How Charlene Kaye is rewriting the rules of pop

When Charlene Kaye first posted her Taylor Swift parody, she was so terrified of fan backlash that she only shared it on her Instagram close friends story.

"That is how afraid I was of the Swifties coming to murder me," she said.

Now, the classically trained musician-turned-comedian has millions of views for her viral interpretations of pop music's biggest stars, dissecting everything from Swift to Lady Gaga's signature "ro-ma-ma-poo-poo-pee-pee-ka-ka-ka" lyrics.

Kaye, who has a background in classical music theory, gained widespread attention last year when her collection of musical parodies went viral on platforms like TikTok. She breaks down the common musical elements from of the most popular songs and highlights what makes their songs so recognizable.

"Because I have background in classical music theory and because I also have a sense of humor, I was like, what if I just wrote a song that had all of the tropes that I notice," Kaye said.

The strategy worked. Pop star Chappell Roan even responded positively to her own parody, commenting "Exactly! You get it!"

Born in Honolulu to her mother Lily, a Chinese immigrant, Kaye's family eventually moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where she was raised. Her musical journey began with guitar lessons in her bedroom and performances at local open mic nights and coffee shops.

"It was kind of a fight to assert my own identity and my own experience," she said.

Her decision to pursue music professionally created tension with her immigrant mother, who grew up in poverty in 1960s Singapore.

"It is a luxury and a privilege to be a creative person," Kaye said.

While studying English at the University of Michigan with plans to become a teacher, Kaye made a different choice.

"I ditched all my classes to play rock shows, find my people and decide that I wanted to be a rockstar," she said.

Her early career included playing guitar for the cult favorite parody "A Very Potter Musical" alongside her friend, actor Darren Criss. She later moved to New York and joined indie rock band San Fermin.

Kaye's comedy work draws heavily from her relationship with her mother. She produced a one-woman show titled "Tiger Daughter, Or How I Brought My Immigrant Mother Ultimate Shame."

The show explores the concept of a "tiger daughter," the child of a demanding "tiger mother," who pushes children toward high achievement. Despite its rebellious humor, Kaye describes the show as ultimately a love letter to her mother.

When asked if her mother is proud of her, Kaye said, "I think she is in her own way. I think we'll always, there will always be a deep core of love even if there isn't the understanding part."