BoyWithUke is finally awake. With Burnout—Charley Yang’s final album under the mysterious moniker that took him around the world from his bedroom—BoyWithUke is ready to trade in the mask and ukulele for a life fully on his own terms. Since BoyWithUke was a kid, moving from South Korea to Massachusetts, he experienced what so many other first-generation immigrants go through: the feeling of not belonging anywhere and, in turn, building a mountain of self-created pressure that made him feel inadequate in all circles. Now he’s in a headspace to unpack that baggage through his music.
From the moment his Minute Long Songs on TikTok took off in 2020, BoyWithUke’s life has been moving at the speed of light: tallying nearly 1.5 billion streams, his breakout single “Toxic” reached Platinum status and cracked Top 1 at Alternative radio, and his performance of the song remained as the #1 most viewed Genius Open Mic video to date. His breakout is followed by multiple Platinum records, including “Two Moons,” “IDGAF (with blackbear),” and “Understand.” He won the hearts of billions online, playing sold-out headline shows internationally and winning the applause of Billboard, Consequence, Ones To Watch, Indie Shuffle, and many more. But the unexpected success in billions of streams and views cut through like a double-edged sword, opening doors to incredible opportunities but also deeper feelings of self-doubt that led to an identity crisis and the decision to remove his signature glowing mask. As American Songwriter puts it: “His big reveal marked a new incarnation for BoyWithUke—and sound, leaving out his famed ukulele and clearing the space to reveal more personal lyrics and the pulse of something different.”
Burnout is a product of roughly a year of the now 22-year-old BoyWithUke evolving his sound, his live show, and his own work-life balance. The album title comes from a passage he stumbled upon from a psychologist: “The notion of burnout (itself a metaphor) indicates that we have used up a limited quantity of something too quickly because we were burning the candle at both ends.” He admits, “I was feeling tired just because it’s been go, go, go since I started. I read that and I was like, ‘Oh cool. Makes sense. I’m not alone in this feeling.’ There was a period last year where that wasn’t the case. I think I had some real identity issues with who I am. Like, am I this extroverted character or am I Charley Yang? But now I think I’ve found a really good balance of work and personal life.”
Charley Yang has been going through many changes in his life while being BoyWithUke, from getting out of his first long-term relationship of four years to getting out of a major label deal. “For the longest time, I had made songs to impress this person I was in love with as well as music executives, and once that was gone, things felt weird. I felt a little bit lost, but in a larger and more positive way, I felt free with freedom to make mistakes and basically whatever I wanted—I think that’s what Burnout is,” Yang explains.
Sonically, he’s graduated to producing stadium-level songs that still preserve his singular skill to be vulnerable. He knows that some fans might not immediately be drawn to the new direction of mixing in more electronic elements, unconventional song structures, and how big it all feels, but BoyWithUke is finally in a place to make music for himself. Lyrically, he tackles themes of love, specifically when juggling his own life and fame, letting go of the past, and personal trauma that goes deeper than ever before to show not just who the man behind the mask is but also how he came to be.
“I would love for fans to get a good story out of the album,” says Yang. “Looking back, the entire project was basically written in chronological order after my breakup. I definitely went through a bit of a fuckboy phase, which was quickly followed by sadness and guilt over the end of my first long-term relationship, and in the end, I was able to heal and change for the better. I also hope this album can help fans grow and change. A lot of my older music was created during some of the worst years of my life, and for people to resonate so well with the lyrics is both good and bad. Hopefully, the fans can also heal and move forward with their lives.”
Lead-off singles “Ghost” and “Can You Feel It?” serve as a perfect, familiar stepping stone from the “dream” era of BoyWithUke before he fully adopts his legal name, Charley Yang. Songs like “Paper Planes” and “Corduroy” show his musical maturation with some of the most poignant lines he’s penned: “My jacket made of corduroy/Know what I stand to lose/My life, my soul, my time, my head, my thoughts, my sweet and sour youth/I can’t let go of who I was but I can cut myself in two/And I can’t pick up all the pieces and let everybody choose.”
While both started with different points of origin (anti-war sentiments and a nasty breakup, respectively), the end results are similar: a beautiful, slightly dark stream of consciousness. The final singles leading up to the record, “Gaslight” and “Pitfalls,” echo each other thematically and act as reciprocations of each other. “Gaslight” details the toxicity of a person who unknowingly blames the other person in the relationship with little self-awareness, with spiteful, insinuating electronic beats. On the other hand, “Pitfalls” is a whimsical, tender ballad that introspectively addresses one’s own wrongdoings.
“I’ve had to reflect a lot throughout the creation of this album and even now. I think it’s important to consistently check in with yourself and make sure you’re not becoming an asshole,” says Yang. “Also, for the record, I resonate with only the first half of ‘Gaslight.’ I haven’t slept with any of my partners’ sisters. I just thought it would be fun to add a little plot twist,” Yang jokes.
“Easier,” the album’s official closer—bonus track not included—captures some of this newfound sense of freedom. “‘Easier’ was written about my breakup,” says Yang. “How things became ironically easier, like getting out of bed, driving to places, and how addressing your feelings and ultimately letting go of the past is a necessary step for growth and moving forward. It’s definitely the most personal.”
He’ll admit that he hasn’t figured it out all the way. With this freedom now to lean into the music he wants to put out into the world comes the pressure of the unknown, which fed into his unhealthy strive for perfection. But the fact that he’s actually trying is giving him a peace that he hasn’t felt before—a peace he hopes for all of his fans.
Part of his solution is dedicating his time to learning more about elevating his live shows with a band and special effects: “I’m getting goosebumps talking about it. I’m just so excited to change stuff up with special moments that aren’t really available other than a live show.” Since working with drummer Aaron Sterling on the album—which is a first for BoyWithUke—he’s been thinking up a master plan to deliver an experience to his fans that matches the complexity and layers captured on the album. And that includes bringing a full band instead of performing solo on stage.
“My favorite moment as BoyWithUke has been touring as a whole,” he adds. “I’ve been able to meet and work with so many amazing people and visit so many different places. And to perform music to people I’ve never met in my life is unreal. Everyone is so wholesome and full of love, and honestly, I could go on for hours as to why touring is so cool. I love getting to just fuck around with friends for a living.”
Time for all the side quests, BoyWithUke.
