If you’ve scrolled through TikTok within the last year, you’ve probably heard someone that “sounds” like CG5 on your FYP. Rest assured it was CG5 you were listening to, and he’s just as good as you thought he was.
CG5, whose real name is Charlie Green, is a neurodiverse singer, songwriter and music producer that has garnered a devoted following since posting videos online, amassing over 1.2 BILLION worldwide streams on Spotify alone accompanied by 2.5+ Million monthly listeners, and has over 500+ Million streams from his singles.
“When I was about five years old, I started producing music on my dad’s old laptop. It was very fun and I fell in love with music right then and there and I knew I wanted to do music my entire life,” CG5 tells Celeb Secrets of his beginnings backstage at VidCon 2024 earlier this summer in an exclusive interview.
“And here I am now, doing it professionally since I was really young. My other job was at Chick-Fil-A where I got to say ‘my pleasure’ 20,000 times a day,” he laughs.
https://www.tiktok.com/@cg5beats/video/7204868117137362222?lang=en
Blending both his love for music and video games, the 25-year-old’s sound is nothing like anyone has heard before, making him stand out in a sea of artists battling for a top spot on the charts.
“I do my research about different video games and TV things, so all those songs that I write about are clearly inspired by those things in a literal sense,” he shares. “The music genres that I’m into are very inspired by the 80s. I love Phil Collins, Michael Jackson, Hall Oates, ELO, Elton John, Journey, Billy Joel, and Duran Duran.”
Now a household name with a ton of original music that people know and love, CG5 has had the opportunity to work with some pretty high-profile names and even rub shoulders with artists like Billie Eilish, Drake and Ariana Grande. As for who he would like to team up with next, his “realistic” collaborations would be with artist like AJR, JVKE or even boy with uke.
View this post on Instagram
Being that the digital space grows so rapidly, there are times where creators feel pressure when it comes to putting out engaging, trendy content in a timely manner. To stay grounded, Charlie credits his “beautiful wife” Emma, who he says is the “light of my life” and “keeps me above water.”
“I recently married my beautiful wife… my best friend, Emma. She’s the light of my life and really keeps me above water when I’m feeling stressed out. If all I need is a hug and a kiss, she can offer that to me,” he reveals.
As for the rapid trends, the 25-year-old is “just growing with it.”
“I feel like I’m with the times at the moment. That’s the reason why I’m still doing this. I still managed to do so well and it’s because of the fact that I’ve been able to stay up to date with trends and things like that. I’m so glad I can continue to make music and bring my passion to all these different songs because I just love making music,” he continues.
View this post on Instagram
CG5 has had a busy summer brining his unique live show to venues throughout the U.S. and Europe. The multi-hyphenate kicked off his big run on July 18th, with a stop in Columbus, OH on September 6th. The U.S. leg will wrap on October 19th in Houston, with the European leg beginning in Dublin on October 26th.
As for what fans can expect from a CG5 show, the 25-year-old says it’s a “very special” Broadway-like production that stars someone close to his heart.
“I’m going to be performing a very special kind show because I’m going to be onstage with my dad. He’s playing a special character that we’ve written into the show,” CG5 shares. “It’s kind of like a Broadway production, but not at the same time. “It’s got a beginning, a middle and an end… it’s a really nice storyline in the show and I think that fans will only understand it when they see the show because it’s going to be very different.”
View this post on Instagram
While he’s been loving every city, the music producer can’t wait to perform across the pond.
“I’m most excited to perform in Manchester because I’ve never been able to perform internationally, let alone Manchester,” he reveals. “We just recently sold out the venue so much that we had to get another one… it’s getting that packed right now. I’m really excited for that and honestly everywhere else.”
As for what’s next, CG5 will be release a new song this Friday, August 30th, highlighting his own struggles with OCD. Appropriately titled “OCD” the artist teased the track on TikTok last week, detailing that it’s a “very personal” song. You can pre-save “OCD” here.
@cg5beats I’ll be releasing a very personal song about my own struggles with OCD. Pre-save link in bio. #cg5 #fyp #newmusic
While we wait for the release of “OCD,” make sure to give CG5 a follow on Instagram, TikTok and subscribe to his YouTube channel for new videos daily.
With photos and reporting by Ashly Nicole. For more coverage from VidCon 2024, click here.
