(trumpet-like humming)
- Hi, I'm Charlie Puth
and I'm gonna play a game of song association with ELLE.
I'll be given a word and I'll have 10 seconds to sing
or rap a song that comes to mind.
I think I will do very well at this
because music constantly runs through my brain.
I vaguely remember seeing Billie Eilish doing this.
She's very musical as well, so I think I'll do well at this.
Please be sure to check out my new single,
"That's Hilarious", a very happy song,
and my album, "Charlie", which is coming out this year.
(mouth sounds)
D major.
(mouth sounds)
(vocal exercise sounds)
Okay, I'm good.
Fight.
Fight...
The Rachel Platten song in G major.
♪ This is my fight song ♪
(Charlie humming) (Charlie beatboxing)
I just know the lyric,
♪ This is my fight song ♪
It sounds like fist up, I don't know.
That was a very random example.
Back.
B-flat minor.
Sorry, I don't know why I keep calling the keys out.
♪ Backstreets back, alright. ♪
(Charlie humming) (Charlie beatboxing)
They go, oh my God, we're back again.
Brie's doing a little dance with me.
Okay. This is gonna be a good one.
Okay. Keep going.
Turn.
The DJ Snake Lil Jon record.
Turn down for what.
(Charlie humming) (Charlie beatboxing)
Turn down for what.
I don't know why I beat box ever.
I just wanna prove that like that's the actual song.
Want.
The Jason Derulo record that came out in 2015 or 2016.
♪ Oh, oh, you're the one. ♪
♪ I want to want me ♪
♪ Girl, you got me... ♪
Yeah.
My mom filmed my whole life growing up.
There's videos of me as early as three years old
singing "Cheeseburger In Paradise" by Jimmy Buffet
in D major.
It's interesting because even from that early
of an age, I was singing it in the correct key.
So I don't know.
I listened to a whole lot of music
so maybe it was just implanted in my brain from early on.
Leave.
The new Bruno record and Anderson Paak.
Silk Sonic.
♪ I'mma leave the door open, ♪
♪ I'mma leave the door open ♪
Bruno sings so high.
I dropped it an octave but I love that record.
Great.
♪ And I will al- wait, no. ♪
- No.
- Alright, we're done for the day.
(crew laughing)
The George Benson record, when Whitney sang it,
she went,
♪ I found the greatest love ♪
♪ Inside of me ♪
♪ The greatest love of all ♪
♪ It's easy to achieve ♪
Greatest love of all.
Again.
♪ It's been a long day ♪
♪ Without you my friend ♪
♪ And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again ♪
My song.
♪ All of my life ♪
♪ Where have you been? ♪
♪ I wonder if I'll ever see you again. ♪
That's good too.
My relationship with music has definitely changed over time.
I care less about
what's gonna go off on a chart
and I care more about how the song mirrors my personality.
The more truthful I am with myself
and my music with the melodies and the chords and the beat.
The more it seems to resonate with everybody
who chooses to listen to my music.
So I feel like a brand new artist.
It's a really good feeling.
Show.
That Robin S. record "Show Me Love"
(Charlie humming) (Charlie beatboxing)
♪ You got to show me love ♪
She sings that, right?
Robin S.
♪ Gotta show me ♪
Sorry.
Rich.
Gwen Stefani.
Kara DioGuardi wrote it and Eve.
2005.
♪ If I was a rich girl ♪
And she went...
(Charlie singing melody)
What was it from?
Where did they sample it from?
♪ If I was a rich man ♪
Fiddler on the Roof.
Year.
♪ You took away a year of my fucking life ♪
I never curse in my music
but I was just like so sad when I wrote that.
And it just kind of just fell out of the mic.
My mouth into the microphone.
That song started off with me just playing
that little rhodes melody
and I love it when the piano part mirrors
what I'll eventually be singing in the chorus melody.
So when you press play on the song
you already hear the chorus melody.
And then when you get to the chorus at like 43 seconds
you hear a familiar melody.
It's just super catchy.
I had a different chorus.
It originally started off like
♪ Na, na, na, na ♪
♪ Na, na, na, na, na, na ♪
♪ You can't be serious ♪
But it just didn't feel very urgent.
So I took a lunch break.
And then the first thing that I sang
when I came back was,
♪ You didn't love when you had me ♪
It felt like if a melody was equivalent to punching a wall
and making an indentation in it,
that was that melody.
♪ You didn't love when you had me ♪
♪ And now you need me so badly. ♪
♪ You can't be serious. ♪
A lot of conversations with myself had to happen
in order for me to write that record.
I'm very happy about the success of those first two albums
but it was laced with
a lot of rushed musical things
and a lot of political movements and stuff.
Also me producing records that I felt like
I had to fill a void or like I need an up tempo.
There's none of that shit on this newest record.
It's my third album.
I've gotten to my groove
and it's all written and produced by myself
and some very close friends.
And it's my most personal work.
Stop.
♪ Stop in the name of love ♪
♪ Before you break my heart ♪
Who sang that?
Supremes? Diana Ross?
You know what I miss in like Motown music
when the snare was on the one, two, three, four.
They went
(Charlie humming and beatboxing)
That has to come back.
I feel like that's gonna come back.
Treat.
Shawn Mendes
♪ I know I can treat you better ♪
I opened up for Shawn in 2017.
And I remember just being backstage hearing that song
and the 17,000 people screaming along that song.
I always wanted to have like a stadium banger like that.
Phone.
Erykah Badu.
Her mix tape where she said,
♪ I can make you put your phone down ♪
I thought that was so clever.
♪ I can make you put your phone down ♪
No one had done lyrics like that at the time.
That was 2015 when that mix tape came out.
Remember.
Sarah Mclachlan.
♪ I will remember you ♪
♪ Will you remember me? ♪
Ugh, so sad.
New.
Oh, Kanye did a thing called "Brand New".
He sampled like a gospel singer going
♪ Brand new ♪
(Charlie beatboxing)
♪ Brand new ♪
I just heard it the other day.
I had never heard it before.
It was so clever.
♪ I don't want it if it's not brand new ♪
♪ All my friends they're brand new ♪
I thought that was so clever.
I think I did well for the little bit of promo, right guys?
Everyone's nodding their head lightly.
That means it's like a B plus like an 88.
Thanks so much for watching me play
song association with ELLE.
Don't forget to listen to my new single, "That's Hilarious"
and look out for my new album, "Charlie" coming this year.
I promise.
And for more videos like this subscribe to ELLE.