From humble beginnings on YouTube to collaborating with the world’s biggest artists, Charlie Puth has found his way into the spotlight and is here to stay.
Since his rise to fame, the Grammy award-nominated singer, songwriter, and producer has used his platform (and smooth musical talents) to raise awareness for global health, stand up against gun violence, and support Global Citizen’s campaigns to end extreme poverty and its systemic causes.
Puth started his career with acoustic covers and writing jingles for fellow YouTube creators, and has since gone on to top Billboard charts and collect wins from the Teen Choice Awards and Billboard Music Awards, among others. Over the years he has also released collaborations with fellow Global Citizen artists such as Elton John (who he also joined on the Global Citizen Live stage in Paris in 2021), Selena Gomez, and more recently Jungkook from BTS.
Now, the “We Don’t Talk Anymore” artist will take the stage again on Sept. 24 alongside Metallica, Jonas Brothers, MÅNESKIN, Mariah Carey, Mickey Guyton, Rosalía, Angélique Kidjo, and Billy Porter at Global Citizen Festival: NYC to help drive forward the mission to End Extreme Poverty NOW.
This year’s Global Citizen Festival: NYC marks the 10-year anniversary of our festivals in New York City’s Central Park, which means 10 years of action, mobilizing funds, and change all driven by the support of artists, activists, partners, leaders, and Global Citizens like you.
We can’t wait to “See You Again” in Central Park this year, and welcome Puth back to the stage to keep us grooving in another monumental night for music and activism.
Learn more about Global Citizen Festival: NYC and how to earn your free tickets here.
Here are five times Charlie Puth used his voice to push for change and stand up for what he believes in.
1. He joined Global Citizen’s ‘Together, At Home’ virtual concert series during COVID-19 lockdowns.
“Together, we’re using music to bring people together all around the world, when feelings of isolation and anxiety are running high,” said Puth.
Puth performed as part of Global Citizen and the World Health Organization’s “Together, At Home” virtual concert series in March 2020, and reminded the audience of the importance of social distancing and taking action to slow the spread of COVID-19. Puth also had a message for fans at home isolating at the tense and uncertain time.
“Stay inside — we’re all going to get through this,” he said. “If you think about it, it’s the first time we’re, the world, is in unity."
2. Puth showed his support for the March for Our Lives movement and dedicated a song to victims of gun violence.
In the wake of a mass shooting at a school in Parkland, Florida in 2018, students took to the streets across the US for the March for Our Lives demonstration in support of stronger gun control legislation. Artists and activists including Puth showed their public support for the cause, with Puth joining the survivors and performing at the event in Los Angeles.
After the demonstration, Puth announced on Twitter a new song titled “Change” featuring James Taylor and dedicated the call for action to “all of the Parkland students, any lives lost to senseless gun violence, and the world.”
3. In 2017 he leant his talents to the first-ever Global Citizen Accelerator Series concert to drive action for change.
The Global Citizen Accelerator Series concert, presented by Cadillac, awarded a $10,000 grant to three entrepreneurs solving the world’s most challenging issues through innovation and creativity. Puth and Andra Day joined the event, which Global Citizens from around the world could enter for a chance to win tickets to by taking action to fight inequality.
“My message to all the Global Citizens is don’t ever think that your small act of kindness is too small because about 100 other people are thinking that their small act of kindness is too small,” Puth told Global Citizen in a backstage interview before the show. “You’re all doing it together and it becomes a big act of kindness.”
4. He championed the climate cause and performed at the 2021 TED Countdown Global Livestream.
In October 2021, Puth joined celebrities, activists, and climate experts at the TED Countdown, an event combining discussions, TED talks, and celebrity performances and appearances to drive solutions and call on leaders to take action to mitigate the climate crisis.
“I’m here today because I myself am very passionate about Countdown’s mission to create a world that’s safer, cleaner, and more just for everyone,” Puth said before closing out the event with a performance of his song “Attention”.
5. He used his platform to advocate for abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision.
Puth took to Instagram following the Supreme Court’s overturning of the groundbreaking Roe v. Wade ruling, which protected abortion rights under the Constitution in the US for nearly 50 years.
“It oftentimes feels like the world is falling apart, and we as young people are confronted with crisis after crisis after crisis. And on Friday morning, another crisis arose after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade,” Puth wrote in an Instagram caption.
He went on to express that in this situation he felt “silence was no longer an option” and closed out his sentiments by urging his 16 million followers to take action and consider donating to the National Network of Abortion Funds.
“Regardless of anyone's own personal or religious beliefs, I firmly believe that it is not the government's role to tell any person what they can or cannot do with their own body — it should continue to be their choice,” he said. “I know that my words might be welcomed by some and hated by others, but I make music from my heart, so I must speak what's on my heart.”
Global Citizen Festival is calling on world leaders, corporations, and philanthropists to do more than they’ve ever done before to End Extreme Poverty NOW. Through our global campaign and with stages in two iconic locations — NYC’s Central Park and Accra’s Black Star Square — we will unite leaders, artists, activists, and Global Citizens around the world on Sept. 24 to achieve an ambitious policy agenda focused on empowering girls and women, taking climate action, breaking systemic barriers, and lifting up activists and advocates. Wherever you are in the world, you can join the campaign and take action right now bydownloading the Global Citizen app.
