Elton John told Charlie Puth that his old music was 'not good'

• Charlie Puth discussed his friendship with Elton John in a new interview with Audacy.
• He said the "Rocket Man" singer told him that Puth's songs released in 2019 were "not good."

Charlie Puth recently opened up about his friendship with Elton John, calling the iconic crooner "brutally honest."

Indeed, when the pair teamed up for a duet on John's 2021 album "The Lockdown Sessions," Puth said John had some harsh words for his discography.

"He was like, 'Those songs you put out in 2019 were not good,'" Puth told Audacy. "And I was like, 'I agree with you. They were not good. I was working with too many people and I was losing myself.'"

Puth released his sophomore album "Voicenotes" in 2018, followed by three singles in 2019: "I Warned Myself," "Mother," and "Cheating On You."

While those songs were previously intended for his third album, which was slated for release in 2020, Puth told fans last June that he'd decided to pause and recalibrate.

"My entire career was rushed," he later told Rolling Stone of his past releases.

"I felt drained from 2015 to 2020," he continued. "This is the first year where I haven't felt like a sponge, just being so dry. That's why I'm taking my time."

Puth unveiled the official lead single from his third album, "Light Switch," on Thursday. He told Audacy it's the "most exciting, happy, uppity, lyrical piece" on the tracklist.

"From this point out I'm just going to be myself, as corny as that sounds," he said. "The creative direction is just me."