Charlene Kaye is presented by THEE Margaret Cho
Charlene Kaye, who releases music under the moniker KAYE, is a force to be reckoned with. An accomplished singer, multi-instrumentalist, actor, and stand-up comic, Kaye has carved out a unique path in the entertainment industry, beginning with her time performing with TEAM STARKID, the viral internet sensation founded by her University of Michigan classmate, Emmy award-winning actor Darren Criss. Since then, she has released multiple albums and opened for Arctic Monkeys, alt-J, St. Vincent, and Metallica. Rolling Stone Magazine gave Kaye’s 2019 single “Closer Than This” 5/5 stars and hailed her as “a fully realized pop goddess.” Her mother, meanwhile, thought the video had “no real good message other than selling sex” and rated the video 0/5 stars.
Kaye’s short-form comedy on Instagram Reels and TikTok is a phenomenon in and of itself. This spring, she skyrocketed to viral fame with “Every Taylor Swift Song,” a genius musical breakdown with 16 million views on Instagram, which incited BBC 1 to interview her on UK national radio. She has since followed it up with “Every Dua Lipa Song,” “Every Charli XCX song,” and “Every Chappell Roan Song,” which Chappell herself commented, “EXACTLYYYY YOU GET IT” with copious heart emojis.
Kaye’s recent expansion into acting and comedy has only attracted a larger following. She made a cameo as herself at Kendall Roy’s birthday party on HBO’s hit series “Succession” and played synthesizers for Coldplay on Saturday Night Live while dressed as an alien. Her upcoming role as punk rocker Jade Power in the movie RON opposite comedy legend Margaret Cho further solidifies her ascent in the acting world.
See Charlene Kaye in…
Tiger Daughter: Or, How I Brought My Immigrant Mother Ultimate Shame
Presented by Margaret Cho
October 24-25 at Joe’s Pub in NYC
November 22 at Dynasty Typewriter in LA
What were you like as a teen?
I have always been funny and loved making my friends laugh, but never even considered comedy as a possibility because there were so few Asians in my landscape growing up as a kid in super-white Arizona. Recently, a friend reminded me that in high school my senior superlative was “most likely to be on SNL,” which blew my mind. And it came true! I have played SNL twice as a musician (backing up Maggie Rogers in 2018 and Coldplay in 2023) but to act in it or host someday would be a next-level dream come true.
Did you have an un-sexy starter job?
I taught music lessons to kids and waited tables for years when I first moved to the city to Make It Big As A Musician!!! From ages 22-24 I worked at Les Halles Brasserie on Park Avenue as a server, where Anthony Bourdain was executive chef in the 90s and where many stories from Kitchen Confidential were based. I think everyone should work as a server in a restaurant at some point.
What do you consider to be your biggest comedy achievement to date?
THEE Margaret Cho presenting my solo show at Joe’s Pub this October. That, and any time I can make my mom laugh.
When you were coming up in comedy, what helped you stick with it?
Being in Community with the other comics in the alternative Brooklyn comedy scene has meant everything to me. I’ve found some of my best friends on this journey and to be able to perform together, write jokes together, bomb together, and sing about dick and balls together helps keep everything in perspective.
Have you ever dealt with trolls?
I did a show at Union Hall recently and it was THE most hostile crowd I’ve ever experienced. One of the audience members yelled “Go home!!” at a super-established and beloved comic, and I was scared shitless to go after him. These people were drunk and looking to get a rise out of anyone, talking throughout the whole show and being disrespectful. He handled it like a total pro and by the time I went on the crowd had mellowed a bit, but it reminded me that you only have so much control over an audience and you can’t take it personally if they yell stupid shit at you. If you’re lucky, you can listen and respond in the moment REALLY well and get a joke out of it.
On your deathbed, what transcendent advice would you croak at a young comedian?
I started doing comedy when I was 35 (I’m 38 now), and I would encourage any women and non-binary folx to remember that it’s never too late to do anything you want to do.
My career popped off this year, but it’s true what they say–it took my entire life to succeed overnight. So be patient, keep your head down, and work on your craft, don’t chase the likes and follows, and remember persistence wins out over talent every time. I was a musician first–since I was 17 I have been making records and touring. Then at 35 I had a major existential crisis thinking I might quit music altogether.
Around this time I had the slightest interest in doing a PowerPoint presentation about my mother and our relationship for my closest friends, and I followed that little inkling. With the help of my friend and director Jennifer Monaco it turned into Tiger Daughter: Or, How I Brought My Immigrant Mother Ultimate Shame–which I could never have made if I weren’t a musician first. The show is essentially about my music career through my immigrant Chinese mother’s eyes despite how badly SHE wanted to be a musician but never had the means to because she grew up in poverty. It’s about intergenerational wounds and how we repair them. It’s also about how she forces me to Photoshop her face into photos of sexy models and Chinese empresses, but you’ll have to see the show to find out more about that.
Best comedy advice you ever got?
“Comedy is like trying to create the feeling of an inside joke between friends.” – Jesse David Fox
Worst comedy advice you ever got?
“Post a ‘comedian destroys heckler’ video!”
What is your go-to movie when you’ve had a bad day?
What single word always cracks you up?
