Influencer James Charles Divides Fans After Releasing 'Surprise First Ever' Song
James Charles received cheers and jeers after the surprise release of his new song, "Call Me Back", on Friday, February 9.
"The song is all about learning how to find closure within getting ghosted, something I struggled with for a very long time," he captioned the post across his social media platforms.
"I've been keeping this secret for more than a year now," he continued. "I hope you hear how much this project means to me, and I hope you love it as much as I do. Talk soon."
Followers immediately took to the comments sections to share their opinions on the social media influencer's voice. One TikTok user gushed, "I had no idea you could sing like that!! Absolutely amazing!! ππΌππΌππ₯°β€οΈππ₯" while another added, "Wowwwww get that Grammy in 2025!!!"
A third fan penned, "I'm so in love already we need the full version NOW ππ" and a fourth chimed in, "ok WOW. that's unexpected. I'm speechless, that's a great song."
However, while many raved over the former YouTube star's song, others slammed Charles' vocals.
"Why you wanna sound like olivia rodrigo?" one person asked, while another quipped, "Grrr this ain't it, delete it now."
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Several others said hearing the track literally ruined their day and criticized him for seeking out a career in the music industry.
"GOD NO WHY THE F--- DO SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS THINK THEY CAN MAKE MUSIC JSUT WHRN [sic] THEY BECOME IRRELEVANT AND BROKE?" one said.
A separate critic on Instagram brought up Charles' past scandal when he was caught texting minors explicit photos of himself, writing: "Actually the lyrics of this song were inspired by all the teenage boys who rejected him on Snapchat."
The beauty vlogger released a 14-minute long apology video titled "Holding Myself Accountable," in April 2021, insisting he'd believed the people he had texted were over the age of 18 years old.
However, some of the alleged victims claimed Charles had been aware they were minors.
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"First and foremost, I need to say sorry," he said in the clip. "I owe a massive apology to anybody I have hurt or anybody I made uncomfortable with my actions. I want to make it really, really clear that I fully understand my actions and how they are wrong. There are no excuses for them and I don't plan on making any."
"I realized the receipts and screenshots and specific details of the interaction really don't matter because I f**ked up," he added. "I need to take accountability for my actions and most importantly apologize to the people who were hurt by them."