| Charlene Kaye | |
| Alias: | KAYE |
| Birth Date: | 12 September 1986 |
| Birth Place: | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States |
| Years Active: | 2008–present |
| Label: | Votiv Music |
| Past Member Of: | San Fermin |
Charlene Kaye (born September 12, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter, comedian and actor, most widely known for her solo work under the name KAYE, for her one-woman comedy show Tiger Daughter: Or, How I Brought My Immigrant Mother Ultimate Shame, and as a former lead vocalist for San Fermin.
In 2011, Kaye released the song "Dress and Tie", a duet with Darren Criss.
She released her second full-length album Animal Love in 2012. It reached #15 on the iTunes pop charts in the week of release and received praise from PopMatters[1] and support from Glamour.[2] VH1 called it "at once classic and contemporary, a mix of glam rock and classical music in just the right measures"[3] and The New Yorker described it as "a richly orchestrated pop album".[4]
In March 2011 and 2013, Kaye played at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas.[5]
Kaye was involved in the Miracle Musical album Hawaii: Part II, the side project of Tally Hall member Joe Hawley, which released on December 12, 2012.[6] [7]
Kaye wrote and provided vocals for the eighth song in the album Hawaii: Part II. Kaye's likeness was also used in the Labyrinth music video released on December 14, 2014.
In April 2014, Kaye joined the collective San Fermin replacing the former vocalist Rae Cassidy. She toured behind the band's previously released record San Fermin and later, as a full member, recorded the band's following two records, Jackrabbit (2015) and Belong (2017). In April 2019, the band announced that, after five years, Kaye was leaving to pursue her solo career.
Her final performance was on April 26, 2019, at San Fermin's special concert to promote their new live record Live At The Fillmore (2019) and their documentary film No Promises.[8]
While touring with San Fermin on their Jackrabbit tour, Kaye began a new solo project under the name KAYE. Her first release was a pair of promotional singles, "Honey" and "UUU", in July 2016. She released a five-track EP on September 29, 2016, titled Honey. This was followed by three non-album singles, "Parakeeter" (November 2016), "Cheshire Kitten" (July 2017) and "Bamboo" (September 2017).[9] In April 2019, Kaye was focusing on writing and recording music as KAYE full-time.
In 2023, Kaye premiered a one-woman show called Tiger Daughter: Or, How I Brought My Immigrant Mother Ultimate Shame at Ars Nova in New York City. The show received initial acclaim, with Joysauce saying it "successfully flips the familiar Tiger Mother trope on its head" and The Michigan Daily calling it "a relatable, raw portrayal of mother-daughter relationships." She will perform the show at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Kaye was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. She grew up outside Phoenix, Arizona, also living for a time in Singapore, Hong Kong and Michigan during childhood. She began playing music at an early age, taking lessons in violin, piano, guitar, ukulele, saxophone and clarinet.[10]
Kaye attended the University of Michigan as an English major, where she met Team Starkid with which she went on their S.P.A.C.E. Tour, where she was able to promote her music for the first time, and then kept performing throughout the years.[11] [12]
Kaye lives in New York City.
Albums
EPs and Remix Compilations
Singles
Albums
EPs
Singles
Albums
Singles