It’s a sad day for TikTok users, as the Supreme Court voted to uphold a federal statute that would ban the popular video-hosting app in the U.S. This was due to national security concerns related to the Chinese ownership of its parent company ByteDance. The TikTok ban has also hit hard on artists including Charlie Puth, who brought back his viral Furious 7 song “See You Again” as a way to say farewell to his followers. As you can imagine, fans are now all in their feels.
Recording artist Charlie Puth had a long history with TikTok. He would use the short-form video app to promote his new releases, interact with his fans and share snippets of the creative processes of “Light Switch” and other songs. Right before the app’s U.S. ban, the Grammy nominee posted his final TikTok, saying goodbye to the video app and his followers. Take a look at an X fan account’s reposting of the heartfelt video showing Puth playing his viral song -- which already made fans cry at the end of Furious 7:
「 TikTok 」“Farewell TikTok. Although this isn’t goodbye…” — January 16, 2025 pic.twitter.com/jm2EBlo3SrJanuary 17, 2025
That melancholy melody of Charlie Puth’s “See You Again” will always hit me where it hurts. After all, it's the perfect song to bid someone farewell but provide hope that it’s not goodbye forever. You better believe that emotional comments were pouring in from TikTok users, who expressed how much they’d miss catching up with the American singer-songwriter on the app. Check out some of them:
- Charlie you know this is gonna make everyone cry - Chris Carter
- Best TikTok I’ve seen 😔 - Lucas and Marcus
- charlie don’t do this to me i’m already crying - Anthony Gargiula
- No Charlie, we weren’t ready for this 😭 - Headpsace
- .... you just unlocked a core memory from 2015 ☹️ - Rose
- SEE YOU AGAIN🥺🥺😭 - Xaiph/es
- Charlieeee NOOOOOOO DON'T LEAVEEEEEEEEEEEE😭😭😭 - princesskhaye
A song like Charlie Puth’s “See You Again” is definitely cathartic. That’s why it was the perfect song to honor the character of Brian from The Fast and the Furious movies and Paul Walker, who portrayed him. Walker tragically passed away at 40 after a car crash back in 2013, before completing Furious 7. While the original ending of the seventh film was going to set up a “bigger world” for the action franchise, director James Wan said the studio couldn’t end the film without a proper tribute to Walker. With that, Puth was approached by Universal to help pen the iconic movie song with Wiz Khalifa.
Fast & Furious 7 addressed Brian’s departure by having the character happily retire with his family. The closing scene of him and Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto was interlaced with a series of flashbacks from previous movies, with “See You Again” playing over the entire sequence. The present-day scene, which shows Brian and Dom parting ways while driving marks Paul Walker's final appearance in the franchise. Also, CGI was used for Walker’s close-up shots, and Walker’s brothers served as stand-ins for distant shots.
Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa song became a worldwide best-selling song of 2015, receiving three Grammy nominations and a Golden Globe nom. All in all, it was the perfect way to cap off Puth's stint on TikTok. Still, like the “One Call Away” singer said, “this isn’t goodbye” as I’m sure he’ll continue making great music with or without the aforementioned app.
