Charlie Puth Ran With Taylor Swift's Ringing Endorsement Of His Career By Rebranding With 'Hero'
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Highlights
- Taylor Swift inspired Charlie Puth to release his new song "Hero" after declaring he should be a bigger artist.
- Swift's reference in "Tortured Poets Department" brought Puth attention, coinciding with the release of his new single.
- Puth's "Hero" concept was influenced by Swift's praise, pushing him to be more honest and specific in his music.
Charlie Puth certainly doesn't need to thank Taylor Swift for his music career. After all, he has written some monster hits for other artists. Not to mention the fact that he's had a number of successful singles himself, including "We Don't Talk Anymore", "Left and Right", and "See You Again". But a little shout-out from Taylor Swift didn't hurt...
Among the sheer amount of songs Taylor Swift has written are countless references to her famous ex-boyfriends. But Swift has dropped the names of other celebrities. With the release of her insanely successful 2024 album, "Tortured Poets Department", came one more A-list mention... Charlie Puth. Being included in Swift's "Tortured Poets Department" lyrics coincided with the release of the first single of his latest album.
In this article, we will reveal how Taylor Swift inspired Charlie Puth to release a new song. After, we will reveal if Puth agrees with Swift's claim that he should be more successful. Then we will tackle the true concept and meaning of "Hero". Finally, we will delve into Taylor Swift and Charlie Puth's relationship...
Charlie Puth Released "Hero" After Taylor Swift's "Tortured Poets Department" Reference
Taylor Swift's "Tortured Poets Department" is partially about underappreciated artists
In the titular track of her 11th studio album, Taylor Swift declared that "Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist." While Puth has written for some of the biggest names in music, including Katy Perry, Maroon 5, and Justin Bieber, Swift and may of his fans agree he has not received the success he deserves. Even with his beloved albums and singles, Charlie Puth is still dreadfully underrated. Especially when compared to Swift herself.
Taylor Swift's 11th studio album, "Tortured Poets Department" debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 on April 19th, 2024. According to Forbes, the album broke a number of records. This includes selling 2.6 million copies in just one week and becoming the most streamed album of all time.
Unsurprisingly, Taylor Swift's reference to Charlie Puth in the song, "Tortured Poets Department", brought the singer/songwriter a ton of attention. Puth admitted this in a TikTok video on May 3rd, 2024. In it, he said, "These last couple weeks have been really crazy for obvious reasons." Puth then revealed that he was releasing the first single of his latest album. Soon after, he dropped, "Hero".
The concept of Charlie Puth's "Hero" may not have directly come from Taylor Swift's "Tortured Poets Department", but his announcement did include a reference to her. In the TikTok video, Puth announced by saying the following:
"So… I Declare 'Hero' will be out everywhere on May 24th as the first single of my new album. Thank you for your support…you know who you are."
- Charlie Puth's breakout single was "See You Again", which was released in 2015
- Charlie Puth's first album was called "Nine Track Mind"
- Charlie Puth did a duet with Selena Gomez for the song "We Don't Talk Anymore"
- Charlie Puth writes and co-writes for other artists
During an interview with Vulture, Charlie Puth pulled the curtain back on the concept of "Hero". He stated that the attention Swift brought him encouraged him to release the song about a friend named, "Hero".
"Sometimes I get a little nervous being overly honest in my music which is why this was sitting on my hard drive for a while. But I think someone out there was giving me a sign that I needed to release it."
In his 2024 interview with Vulture, Charlie Puth went on to praise Taylor Swift for giving him a shout-out and inspiring him to release "Hero".
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"One of the reasons why I got really excited when Taylor literally wrote my name in her song, I had made “Hero” three weeks before that had happened. And I was kind of unsure about it. Do people want to hear this from me? Or do they want to just have the straightaway pop banger that everybody can listen to? Which is fine. But I wanted to get a little more specific lyrically, and she’s definitely one of the best at that, if not the best. I was inspired by that. When she shouted me out, I was like, “I should probably put the song out that kind of takes that formula a bit.”
Does Charlie Puth Agree With Taylor Swift's Lyrics In Tortured Poets Department?
Charlie Puth addressed Taylor Swift's "Tortured Poets Department" claim about his career during an interview with Vulture. When asked about whether he agrees that he should be a "bigger artist", the "See You Again" singer said the following:
"If me being a bigger artist means I get to have even further reach than I already do to tell people to pick up an instrument and make a song and not be discouraged if someone in their life is telling them that they can’t make any art. If it means I can reach ten more people, then I would like to be a bigger artist. I don’t want to be a bigger artist to inflate my own ego. I’m fine where it’s at."
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What Is The Meaning And Concept Behind Charlie Puth's Hero?
During an interview with Vulture, Charlie Puth revealed how he came to his hit single, "Hero". Puth shed light on both the concept of the song and what the true meaning is.
"Lyrically, it’s kind of the opposite of being a hero," Charlie Puth said to Vulture.
"It’s about approaching someone who may be in denial — you’re close with them and they kind of drifted away and got into bad habits.
He went on to say, "Then when you reach out to them, they’re like, “'I don’t need your help. I don’t need someone to preach to me right now.' A.k.a., I don’t need a hero. I wanted it to feel like, 'I have to have an uncomfortable conversation with you.' But I’m not going to say, “I want to be there for you.' It’s going to be, 'I want to stop by and play it cool.'"
Charlie Puth knows that "Hero" has a chorus that's "hooky". But the song does a few things differently than his other hits. For one, the song begins with a guitar instead of a piano or a jazzy harmony.
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"I’d like for people not to almost like it immediately," Puth admitted. Of course, I want them to like it, but I’d like them to be unsure of how they feel about it. It’s not anything I’ve ever done before, and I’m not working with different producers. I’m the producer. I take pride in that, so I have to listen to how people are approaching music."
Charlie Puth And Taylor Swift's Relationship
Taylor Swift has given Charlie Puth a number of compliments publicly over the years. However, little to nothing is known about their friendship. We do know that they are big fans of each other. Puth even considers himself to be a Swiftie. He has said so multiple times.
On one occasion, Puth went on Instagram Live to talk about Swift's "Teardrops on My Guitar" and how much he adored it. He then proceeded to break down the structural musical components of the song due to being impressed by it. Swift thanked him for the shout-out.
When Swift joined TikTok, Puth was fast to welcome her. the "August" singer responded kindly, referring to him as the "piano prince". Not long after, Puth sang a tribute to Swift during his 2023 tour in the form of a mashup between her "I Knew You Were Trouble" and his "When You're Sad I'm Sad".
Despite seemingly not spending any time together, there's no doubt there's a lot of love and respect shared between Taylor Swift and Charlie Puth
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