Charley Yang, known professionally as BoyWithUke, is a
Korean-American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean ancestry (mostly from South Korea). In 2015, the Korean-American community constituted about 0.56% of the United States population, or about 1.82 million people, and was the fifth-largest Asian Americans ...
singer, musician and
internet personality. Yang first gained popularity on the online platform
TikTok with his single "Two Moons" and later releases "
Toxic" and "Understand". Until October 10, 2023, he was known for hiding his face behind an LED mask. He is currently an independent artist after leaving
Mercury Records.
Career
2020–2021: Beginnings on TikTok and early albums
Yang began uploading to
TikTok in 2020 after being introduced to the platform by his brother. His content did not attract much attention on the platform until 2021, when several of his videos (including a series of videos entitled "Minute-Long Songs") started to gain popularity.
In September 2021, Yang released his
extended play ''Faded''. Later, the song Toxic went viral on TikTok and was featured in over sixty-nine thousand videos on the platform. It was streamed around half a billion times.
The single reached No. 1 on the
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
Alternative Airplay charts after being on the charts for thirty-one consecutive weeks, which was the sixth-longest rise to No. 1 in Alternative Airplay's history.
"Toxic" was certified silver by the
British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA).
In 2021, BoyWithUke released his first and second studio albums, ''Melatonin Dreams'' and ''Fever Dreams'' respectively.
2021–2022: Signing with Republic Records and ''Serotonin Dreams''
In late 2021, Yang signed a deal with record label
Republic Records
Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...
.''
'' In 2022, he released the single "
IDGAF", featuring
Blackbear. He released his debut major-label album, ''
Serotonin Dreams'', under Republic Records.''
'' It debuted at No. 7 on the ''Billboard''
Alternative Airplay and
'' Billboard'' 200 charts and features "Toxic" as its lead single.
After the album's release, BoyWithUke was listed as one of the top ten ''Billboard'' Emerging Artists.
On September 30, 2022, he released the single "Sick of U" featuring
Oliver Tree.
Throughout 2022, Yang opened for the
indie-pop trio
AJR
AJR may refer to:
* AJR (motorcycle), Scotland
* AJR (band), a pop band from New York City, United States
*Abdominojugular test, to measure venous pressure
* Academy for Jewish Religion (New York)
* ''American Journal of Roentgenology''
* ''Americ ...
on their tour for their fourth studio album ''
OK Orchestra''.
As of October 2023, he has almost eight million followers on TikTok and well over two billion Spotify streams and 870 million views on YouTube.
2023–present: ''Lucid Dreams'' and face reveal
Yang released his extended play ''Antisocial'' on February 24, 2023. It contains three songs, including the single "Rockstar", which was released on February 10, as well as two songs that had previously been teased on his TikTok, "IDTWCBF (Friends)" and "Nosedive". On April 7, 2023, BoyWithUke released another single, "Out of Reach", which is the full version of one of his minute-long songs on TikTok. He also debuted the single in a
Roblox concert which also featured "Toxic", and "IDGAF".
BoyWithUke later released "Trauma" as a single on August 3, 2023.
BoyWithUke's fourth album, ''Lucid Dreams'', was released on October 6, 2023. It was preceded by the singles "Rockstar", "Trauma" and "Migraine", with "Problematic" being released as a single on the album's release day. BoyWithUke has claimed that ''Lucid Dreams'' will be the last album of the "Dreams" saga.
BoyWithUke first revealed his face on October 9, 2023, at the end of his music video for "Homesick". On an Instagram post, the next day, he revealed his face and name.
In the same post, he found that the mask gave him confidence in the past, but now it was negatively affecting his physical and mental health. BoyWithUke also expressed his plans to start a new chapter of his music without a mask.
Artistry
Until October 2023, Yang wore an opaque face shield with two large
LED
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...
lights to ensure his anonymity.
His music is centered around the
ukulele but also incorporates other instruments such as the piano.
He self-composes his music on
GarageBand
GarageBand is a line of digital audio workstations developed by Apple Inc. for macOS, iPadOS, and iOS devices that allows users to create music or podcasts. GarageBand is developed by Apple for macOS, and was once part of the iLife software s ...
from his
iPad, a free
digital audio workstation for
Apple devices.
Yang's music has been described as "alternative" and "alt-pop".
All of Yang's four albums contain the word "dreams" in their titles. ''Melatonin Dreams'' talked heavily about depression and suicidal thoughts. ''Fever Dreams'' focuses on low self-esteem and generally melancholic and depressed themes. ''Serotonin Dreams'' is supposedly him "waking up" and the "Magnum Opus" of the saga as overall unlike its antecedent, ''Serotonin Dreams'' focuses on realization and generally more positive values, while still having occasional references to the importance of its predecessors. His newest album, ''Lucid Dreams'', is intended to symbolize his "desires, his fear, his past, and his dreams."
Personal life
During his performance in Seoul Jazz Festival, Yang revealed that he was born in
Daegu
Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea.
It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...
, South Korea.
Yang went to Oak Middle School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, and also attended Shrewsbury High School. He stated that he was forced into
classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
from the age of four, but later dropped it. This was followed by him resuming music through writing music in high school.
Yang also said that he kept his identity hidden in order for people to pay attention to his musical talent and not his appearance.
He resides in
Boston, Massachusetts.
Discography
Albums
EPs
Singles
Awards and nominations
Notes
References
External links
BoyWithUkeat
AllMusic
*{{IMDb name, id=13328619, name=BoyWithUke
Living people
Alternative pop musicians
Pseudonymous artists
Masked musicians
American people of Korean descent
American TikTokers
American ukulele players
Musicians from Massachusetts
Songwriters from Massachusetts
Singer-songwriters from Massachusetts
21st-century American singer-songwriters
Year of birth missing (living people)
People from Daegu
American musicians of Korean descent
American people of Asian descent