United Kingdom, March 28 -- Charlie Puth wanted to be "taken seriously" during his younger years.

The 34-year-old singer has reflected on his early career following the release of his fourth studio album, Whatever's Clever!, and Charlie admits that he was a very different person when he first found fame.

He told Variety: "[BOY, his 2018 song] is a song that I wrote when I was 26 and I felt at the time that I wasn't being taken seriously by somebody.

"As a young man, I was hot-headed and I wanted to prove them wrong. I should be taken seriously. I'm pretty cool, is what I would tell myself."

Charlie - who performed the National Anthem at the Super Bowl earlier this year - insists that he has matured significantly since those early days...