair blond "just to get reactions," which is a lyric in the aforementioned song.
"[I was] saying things in interviews that weren’t true, because I was told by higher-ups that I’m a white guy with brown hair. Literally, they said I need some excitement around my project," he recalled.
Puth said he didn't know "what it meant to be an artist."
Last month, it was announced that Puth will be performing before the start of Super Bowl LX, alongside Brandi Carlile and Coco Jones. He is set to take on the national anthem.
Puth will release his new album Whatever's Clever! on March 6
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
