Charlie Puth

When Atom Factory’s Troy Carter and Sam Berger started working with Charlie Puth the pop singer/songwriter/producer hadn’t played a single show. A year and a half later, he’s headlining a nearly sold-out U.S. tour.

“Damn some shows sold out in 30 seconds,” Puth tweeted Jan. 22.  

Berger told Pollstar that Puth has “put in just an insane amount of work” to get to this point. “We’re really proud of his growth and his confidence as a performer in such a short period of time.”

Photo: AP Photo / Ted Shaffrey

After posting songs on his YouTube channel and independently releasing an EP, Puth won a contest sponsored by Perez Hilton in 2011 to cover Adele’s “Someone Like You.” Ellen DeGeneres liked his version so much that she signed the Berklee College of Music student to her label.

2015 was another big year, starting with signing with Atlantic. Along with releasing the RIAA-certified songs “Marvin Gaye” and “One Call Away,” Puth co-wrote, co-produced and was featured on the Wiz Khalifa song “See You Again.” The No. 1 tune, which was commissioned for “Furious 7,” was nominated for three Grammy Awards. Puth also co-wrote/produced the single “Nothing But Trouble” with Lil Wayne and co-wrote/produced tracks on Jason Derulo’s latest LP.

“What really made us want to work with him is he’s just such a versatile talent – not just a performer but as a songwriter and a producer in the studio,” Berger said. “His level of musicality is pretty off the charts.”

Photo: Jen Lowery / ©Jen Lowery Photography

In addition to helping break him on the radio, Berger notes the collaborations have given Puth “the opportunity to learn from other great artists who may be a step or two ahead of where he’s at now.”

And he’s in an excellent place now. Following the release of his debut studio album in January, Puth launched his U.S. headline tour in March. In May he heads to Europe and in July his plans include a few baseball stadium gigs with Billy Joel, whom Puth calls one of his idols.