Back To School

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Sitting down on a plush white couch with a paper coffee cup of bone broth in hand, Charlie Puth buzzes with energy as he prepares for a day of helping to shape the young minds of aspiring musicians. Through his ongoing partnership with BIC and the Save The Music Foundation, the 32-year-old played teacher while hosting a Creativity Camp for teachers and students on August 7.

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Before helping guide attendees through stations like journal writing, beat making, album cover drawing and a live performance, the Grammy-nominated artist had a chance to share with ShopBillboard his must have music writing tools, favorite back-to-school supplies and thoughts on Taylor Swift name dropping him on her track “The Tortured Poets Department.”

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“I still am the person that writes out the lyrics by hand,” Puth says. “I feel like it’s more solidified when you write it in your own handwriting versus typing it out on the phone.”

His choice of writing utensil? BIC’s 4-Color Retractable Pen, which the “Attention” singer finds makes it easier to cross out his mistakes and write out his most standout lyrics on paper quickly.

Charlie Puth x BIC

Courtesy of BIC

Similar to Taylor Swift, Puth likes to incorporate different pen colors into his songwriting process, but rather than base the shade off the type of song he’s writing, color determines the quality of the lyric he’s come up with.

“Red is the color that I use the most,” he says. “Lately, I’ve been starting with the lyric before the melody and if the lyric comes out of my head really quickly, it’s urgent, I have to write it in red.”

If he thinks a lyric is just okay though, he’ll jot it down in blue ink.

Amazon

BIC 4-Color Original Retractable Ball Pens

$6.15

$7.99

23% off

$9.63

BIC’s color-changing pen features four colors: red, black, blue and green, which you can switch from shade-to-shade with just a simple click. The wide barrel design aims to sit comfortably in your hand, allowing you to have long writing sessions without worry of discomfort.

A solid pen isn’t the only thing that helps Puth have a successful music writing session, the “See You Again” singer also enjoys clearing his mind while bike riding — specifically on an electric bike.

“I can’t ever sit in the studio and just force a song out of me,” he says. “I have to go outside and I just bike around my neighborhood and then hear the song in my head and come back to a notepad full of red scribbles.”

Walmart

Gocio Adult Electric Bicycle

$499.99

$1,599.99

69% off

Walmart is offering a major deal on its bestselling ebike dropping the cost by 69% for an under $1,000 pick. The design is compact, built with a foldable design that can easily be stored away once you’re done using it. The electric bike comes with thickened tires that can transition from smooth to bumpy roads while the lithium-ion battery is removable.

With eager students waiting to meet the singer, the conversation easily drifted to back-to-school season and what he used to look forward to stocking up on.

Target

Elmer’s Washable School Glue

$1.79

$5.75

$7.95

28% off

$1.72

“I was one of the nerdy kids that liked glue,” Puth describes. “I love arts and crafts class. One of the main reasons why I’m really excited to be here with BIC is that any time that I started my scholastic day with art, music, anything that utilizes the right side of your brain, it just made everything else better throughout the day.”Elmer’s glue is one bottle of glue is washable and comes with a white texture that dries clear. It’s made with non-toxic material that can be used on paper, cloth and some wood and ceramic materials.

Target

BIC Refillable Mechanical Pencils

In addition to BIC’s 4-color pen, the singer really enjoys a classic mechanical pencil as “it’s just fun to press.”BIC’s 5-pack comes with a rubber grip for a more comfortable hold and has a built-in eraser that can be taken out when it’s time to refill the lead. You’ll also receive a tube filled with extra lead that’ll glide smoothly with each use.

Amazon

Five Star Spiral Notebook

$2.99

$4.93

$9.99

51% off

Puth also enjoyed doodling in class, which means you’ll need a durable notebook to fill with all of your notes and thoughts. Five Star’s notebook is a No. 1 bestseller on Amazon for subject notebooks with more than 30,000 purchased in the past month (so far).

As Puth looks to motivate aspiring artists, he himself received a push this year from Swift after she name-dropped him on her chart-topping album. Looking towards the future, he’s using it as affirmation while making new music.

“My goal as an artist now is to inspire other people to be artists” he says. “So if that means I should be an even bigger artist than I am now, maybe that means I’ll reach more people to inspire them to be bigger artists. So I’m perfectly fine with that notion.”

He’s also taking notes on how the “Fortnight” singer makes music and looking for ways to infuse it into his own writing process.

“I’ve always loved how her songs were journal entries” Puth notes. “I don’t think I’ve ever approached my music like that before. I was already starting that, but when she sung my name, I guess it reaffirmed that I was doing a good job. Doing what I’m already doing. So that’s what [the new music] is going to be like.”

For more product recommendations, check out ShopBillboard‘s roundups of the best gifts for musicians, vinyl record player accessories and gifts for singers.