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Want to know the secret to writing a hit? The answer is simple. Ask your mom what she thinks.

That’s the approach that Charlie Puth has taken. The 24-year-old became an overnight star when his chorus on Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again” helped the song to stay at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks during 2015. He’s followed that up with a couple songs of his own, and now, his knack for melody and his distinct falsetto voice shines brightly on his debut album “Nine Track Mind” (out Friday).

“If [my mom] reacts to something quickly, that’s when I know when I have a good song.” Here, he tells The Post about his mixed memories of growing up in New Jersey, his near-death experiences, and mistaking Springsteen for a hobo.

You’ve mentioned that high school in Rumson, NJ, wasn’t great for you — why exactly was that?
I was into music like Luther Vandross, and the Carpenters, and I would often get pulled out of school to play music in church. So there was some jealousy there from the other kids. One time I was hit in, let’s say, my private area, and started throwing up. People thought I was faking throwing up to get the other kid in trouble. That shows you how s—ty people were in my high school and why I refuse to go back there.

You have a very distinctive scar on your eyebrow. What’s that from?
A black Labrador mauled my face when I was 2, and I nearly died. I had to have 400 stitches. I used to be insecure about the scar on my eyebrow, but I like it now. It’s kind of badass.

I WAS IN AN UBER JUST NOW AND THIS GUY TOTALED THE CAR ON THE 101.

— Charlie Puth (@charlieputh) July 1, 2015

Didn’t you have another near-death experience recently?
Yes, I was in an Uber in Los Angeles last year, and the driver was pretty unprofessional. He was a fan and kept showing me all of my songs he had on his phone. I was flattered but asked him to keep his eyes on the road. As soon as I said that, a car sideswiped the little Prius I was in.

How did you survive?
I saw it coming, so I shifted over to the other side just in time. Once we got out, I heard the piano riff from “See You Again” coming from another car that had stopped. I still think that the song saved my life. I wrote it for my best friend who died in a car crash and for [“Fast & Furious” franchise star] Paul Walker, who also died in a car crash. I think that was them saying “No, now is not the time.” I’m a Sagittarius and, apparently, they’re lucky.

It feels like almost everyone who grew up on the Jersey Shore has a Bruce Springsteen story. What’s yours?
Springsteen lives virtually right next to me in Rumson. Apparently I was friends with his son at grade school, but I don’t remember. But I do remember when I was a kid at baseball practice, I saw my mom talking to this man in a jumpsuit, even though it was 100 degrees out. My 9-year-old mind thought he was a homeless person. My mom had to explain who he was!

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