There's nothing funny about the story behind Charlie Puth's new song.
In a March 24 Instagram video, the "We Don't Talk Anymore" singer, 30, quickly became emotional while announcing his upcoming single, titled "That's Hilarious." As for the reason behind his tearful video, Charlie explained that the song's subject matter draws from a "challenging" and painful breakup.
"It just rears its ugly head every time—sorry—every time that I hear it," the artist explained, taking a moment to wipe away tears. "I'm also really excited for you to hear it as well, because I just heard the master, but it just brought me back to 2019, which was the f--king worst year of my life."
Appearing to get a bit flustered, Charlie attempted to provide some levity by joking, "I don't make stupid videos like this, I make videos like 'What if there was a sound like this?'"
However, the story behind the song seemingly continued to weigh on his heart.
"I never told people what happened to me and the pain that I went through going through the worst breakup of my life in 2019," he said. "I just wanted to throw it under the carpet and just start over and surround myself with better people."
Charlie tearfully concluded the video, "This is the hardest song that I've ever had to put together and I'm so excited for you to hear it. So thank you."
While the singer did not explicitly name the partner that inspired his new single, Charlie dated fellow singer Charlotte Lawrence in 2019. Prior to their romance, he was previously been linked to Selena Gomez and Halston Sage.
"I don't think I've ever been in love," Charlie tweeted in 2020. "I've definitely been in lust but that's not the same thing. I don't know why I can't bring myself there, I know I can one day, it's just always been so hard for me."