Charlie Puth on why musicians shouldn’t write for the feed: “I don’t think anybody should be adjusting their music to the likes of social media”Musicians in the 21st century often feel pressured to chase streams, go viral, and tailor every song to the latest social media trends. But Charlie Puth says he’ll release a track whether fans love it or not.
With nearly 20 million followers on TikTok and Instagram, Puth often shares playful, behind-the-scenes snippets of his music-making – from recording unusual sounds to breaking down chord progressions – giving fans a window into his creative process.
In a recent chat with Rick Beato, the singer, songwriter, and producer explains why, for him, staying true to the music matters more than chasing the feed.

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While he occasionally tests songs with fans online, Puth says their reactions – even negative ones – rarely determine whether a track sees the light of day.
“If a hundred people vote in, like, ‘I don’t like that drum snare,’ I played with that a little bit and be like, ‘should I release this?’ I knew damn well I was going to release it. I just wanted to gauge interest… or compare a song, like should this song come out first or should this song come out first?”
Despite how music promotion has evolved, Puth believes the essence of a good song hasn’t.
“The thing that is always going to stay true,” he says, “is that a good song is a good song. I don’t think anybody should be adjusting their music to the likes of social media.”
He also reflects on how record labels used to control every step of the process: “There was a point in time where I was given a list… You’re going to this radio station. You’re going to shake [this person’s hand], say hello to this person because they’re going to give you all the spins.”
Today, while radio remains relevant, its role in a release cycle has shifted.
“It exists, but it comes a little bit later in the cycle now,” says Puth. “Radio’s still a really important thing for every artist. [But] it can come in the beginning, it can come in the middle, it can come in the end, whereas [in the past] it needed to come in the beginning.”
Looking back on his early days sharing music on MySpace, SoundClick, Ustream, and blogs, Puth says the core of his approach hasn’t changed – he’s always documented the process of making music and shared it with fans: “It’s all the same stuff. But the thing that’s remained the same is, if the song is going to resonate with people, it’s going to resonate with people.”
Elsewhere in the chat, the musician also opens up about vocal production and the dangers of overprocessing.
“When you tune the hell out of your vocals, I think it also takes the emotion. I’ve definitely overtuned my vocals in the past on past works,” Puth admits. “If it’s too tuned, in all honesty, if I’m doing the vocal production, I just delete it and re-sing it.”
Watch the full interview below.

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