Charlie Puth talks new album, homecoming show at Basie, texting Bruce Springsteen

Charlie Puth is coming home.

The Rumson native, whose latest album “Charlie” is a Top 10 Billboard hit, begins his “One Night Only” tour with a Sunday, Oct. 23, show at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank. He'll play the Beacon Theatre in New York City on Tuesday, Oct. 25.

“It's a series of small shows before the real tour, which is going to be next year,” said Puth to the USA Today Network NJ. “I'm starting off in, appropriately, in Red Bank at the Count Basie (Center), where I played before — but it always feels extra special there because that's where I part-time went to school.”

Puth studied music at the Count Basie Center’s jazz program before he became a star. Make that, a very contemporary kind of music star. He took to TikTok to share the composition and recording of “Charlie “ with his 20 million followers over the last two years.

“It’s very reminiscent of growing up in New Jersey and just doing that but on YouTube,” Puth, 30, said. “I used to make them when I’d get home from high school. It’s very much elevated from then, but in that way it’s reminiscent of past online behavior of mine. Unfortunately, you can still find them with some strong fingers on the keyboards. Whatever you put on the internet lives on forever.”

A virtual Puth performance of the Bruce Springsteen classic “Growin' Up” in the Jersey 4 Jersey COVID relief broadcast in April of 2020 was a precursor of Puth's new creative process, he said.

“It kind of was the omen of how the rest of the year was going to play out for me, performance wise, because I get so much inspiration getting off stage and then going into my bus and then making a song,” Puth said. “Obviously I didn’t have that (because of the lockdown), but doing things like performing for my New Jersey fans and being a part of the pandemic relief fund of the governor, being a part of moments like that online inspired me to do more things virtually and turning to TikTok to make my album in front of people.”

“Charlie” is composed of 12 pop gems delivered with heart, aplomb and wit, from the delightfully catchy “Left and Right,” featuring Jung Kook of BTS, to the wonderful piano ballad “When You're Sad I'm Sad,” which exquisitely frames Puth’s command of the keys and his expressive voice.

“The biggest thing on this album for me was combining two opposite feelings from the years 2020 to 2022, what I was going through and I guess what we were all going through,” Puth said. “Happy and sad feelings at the same time, and they would change on a dime. My whole goal for this album was to represent those two feelings — what does happy and sad at the same time sound like?”

Puth makes pop music for thoughtful people. His breakout hit, “See You Again,” a collaboration with hip-hop’s Wiz Khalifa, was featured on the “Furious 7” movie soundtrack. It was the No. 1 single on the Billboard singles chart for 12 weeks and has been viewed on YouTube more than 5.6 billion times.

Hits like “How Long,” “We Don't Talk Anymore,” “Marvin Gaye,” “The Way I Am,” “One Call Away,” “Light Switch” and “Left and Right" followed. Puth's last album was 2018 “Voicenotes,” another Billboard Top 10 hit. Puth had another album recorded, but he decided to scrap it in favor of “Charlie.”

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“It just didn’t feel strong enough and it didn’t feel authentically me, which is why I went as far to name this album after myself,” Puth said.

Scraping a completed album to move on to another is something Springsteen, a former Rumson resident, is noted for. The two, however, did not discuss the move even though they're “texting buddies,” said Puth, who has been based in California for the last few years.

“You'd think we’d talk about stuff like this on iMessage,” Puth said. “He writes back right away, but we only talk about very pedestrian New Jersey things like how the weather is and is it showing springtime chill yet. We don't talk about music.”

Puth did talk about music with Elton John, who suggested to Puth that he streamline the recording process.

“In the back of my mind, I sure was thinking that," Puth said. "But having Elton confirm that and being such a legend in his own right telling me something I already know, it basically confirmed to me that I needed to sit with my own thoughts and produce this album myself."

It's part of Puth's musical sensibility that he learned at the Jersey Shore, albeit not in the area's nightclubs.

“I never performed at the Stone Pony, but I sure would love to,” Puth said. “I grew up in more of a scholastic environment and less of a club environment. There’s always something musical in the air, especially in Red Bank. It’s like a lowkey music scene — there’s a lot of talent there. I hope that’s heard on this album.”

Puth studied jazz piano at the Basie with Eli Yamin.

“He was one of the first piano teachers to show me jazz voicings, and even from an early age I found similarities between jazz music and pop music,” Puth said. “I still love playing jazz, and I knew I didn’t want to be solely a jazz piano player. But I wanted to incorporate my learnings of jazz and Count Basie, obviously, and integrate that into the pop music that I loved.”

It's going to be a special night at the Basie with friends, family and fans.

“Our region is storied for producing some of the most world-renowned artists. But it’s not often that a superstar, who took music lessons in our classrooms, comes back to perform on the Basie Center stage,” said Adam Philipson, Chief Executive Officer and President of the Basie. “We couldn’t be more honored for the hometown concert."

But first, pre-game with Sea Bright Pizza for the Puth crew.

“I'm going to eat all my favorite food and not overeat,” Puth said. “Definitely enjoy it, treat it like any other show but knowing there’s going to be some extra warmth in the audience. We'll have family there, so we'll put on an extra good show.”

Go: Charlie Puth One Night Only, 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, Count Basie Center for the Arts, 99 Monmouth St., Red Bank. Starting at $69.50. Also, 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct 25, Beacon Theatre, 2124 Broadway, New York; msg.com/beacon-theatre

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers music and entertainment for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Charlie Puth plays Red Bank for One Night Only tour kickoff