Surprise duet between Charlie Puth and Twice’s Nayeon sparks buzz over tie-up

SEOUL – Twice member Nayeon made a surprise appearance at Charlie Puth’s concert in Goyang, Gyeonggi province, joining the US singer-songwriter for a duet performance that has fuelled speculation over a possible collaboration between the two artistes.

The 34-year-old kicked off the Asian leg of his Whatever’s Clever! world tour at Goyang Stadium on Oct 11, marking his first solo concert in South Korea in two years.

During the show, Nayeon unexpectedly appeared onstage for We Don’t Talk Anymore, Puth’s 2016 hit originally recorded with Selena Gomez.

She took Gomez’s part in the duet, exchanging lines with Puth while dancing with him. She briefly thanked the audience before leaving the stage, while he encouraged the crowd to cheer for her as she exited.

The appearance followed rumours circulating online earlier in the day that a Twice member had been spotted rehearsing at the venue, prompting speculation over whether Nayeon’s appearance could be tied to a larger project.

Neither JYP Entertainment nor Puth’s side has announced a collaborative release between the two artistes. JYP Entertainment was also unavailable for comment.

The stage nonetheless adds to Puth’s history of working with Korean artistes.

He previously collaborated with BTS member Jungkook on the 2022 single Left And Right and has maintained a strong following in South Korea, returning regularly for performances since his first concert in the country in 2016.

In a recent interview with Korean cable network JTBC, he mentioned that he is learning through K-pop that music can “feel perfect, shined up and pristine but also have an edge to it”, adding that he loves the genre and has recently been listening to music by Cortis, Twice and Enhypen.

Nayeon’s appearance, however, drew mixed reactions from parts of Twice’s online fandom.

After it was rumoured a Twice member would make a guest appearance at Puth’s concert, some fan accounts on X said they would not promote or engage with content related to the appearance as well as future collaborations, citing concerns over Puth and criticising what they viewed as a “questionable collaboration choice”.

“We, Once (Twice’s fandom), will not tolerate this behaviour nor stance. In the event that such collaboration between both artistes becomes a reality, we will not be promoting, engaging nor supporting it,” wrote a fan account on X. It added that Twice themselves as well as their A&R group “should be held accountable” and should be “mindful of the choices they make”.

Much of the backlash centres on Puth’s past public remarks and social media activity.

Though he has not publicly identified himself as a Zionist, some fans have accused him of holding pro-Israel views, pointing to his past social media activity that included posts he liked or shared that they interpreted as supportive of Israel.

Similar criticism surfaced in 2024 when Stray Kids announced their collaboration with Puth on Lose My Breath.

Fans have also resurfaced criticism over comments Puth made while discussing the inspiration behind his 2017 hit Attention. In a 2023 interview, he described feeling frustrated after a woman repeatedly invited him to stay over, but did not want to pursue a physical relationship, prompting talk that his comments reflected “a sense of entitlement” towards women.

Puth is expected to continue the Asian leg of his tour throughout October, making stops in Manila, Tokyo, Taoyuan in Taiwan and Hong Kong before hitting cities in New Zealand and Australia in November. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK