For The First Time, Charlie Puth Didn't Try To Write Hits—He Wants Filipino Fans To Get To Know Him

Ten years is a long time to keep Filipino fans waiting—but if there's one thing Charlie Puth knows how to do, it's make the anticipation worth it.

This October, the singer-songwriter is finally making his way back to Manila for the Philippine stop of his Whatever's Clever! World Tour, marking his first performance in the country since 2016. And while a lot has happened since then—including a fourth studio album, a new chapter of creative growth, and countless viral moments proving that literally any sound can become a song in Charlie's hands—his excitement for performing in front of a Filipino crowd hasn't changed one bit.

Ahead of his highly anticipated return, Cosmopolitan Philippines caught up with Charlie for a quick chat about what fans can expect from his Manila stop—and what this new era looks like for him. From tour prep to creative risks, here's everything we learned from Professor Puth:

Charlie: I think the energy that you can expect is there's gonna be a lot of music. And when I say that, a lot of music, it's kind of like, take it to the next level in a way—where people who first saw me in 2015 won't be disheartened. They won't be like, "What happened?" They're going to be like, "This brings me back, and it also feels incredibly elevated as well."

And that's merely because of the people who share the stage with me, the musicians that help me. We got three wonderful singers and a great band, a great crew. It also just sounds so crispy and wonderful. And I care a lot about the sound, and how these records sound when I'm producing them in the studio, and I also care so much how they sound in a live scenario as well.

Charlie: I definitely switch up the setlist in each region I go because there's obviously such a different energy when you perform in other places I love like Singapore versus Manila. You're gonna get a way different kind of like musical energy and space, but you're still gonna get people who ultimately are showing up for you. Me, as an artist, I have a job to do a good job and to entertain everybody, so I think we're gonna do just that.

Charlie: I've been really proud of what we've been able to put together very last minute. The other night in Madison Square Garden, we had a wonderful sold-out show, and when I say last minute, I think Jimmy Fallon and I were texting, and he was like, "I've never performed like this before," and [I was like,] "It's okay, I got you." We performed a cover of Toto's "Africa," and it was really precise, and the snare was hitting, and Jimmy's voice sounded crisp and wonderful.

We had several legends on stage that night. It was a lot to put all that together in less than four days, but I think that's kinda what adds to the excitement of it all. So there might be some surprises. But if there are, I'm gonna put them together very last minute. [laughs]

Charlie: I think I simply just got more specific on this album. And it doesn't mean you're not gonna get the "One Call Away" and the "We Don't Talk Anymore"—the songs that cast a wide net for [me]. It's just that for this album, I wanted to let my Filipino fans know more about me personally. And you do that with music like this. But there are bops, and they're gonna be mixed in with songs that everybody knows very well, and the brand new music.

What I've also been loving as I've been [touring] is I've been seeing everybody dressing up as Professor Puth, you know, showing up with the ties. Everybody looks sharply dressed, which is really fun for me to see.

Charlie: That's a good question. Yeah, [this is] the first time that I wasn't trying to make a hit song, because I feel like I had so many hits but I never let anybody in my personal life, so you're let into my personal life with this project.

Charlie: I can't think of any boring or mundane sounds, I think I really wanted to put forth what I was singing about in this album. I think for a while, I was starting to become "the sound guy," but I think there was an emotional component missing there. It's fun to inspire—I wanna inspire people to make music and it's a fun way to get people to wanna get up and make a song, but I think I really put focus on the specific lyrics on this album. And I think people will really get that. Personally, I think this music on the new album sounds better live.

Charlie: I think my answer remains the same from 2015. I just rewatch episodes of Friends. That was definitely my answer back in 2015 and it's still the answer today. [laughs]

Charlie: Musical, energetic, and educational.

Cosmo: Thank you, professor.

Charlie: You got it. [laughs]

Special thanks to Live Nation Philippines.