Cafuné Explained

Background:group_or_band
Cafuné
Origin:New York City, U.S.
Years Active:–present
Current Members:
  • Noah Yoo
  • Sedona Schat

Cafuné (stylized in all caps) is an American indie pop duo consisting of singer-songwriter Sedona Schat and producer Noah Yoo. It was founded in 2014 after the two met at New York University. The duo’s single "Tek It" from their debut album, Running (2021) went viral on TikTok, and they were subsequently signed to Elektra Records in 2022.

History

Noah Yoo was raised in Fairfax, Virginia, where he grew up playing violin and eventually playing guitar in high school bands.[1] He and Sedona Schat both began attending the Clive Davis Institute at New York University in 2012, where the two met and bonded over their appreciation of Two Door Cinema Club.

Sedona Schat grew up in Gardnerville, Nevada where she graduated from Douglas High School.[2] Her family owns a bakery chain on the west coast, Schat's Bakeries. She found a love for music in her youth and was known for her local performances before moving to New York for college.

In their sophomore year, Yoo worked on one of Schat's songs, and Cafuné was started as a side project for both of them the following year when Yoo briefly lived with Schat. Yoo also worked as a staffer for Pitchfork.[3] Both Yoo and Schat attended a Masterclass session with Pharrell Williams among other selected CDI students held in the New York University Tisch School of the Arts in 2016.[4]

Cafuné released their debut single, "Letting Go", in 2014.[5] They released their debut EP, Love Songs for Other People, in 2015.[6] Running, their debut album, was written and produced by the duo at their homes over several years, recorded throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and released on July 20, 2021 through their own label, Aurelians Club.[7] [8] [9] The song reconsider was mixed by Kyle Pulley at Headroom Studios. [10] The album featured the singles "High", "Want Me Out", and "Tek It", the last of which went viral on TikTok in early 2022 due to its use in anime edits and other trends on the platform, which prompted Elektra Records to sign the duo in June 2022. They opened for Chvrches on their summer 2022 tour.[11]

"Tek It" was sampled by Lil Uzi Vert for their track "Red Moon", released on December 25th, 2023.[12] That year, the duo released two new extended plays: Love Songs for the End[13] in October, and its follow-up, Versions for the End, in December.

Musical style

Cafuné's music has been described as alt-pop, indie pop,[14] [15] dream pop,[16] and indie rock.[17] Their earlier music was electropop and synth-pop, and their music became more rock-oriented after they played at various college shows.[18]

Discography

Studio albums

Title! scope="col" style="width:18em;"
Details
Running

Live albums

Title! scope="col" style="width:18em;"
Details
Cafuné on Audiotree Live

Extended plays

Title! scope="col" style="width:18em;"
Details
Love Songs for Other People
  • Released: December 11, 2015
  • Label: Aurelians Club
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Love Songs for the End
  • Released: October 13, 2023
  • Label: Aurelians Club
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Versions for the End
  • Released: December 1, 2023
  • Label: Aurelians Club
  • Format: Digital Download, streaming

Singles

Title! scope="col" rowspan="2"
YearPeak chart positionsCertificationsAlbum
US
Bub.

[19]
US
Rock
[20]
UK
[21]
"Letting Go"2014
"Fall Asleep Slow"2015Love Songs for Other People
"Warm Body"
"Don't You Forget"2016rowspan="4"
"How Can I Explain"2017
"OK on My Own"
"Least Coast/Little Broken Part"2018
"Tek It"20191 4 72 Running
"Friction"
"Want Me Out"Running
"Not Even Here"2020
"High"2021Running
"Talk"
"Perspective"2023Love Songs for the End
"Demise"
"Unchained Memory"

Notes and References

  1. Web site: McCallum . Madison . Q&A: Noah Yoo . Richmond Magazine . August 5, 2022 . July 29, 2022.
  2. Web site: Hildebrand . Kurt . DHS band ready for the spring . recordcourier.com . The Record Courier . August 14, 2023 . Douglas High School.
  3. Web site: Zhang . Cat . Thirst Traps, Anime, and the Viral Power of TikTok Fan Edit Communities . . August 5, 2022 . April 14, 2022.
  4. Pharrell Williams Masterclass with Students at NYU Clive Davis Institute. I Am Other. YouTube.
  5. Web site: Local Sounds 2K14: Cafuné . . August 5, 2022 . en . December 4, 2014.
  6. Leight . Elias . Cafuné Sign to Elektra After 'Tek It' Goes Viral on TikTok . . August 5, 2022 . June 2, 2022.
  7. Web site: D'Souza . Shaad . Cafuné announce debut album, share new single . . August 5, 2022 . en . June 4, 2021.
  8. Web site: DeVille . Chris . Cafuné - "High" . . August 5, 2022 . en . June 3, 2021.
  9. Web site: Cingrana . Joe . Audacy's Alternative Pick of the Week: Cafuné - 'Tek It' . . August 5, 2022 . en . May 9, 2022.
  10. Web site: Clients - Headroom Studios – A Philadelphia Recording Studio .
  11. Web site: BrooklynVegan Staff . New Songs Out Today . . August 5, 2022 . en . June 2, 2022.
  12. Lil Uzi Vert Confirms Plans to Retire After Upcoming Album 'Luv Is Rage 3' . . Noah . Zucker . 26 December 2023 .
  13. Web site: Rincon . Alessandra . 2023-10-18 . Cafuné Have the Perfect 'Love Songs For The End' . 2024-06-24 . Ones to Watch . en.
  14. Web site: Wass . Mike . Viral Revivals: From Kate Bush to Tom Odell, Inside the Business of Oldies as New Hit Songs . . August 5, 2022 . July 14, 2022.
  15. Web site: Rogovoy . Seth . Rogovoy Report 8/5/22 . . August 8, 2022 . en . August 5, 2022.
  16. Web site: Rooms . Robbe . Nieuwe single Cafuné - "Talk" . Dansende Beren . August 5, 2022 . nl . July 4, 2021.
  17. Web site: Irvin . Jack . Avila . Daniela . Meet the Talented Emerging Artists You Should Be Listening to All Summer Long . . August 6, 2022 . en . August 5, 2022.
  18. Web site: Russell . Erica . PopCrush Presents: Cafune . . August 5, 2022 . en . July 12, 2016.
  19. Bubbling Under Hot 100 . Billboard . August 6, 2022 . June 11, 2022.
  20. Hot Rock & Alternative Songs . Billboard . August 6, 2022 . May 21, 2022.
  21. Web site: Cafune Chart History. Official Charts Company . August 5, 2021 . en.
  22. United States. Cafune. July 12, 2024.