Berklee Grad Charlie Puth Performed at the Billboard Music Awards

He and Wiz Khalifa played their No. 1 song "See You Again."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tATiABapKyI

Four years ago, Charlie Puth was a couch-singer. Yes, you know the kind: the musically gifted youngster with killer chops, no other platform to show it aside from YouTube and a sofa—an endeavor that also gave fame to Justin Bieber among many. Now though, Charlie Puth is skyrocketing pop star.

Perhaps he has Ellen DeGeneres to thank; Back in 2011, Puth, a Berklee student at the time, collaborated with classmate Emily Luther for a cover of Adele’s “Someone Like You,” and DeGeneres, a known nurturer of internet talent, pulled the pair onto her own talk show couch.

“You go to Berklee College of Music,” DeGeneres said at the time. “Which explains a little bit of why you’re so talented.” Obviously, Ellen.

Since then, Charlie Puth, now 23, signed to Atlantic Records, and his collaboration with Wiz Kahlifa “See You Again” reached No. 1 on the Hot 100. It’s topping the charts in several other countries, and also broke the record for the most streamed plays in a single day on Spotify, reaching over 4.2 million streams on April 13.

Above, watch Puth and Khalifa’s debut at Sunday’s Billboard Music Awards. Below, the music video that made it happen.