Charlie Puth: This Britney Spears Song Was the 'Catalyst' for My Career

Charlie Puth vividly remembers the first time he heard Britney Spears‘ 2003 hit “Toxic.” “I was in sixth grade, and I was just like, ‘This is such a fascinating production with the strings layered with the fast-paced drums,'” Puth, 33, exclusively tells Us Weekly in a new interview promoting his “INKubator” songwriting contest with BIC. “I didn’t really even understand music production back then, but I knew it sounded urgent.” In fact, Puth cites the Grammy-winning track as the inspiration for his own career in pop music. “It was probably the catalyst,” he muses. Britney’s ‘...Baby One More Ti