Charlie Puth released his lead single, “Changes,” on the 16th of October, bringing a wave of personal and professional transformation with him.
The single is accompanied by a stunning music video and the announcement of his highly anticipated fourth studio album, Whatever’s Clever!
But the revelations don’t stop there: the new single confirms that Puth is now entering a new chapter of his life, signaling that he’s going to be a dad.
The track itself, co-produced by Puth and BloodPop®, is a magnificent throwback to Eighties pop, channeling the sound of that era to perfection.
The song immediately transports you to the late 1980s with its upbeat, catchy, memorable melodies driven by synthesizers, electronic drums, and big snare sounds.
The lyrics mirror a sense of major transition, reflecting on how life shifts as time progresses.
Puth sings about the difficult process of growing apart or facing new realities: “There’s been some changes in our life, oh / I can feel the distance, space and time / Has made everything different, day and night, oh / Everything has changed and I don’t know why.”
He contrasts current anxieties with youthful simplicity, noting: “When we were younger, we would share our fears. Now we’re afraid of being lost”.
The visual component of “Changes,” directed by Charlotte Rutherford, is fun, bright and uplifting. It is overtly 80s-inspired and takes you back to videos of that era.
The style is very interesting and feels wonderfully youthful, featuring a goofy adventure through a pre-digital world filled with charming claymation figurines and old-school stop motion effects.
The use of tactile, physical materials is what truly sets this video apart. The presence of clay figures and imagery reminiscent of arts and crafts when you’re in school gives the entire production the feeling of a project made with love and care.
The lack of special effects and just plain old school techniques in the visuals is great, using things that we know to represent different aspects of our lives, such as a clock, a walkman, and even his outfit is pretty retro.
However, the primary focus is not the aesthetics, but rather the intimate “Changes” Puth is experiencing.
He had previously hinted on Instagram that the single would help “bring all of you into the most beautiful, colorful part of my life, which happens to be right now.”
The video confirms exactly why.
Around the 2:30 mark in the clip, Puth’s wife, Brooke Sansone (whom he married in September 2024), makes a cameo.
In a touching moment, the couple place their hands on her belly to signal that they’re about to become a family of three.
This personal evolution is clearly reflected in the joyous energy present in the video and the music itself, suggesting that Puth has a different mindset towards life.
Whatever’s Clever! is set to arrive on March 6 via Atlantic Records, following up on his 2022 self-titled album, Charlie.
After recently playing sold-out shows at New York’s Blue Note jazz club, where he hosted special guests including Babyface,
Puth is definitely back and it’s interesting to see what he has in store in this new phase of his career.