HAVE YOU HEARD OF BOYWITHUKE?
Ahoy. My name is Faith and I’m about to geek out. Today I feel compelled to yap about the Korean-American singer/songwriter, Charley Yang (formerly known as Boywithuke).
(I’m aware no one is actually going to read this entire thing)
Charley began his music career during the pandemic of 2020. While the world was cowering in their homes during this time, Charley began a new hobby that would forever change his life; learning how to play the ukulele.
The 17 year old uploaded his original songs to TikTok under the stage name “Boywithuke.” He released his first album, “Melatonin Dreams” in 2021. The album consisted of mostly sad ukulele songs that he threw together using GarageBand, but what really caught the attention of his audience wasn’t just his music. It was the fact that he was faceless. Charley hid his identity from the world under a black mask with two glowing circles (which came to be known as the two moons for eyes. This mysterious boy with a ukulele sparked curiosity in his viewers. Charley’s audience continued watching his content in hopes to discover his identity. This ongoing mystery kept people including myself engaged.
Boywithuke's first hit, “Two Moons,” was released in 2021 as the first track of his second album “Fever Dreams.” Even though Two Moons was a hit, the rest of his album gained almost no attention and was completely forgotten. I mean, how many people genuinely want to listen to sad ukulele songs made with GarageBand? (me apparently)
In 2022, only two years after uploading his first song, Boywithuke was already selling out tours around the U.S. The ironic combination of something like a ukulele and melodic rap inspired many new artists in only a few short years. Boywithuke was known for his clever lyrics, his hidden identity, and his “minute long song” series. The series consisted of clips from his upcoming and unfinished songs. The clips with the most audience attention were polished and made into full songs that would be released with the next album.
Just when his journey seemed to be going well, Boywithuke gained negative attention after releasing his 2022 single, “Toxic.” The new song was seen as a silly teenage vent full of sappy lyrics. It attracted a younger audience, but gave old fans a reason to laugh. Boywithuke at the time, was seen as a joke by many. I remember sharing his songs with my friends only for them to make fun of my music taste.
Boywithuke’s next step was to release his third album “Serotonin Dreams.” The album consisted of three different collaborations, all of which became instant fan-favorites. The album also included one of Boywithuke’s all time hits, “Understand.” This was his last alternative rap song.
Throughout 2023, Boywithuke released seven studio singles, each one only expanding his audience more and more. His first single released that year, “Rockstar,” sparked the beginning of his alternative pop phase. After releasing his last single of 2023, Boywithuke announced his first world tour! He traveled around the entire globe and back, performed for millions of people, but not one of those people knew his name, let alone what he looked like.
In October of 2023, Boywithuke released his fourth album, “Lucid Dreams.” The album was an emotional rollercoaster. From “Problematic” to “King of Nothing” the project as a whole was beautiful and sad. The second to last track included a music video directed by Boywithuke himself. The video ended with a short clip of the 21 year old without his iconic mask. As you can guess, every fan went absolutely wild. The next day, Boywithuke posted a clear picture of himself without the mask. He reintroduced himself to his fans as Charley Yang. It was the most casual face reveal ever:
“Oh by the way, this is what I look like.”
The lead up to Charley’s 2024 album, “Burnout” implied that he was officially rebranding. “Burnout” would be his last project under the name “Boywithuke.” He stated that the identity “Boywithuke” felt like a character he was being forced to play for his audience’s approval.
“It’s not me anymore. I’m growing up, and my music is growing with me.” Charley has left his ukulele and iconic mask behind. He has transitioned into his rock phase and it seems like he will stay there for a while. He plans to rebrand to Chandol after completing his Burnout world tour as Boywithuke.
I’ve gone through a lot of different artists and favorite songs, but Charley Yang has somehow stayed my #1 idol for almost five years now. I loved his music from the first song I discovered. The music is definitely different, it’s weird, and finding fellow fans is like finding a needle in a haystack, but I don’t see myself getting tired of his music anytime soon.
Recommended Songs
1. Corduroy -Burnout 2024
2. Rockstar -single 2023
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