“I knew it sounded urgent”: Charlie Puth reveals Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’ was the “catalyst” that set off his music career

Charlie Puth has said that his whole music career really started with one song: Britney Spears’ 2003 hit “Toxic.” He was in sixth grade when he first heard it and it didn’t sound like anything else he’d listened to before. The sharp strings, the fast beat, the way the whole track felt alive and grabbed him all at once and acted as the "catalyst" for his music career.

“I knew it sounded urgent,” he explained to US Magazine in a recent exclusive interview, remembering how that one listen made him want to dig deeper into music.

That spark turned into action. Puth started playing around with melodies on the piano and teaching himself how songs were put together. What began as simple curiosity quickly grew into determination to make music of his own. Looking back now, he sees Toxic as the turning point that pushed him from just being a fan to actually wanting to create. It’s the moment that set him on the path to the career he has today.

‘Toxic’ was the catalyst that set off his music career

Charlie Puth doesn’t mention traditional inspirations like classic rock bands or jazz bands in his early career but highlights Britney Spears and her chart dominating single “Toxic.” Puth even described it as “probably the catalyst” that set his career in motion. 

“I was in sixth grade, and I was just like, ‘'this is such a fascinating song,’” he explained. 

The blend of urgency, theatricality, and pop innovation struck him as completely new and unforgettable. For Puth that moment was about realizing what music could do. 

The dramatic strings, layered vocals and high-energy production gave him an early lesson in the power of arrangement. He credits the track with inspiring him to experiment with sounds that felt equally fresh and impactful which was a philosophy that later shaped songs like “Attention” and “Light Switch.”

From fascination to foundation of Charlie Puth's career

Charlie Puth listened to Toxic over and over again given that he wanted to figure out how a song like that was even made. He started teaching himself how to write songs and play around with production, trying to copy the same kind of energy he first heard in Britney’s hit. That curiosity stuck with him all through school and eventually brought him to Berklee College of Music where he got serious about turning ideas into full songs.

Before he signed to a label, he shared covers and original tracks on YouTube and, slowly built an audience of people who loved the way he could make pop music sound sharp and emotional. His big break came in 2015 with “See You Again,” the tribute to Paul Walker performed with Wiz Khalifa that went worldwide and even earned Grammy nominations. Even as his own songs climbed the charts, Puth kept pointing back to Toxic as the moment that showed him what kind of impact he wanted his music to have.