Kaye
Conscious Control (11/20 release)
Press
"On latest single “Closer Than This,” she’s a fully realized pop goddess" - Rolling Stone
"Dreamy pop-rock tunes and catchy choruses" - NYLON
“She’s rediscovered her own voice.” -NPR
“One of the finest examples of indie pop.” - Consequence of Sound
"She infuses her infectious pop sound with glam and R&B, layering it all together with introspective lyrics" - She Shreds Magazine
“...sinewy female vocal provided by Charlene Kaye; it’s
equal parts wistful and sexy.” -New York Times Style Magazine
“KAYE’s varying sensibilites combine wonderfully—grungy bass, the 80s dance pop of Paula Abdul, and intricate percussion as her voice playfully floats above.”
-Stereogum
"… richly orchestrated pop." -The New Yorker
ABOUT
Charlene Kaye spent her childhood all over the globe— having lived in Hawaii, Singapore, Hong Kong, Arizona and Michigan all before she turned 18. Absorbing both the old soul records of her parents and the 90s grunge on the radio, she quickly became a full-fledged music obsessive.
After college, Kaye moved to New York to pursue music. She toured nationally on her first two records from 2012- 2014 and played bass and guitar in several Brooklyn bands (including shredding as Slash in an all-girl Guns N’ Roses cover band called ‘Guns N’ Hoses’). In 2014, a mutual friend connected her with San Fermin’s Ellis Ludwig-Leone. The two hit it o and, impressed with her voice, Ludwig-Leone asked her to be San Fermin’s new lead vocalist. This led to five years of collaboration and touring with San Fermin, with Kaye’s electric frontwoman energy propelling their albums Jackrabbit and Belong (Downtown) to international audiences and festivals worldwide.
She released “Closer Than This,” her first single as a solo artist post-San Fermin, in December 2019. The song gained traction quickly, garnering 75K plays on Spotify in the first two months without any editorial playlisting, and was featured as Rolling Stone’s Song You Need to Know. Her follow up single, “Too Much,” was featured in NPR’s New Music Friday roundup in February 2020.
“I wrote ‘Closer Than This’ because I felt there were a lot of narratives in music about women expressing their longing for commitment and relationships, but I had a specific experience where that wasn’t the case,” says KAYE. “Women especially are sold this idea that if they’re not giving constantly, they’re innately bad — giving to others, giving to a partner, giving to a family. This song is about a time when I didn’t want to give to anybody except myself.”
Playlisting
Spotify New Music Friday
Spotify Indie Pop
Spotify Women in Rock
NPR New Music Friday
Socials
Touring
• Sold out headline show at Brooklyn's Sultan Room (225 cap)
• Direct support on alt-J's 2015 five-week fall tour, one-off support for St. Vincent, Arctic Monkeys and more (San Fermin)
• Played dozens of major festivals including Lollapalooza, Firefly, Outside Lands and more (San Fermin)