King Mei Mei – Slow Strobe Light
Today, fearsome guitar shredder and comedian Charlene Kaye steps into a new era with the unveiling of her project, King Mei Mei, with debut single + video “Slow Strobe Light.”
For her initial track as King Mei Mei, premiered via Atwood Magazine, Kaye makes an electrifying first impression, unleashing a careening eruption of emotion, packed full of delish guitar rips and mind-blowing vocals.
The accompanying video, directed by Anima Works, features Kaye and a crew of dancers evoking the volcanic emotions of the track, bursting with bold color and movement. The visuals offer a striking first glimpse at King Mei Mei’s world, establishing herself as an artist with a distinct creative landscape.
“I wrote this song from rock bottom. I was lost and unwell,” Kaye expands. “I had met someone who felt like a soul mate, and right as things felt serious, I crashed out and ran away like I ran away from every other person I got close with over the last several years. To my surprise, 3 years later, time brought us back together and now the song has a completely new meaning to me. It’s a lesson in trusting myself, trusting my pace, and trusting that the real is the right way, even though it might not feel like it at the time.”
“Slow Strobe Light” is an exciting peek into what’s to come from King Mei Mei, with more music on th Charlene Kaye is a once-in-a-generation creative mind. A prolific songwriter, fearsome guitar shredder and stand-up comedian, she has cultivated a hardcore and loyal fan base around the world since she began performing in 2009.
Kaye was a full-time musician until she expanded into comedy. Then she began to encounter a unique problem. She was amassing hundreds of thousands of followers for her funny viral videos, and her name in comedy was starting to eclipse her name in music. She was getting recognized at Trader Joe’s as “Charlene Kaye, the comedian who wrote ‘Every Taylor Swift Song,’” rather than “Charlene Kaye, the singer-songwriter.”
She could have kept her name for her next album. But instead, she decided to start a new band, and a whole new universe bloomed from there.
“My Chinese name is Mei Lin, which means ‘beautiful forest,’” says Kaye. “The name King Mei Mei feels like me at my core – it reflects my longtime love of glam rock and drag, celebrates my queer identity, and honors my heritage.”
Despite her success in the comedy space, she has never abandoned music. In fact, she has been working on King Mei Mei’s self-titled debut album for the past four years – and it’s almost ready to share with the world.
“I’m so proud of this album. It is the truest, most honest reflection of who I am right now. It’s freaky, fun, dark, sexy, and obviously, it shreds HARD.” e way soon.
#kingmeimeirocks