Charlene Kaye

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Charlene Kaye

| image = Charlene Kaye by Savannah Lauren.jpg

| image_size =

| landscape =

| alt =

| caption = Charlene Kaye by Savannah Lauren

| birth_name =

| alias = KAYE

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1986|09|12}}

| birth_place = Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

| origin =

| genre = {{flatlist|

}}

| occupation = {{flatlist|

Singer-songwriter
musician
actor
comedian

}}

| instrument = {{flatlist|

Vocals
piano
guitar
keyboards
keytar

}}

| years_active = 2008–present

| label = Votiv Music

| past_member_of = San Fermin

| website = {{URL|kayeofficial.com}}

}}

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.

Career

= Early solo career =

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{{cite web|url=http://www.popmatters.com/artists/charlene-kaye/ |title=Charlene Kaye | publisher= |work=PopMatters |date= |accessdate= November 17, 2013}} and support from Glamour.{{cite web|last=Brody |first= Caitlin |url=http://www.glamour.com/entertainment/blogs/obsessed/2012/03/25-year-old-charlene-kaye-is-o.html |title=We Have Charlene Kaye's Exclusive New Music Video and You're Gonna Love It! : Obsessed |work=Glamour |date= March 25, 2012 |accessdate=November 17, 2013}} VH1 called it "at once classic and contemporary, a mix of glam rock and classical music in just the right measures"{{cite web| last=Votta |first= Rae |url=http://www.vh1.com/music/tuner/2012-10-10/charlene-kaye-forever-is-a-long-time-video/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022121918/http://www.vh1.com/music/tuner/2012-10-10/charlene-kaye-forever-is-a-long-time-video/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 22, 2012 |title=Charlene Kaye Is A 'Ballsy' Rock Goddess In 'Forever Is A Long Time' |work= VH1 |date=October 10, 2012 |accessdate=November 17, 2013}} and The New Yorker described it as "a richly orchestrated pop album".{{cite magazine| title= Charlene Kaye |url=http://www.newyorker.com/arts/events/nightlife/charlene-kaye-gramercy-theatre|magazine=The New Yorker|date=August 23, 2012 |accessdate= November 17, 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20120821015237/http://www.newyorker.com/arts/events/nightlife/charlene-kaye-gramercy-theatre |archivedate= August 21, 2012 }}

In March 2011 and 2013, Kaye played at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas.{{cite web |url=http://thatsoceleb.com/charlene-kaye-announces-dates-for-free-sxsw-tour/ |title=Charlene Kaye Announces Dates for Free SXSW Tour! |work= That So Celeb |date=March 3, 2013 |accessdate=November 17, 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517152603/http://thatsoceleb.com/charlene-kaye-announces-dates-for-free-sxsw-tour/ |archivedate=May 17, 2014 |url-status=dead }}

= Miracle Musical: Hawaii: Part II =

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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hiddeninthesand.com/wiki/index.php?title=Labyrinth|title = Labyrinth - Tally Hallmanac: The Ultimate Tally Hall Wiki}}{{Cite web|url=https://writetheworld.com/groups/1/shared/133617/version/257192|title=Write the World|access-date=May 19, 2020|archive-date=April 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416090135/https://writetheworld.com/groups/1/shared/133617/version/257192|url-status=dead}}

Kaye wrote and provided vocals for the eighth song in the album Hawaii: Part II. Kaye's likeness was also used in the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acxW7Al9Ddc&t=1s Labyrinth music video] released on December 14, 2014.

= San Fermin =

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.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bowerypresents.com/shows/detail/371007-san-fermin-live-album-release-documentary-film-premiere|title=San Fermin Live Album Release + Documentary Film Premiere|website=Bowery presents|accessdate=June 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628235752/https://www.bowerypresents.com/shows/detail/371007-san-fermin-live-album-release-documentary-film-premiere|archive-date=June 28, 2019|url-status=dead}}

File:Charlene Kaye at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2.jpg

= KAYE =

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).{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kaye-mn0003524736|title=Kaye Album Discography|website=AllMusic|accessdate=June 29, 2019}} In April 2019, Kaye was focusing on writing and recording music as KAYE full-time.

Tiger Daughter

In 2023, Kaye premiered a one-woman show called [https://kayeofficial.com/tigerdaughter Tiger Daughter: Or, How I Brought My Immigrant Mother Ultimate Shame] at Ars Nova in New York City. The show received initial acclaim, with [https://joysauce.com/charlene-kaye-treats-trauma-with-tenderness-in-tiger-daughter/ Joysauce] saying it "successfully flips the familiar Tiger Mother trope on its head" and [https://www.michigandaily.com/arts/style/charlene-kayes-tiger-daughter-is-a-relatable-raw-portrayal-of-mother-daughter-relationships/ 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.

Personal life

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.{{Cite web|url=https://kaye3.bandcamp.com/album/honey-ep|title=HONEY EP, by KAYE|website=KAYE|accessdate=June 29, 2019}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/charlene-kaye/|title=Rising musician Charlene Kaye coming home to Ann Arbor for Blind Pig show|author=|date=May 23, 2011|work=AnnArbor |accessdate=November 17, 2013}} {{cite web |last1=Serwer |first1=Jake |date=November 27, 2011 |title=Starkid Productions: The Starkid Story |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jmOYQZh6Z4&ab_channel=JakeSerwer |website=Youtube |publisher=Starkid Productions}}

Kaye lives in New York City.{{Citation|last=San Fermin|title=San Fermin - No Promises |date=February 28, 2019|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwPa0QBmRcM |website=Youtube|accessdate=June 29, 2019}}