Close your eyes and listen. You’ll hear throwback soul, dancehall pop, and dazzling rock and roll, all tied together with the sultry, striking voice that belongs to Charlene Kaye. Born in Hawaii but also a former resident of Arizona, Hong Kong, Singapore, Michigan, and now New York, Kaye is the daughter of two church singers, a classically trained pianist, skilled multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and performer. Sunday morning gospel, classical, jazz, showtunes, Fats Waller and Carole King were the accompaniment to her home life. The revolving door of instruments in Charlene’s young life included lessons in clarinet, saxophone, classical piano, and violin until the age of 14, when she discovered punk music and traded in her lessons for a Fender Stratocaster.

Equally inspired by classic pop greats such as ABBA and Blondie as well as current luminaries such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Rufus Wainwright and of Montreal, her music is a mishmash of generations and genres, retro with a contemporary edge, fitting with the times yet unmistakably timeless. Since her move to New York, she has toured relentlessly, played CMJ and SXSW festivals, opened for acts such as Minus the Bear, Holly Miranda, Big Boi and good friend and Glee star Darren Criss, and had her music featured on MTVU, The Huffington Post and NBC’s Chuck. She recently raised over $33,000 on the website Kickstarter from her fans to fund her second full-length album, which she will record this fall and winter. Hailed as “an indie spirit headed for greatness” (the Michigan Daily), she continues to conquer audience after audience in her home base of New York and beyond, picking up steam even before she leaves the ground. Hang tight- it’s going to be a wonderful ride.