Charlie Puth New Album Inspired by Taylor Swift Lyric

Charlie Puth Says Taylor Swift's Viral Lyric Inspired New Album 'Whatever's Clever!'

The singer told Willie Geist that Swift's 'Tortured Poets' shout-out moved him to tears and motivated him to be more vulnerable in his upcoming music.

Marcus J. Delany

Mar 10, 2026, 3:23 AM PT · 2 min read

Taylor Swift Mean Logo — Photo: Likie212 / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

THE RUNDOWN

Taylor Swift name-dropped Charlie Puth in her song "The Tortured Poets Department."
Puth initially suspected the lyric was an AI-generated hoax.
The singer admitted to crying after realizing the shout-out was genuine.
Swift’s endorsement inspired Puth’s upcoming fourth album, Whatever's Clever!.
Puth shared the details during an interview with TODAY host Willie Geist.

Pop star Charlie Puth is turning a high-profile shout-out into musical inspiration. During a March 8, 2026 appearance on TODAY’s Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist, Puth revealed how Taylor Swift’s name-drop in the song "The Tortured Poets Department" directly influenced his upcoming album, Whatever's Clever!. Puth admitted that hearing the lyric "We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist" was a surreal experience that initially left him in disbelief.

The 34-year-old singer-songwriter confessed to Geist that his first instinct was to question the authenticity of the track. "My first thought was, ‘Is this AI?’" Puth shared, noting the prevalence of deepfakes in the industry. Once he confirmed that the 14-time Grammy winner had indeed included him on her record-breaking April release, Puth said the realization moved him to tears. He described the moment as a massive "surge of confidence" from one of the most successful artists in music history.

Taylor Swift — Photo: Swift,_Taylor_(2007).jpg: minds-eye derivative work: Sehome Bay (talk) / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

That emotional boost has now translated into his new creative era. Puth explained that Swift’s public endorsement motivated him to be more vulnerable and "open up more" in his own songwriting for Whatever's Clever!. While Atlantic Records officially announced a March 27, 2026, release date for the project in October 2025, the "See You Again" singer told Geist that the album represents a more transparent side of his artistry, sparked by Swift's call for him to be "bigger."