Charlie Puth and Kehlani are a match made in musical harmony.
Following their 2015 cover of Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” the Atlantic Records labelmates reunite on “Done for Me,” the latest single off Puth’s sophomore album Voicenotes.
Drawing inspiration from ’80s band Wham!, the singers serenade one another on the tender duet. “I lied for you, baby / I talked for you, baby / I cried for you, baby / But tell me what you’ve done for me,” sings Puth.
During an interview with Beats 1, the pop heartthrob reflected on meeting the Oakland songstress. “You know when you meet somebody and you just know that you’re going to be friends with them for a really, really long time? That was her when I met her,” said Puth. “She’s just such a warm and outgoing person and just such a good distinct voice.”
He revealed how the collaboration came together. “I made this record, I produced this after an unsuccessful party in L.A., which is what all these records are based off of on my album,” he explained. “But I just went home played these, I have my little Juno keyboard over there that I had. I had gotten it that night and I just hit one of these settings here and just played a B-minor cord and it just made me think of Wham!, it made me think of 1988, and I put that chord down and I immediately thought of Kehlani too.”
Voicenotes is due May 11. In addition to Kehlani, the follow-up to 2016’s Nine Track Mind is set to feature Boyz II Men (“If You Leave Me Now”) and a undisclosed “legend.” “He’s like someone I’ve always wanted to see something,” said Puth.