BoyWithUke
Charley Yang (born August 25, 2002) known professionally as BoyWithUke, is a Korean-American 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". He kept his name private and face hidden with an LED face-covering mask which had two Os to represent the eyes until October 10, 2023, shortly after the release of his fourth album "Lucid Dreams". He also revealed his face at the end of the music video for his song “Homesick”, second to the last song on the album. This was not confirmed until he officially announced his face reveal when he posted a picture of himself once again without the mask on his Instagram page. He is currently signed to Mercury Records, a subdivision of UMG. Career

2020–2021: Beginnings on TikTok and early albums 
BoyWithUke 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, BoyWithUke 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 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 (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, BoyWithUke signed a deal with record label Republic Records, shortly after the release of his single “Toxic” which went viral on TikTok. 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, BoyWithUke opened for the indie-pop trio AJR 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 
BoyWithUke 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 a non-album 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 4, 2023, and the song “Migraine” on September 22. 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. His face was first revealed at the end of his 'Homesick' music video without any context. However, on October 10, 2023, BoyWithUke publicly revealed his face and name, Charley, in a post on his Instagram account, along with a message stating that in the future he would no longer cover his face with the LED mask he had previously worn in his career. 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, BoyWithUke wore an opaque face shield with two large LED 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 from his iPad, a free digital audio workstation for Apple devices. BoyWithUke's music has been described as "alternative" and "alt-pop". All of BoyWithUke'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 at the Seoul Jazz Festival, Yang claimed that he was born in Daegu. He has also said that he lives in Boston, Massachusetts, where he and his family had moved to during his early childhood. He has said that he was forced into classical music from the age of four, but later dropped it. This was followed by him resuming music through writing some in high school. Yang has also stated that he kept his identity hidden because he wanted people to pay attention to the music and talent and not his looks, which he was bullied at school for. Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links
BoyWithUke at AllMusic

Living people
Alternative pop musicians
21st-century American singers
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