Charlie Puth took a couple of weeks before publicly acknowledging Taylor Swift’s mention of him on her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department.”
However, he finally addressed it on Friday, alluding to the shout-out, if not directly referencing it, and revealing that it inspired the release of new music from him.
Puth announced that he will be releasing a single titled “Hero” on May 24, ahead of a forthcoming album.
Although he didn’t explicitly mention who the song is about, he indicated that Swift’s acknowledgment of him in her song prompted him to release it, despite previous hesitations.
In a video where he shared a snippet of the single, Puth wrote,
“These last couple weeks have been really crazy for obvious reasons, but I wanted to share something with you.
This is a song I wrote about my friend called ‘Hero.’ Sometimes I get a little nervous being overly honest in my music which is why this was sitting on my hard drive for awhile.
But I think someone out there was giving me a sign that I needed to release it. 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.”
Swift’s mention of Puth on her album has garnered significant attention. In the title track, she references various writers, including Puth, singing, “You smoked then ate seven bars of chocolate / We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist.”
Puth has long been an admirer of Swift’s work. He previously covered Swift’s breakout hit “Teardrops on My Guitar” during a 2022 performance in New York City and praised her as the “queen” of classic chord progressions.
While debunking rumors of a collaboration with Swift, he expressed openness to the idea.
Swift’s appreciation for Puth is shared among other notable singers. The song’s mention prompted Matty Healy of 1975, known for his affinity for typewriters and chocolate, to express his admiration for Puth on Twitter years ago, to which Puth responded with gratitude.
Puth’s last album, “Charlie,” was released in 2022 and reached No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart. It featured singles such as “Light Switch,” “That’s Hilarious,” and “Left and Right,” a collaboration with Jungkook of BTS.
