Tay Zonday gained fame in 2007 with his viral hit “Chocolate Rain” and subsequent media appearances. He was not allowed to listen to pop music growing up but downloaded it secretly. Zonday’s baritone voice, puzzling lyrics, and amateur video quality contributed to the song’s popularity. Zonday has released other original songs and collaborated with brands. He represents a category of YouTube celebrities who have used viral videos to gain mainstream success.
Born Adam Nyerere Bahner on July 6, 1982, Tay Zonday is a singer, songwriter and keyboardist who first gained fame in 2007 through his original song, “Chocolate Rain” and accompanying video. An American studies graduate student at the University of Minnesota, Zonday was not allowed to listen to pop music growing up. Unbeknownst to his parents at the time, to whom many of his songs are dedicated, he began downloading popular music from the Internet once services like Napster became available.
Within a month of the release of “Chocolate Rain” on the Internet, Tay Zonday was invited to appear on the Opie & Anthony Show, which led to subsequent media exposure soon after on Jimmy Kimmel Live, CNN, Foxnews and on the front page of Sunday’s Los Angeles Times.
The viral appeal and popularity of “Chocolate Rain,” which has been viewed over 28 million times on YouTube, was down to a number of juxtapositions within the video. There’s Zonday’s baritone voice contrasted with her youthful looks; the song’s repetitive, synthesized chorus and its puzzling lyrics; and the amateur quality of the video itself, which appears to have been staged in a home recording studio and is captioned with the phrase “** I step away from the mic to breathe.”
Several Mash-Ups and parody videos of “Chocolate Rain” have also circulated on the Internet after its debut. Established artists such as Green Day, John Mayer and Weezer have also taken turns parodying video in their own work. Tay Zonday gained more mainstream recognition when she teamed up with Dr. Pepper to star in a commercial promoting the Dr. Pepper Cherry Chocolate drink. Zonday also appeared in a commercial for Comedy Central’s Last Laugh 07.
In addition to “Chocolate Rain”, Tay Zonday has released other original songs such as “Demon on the Dance Floor”, “Do the Can’t Dance”, “The Only Way” and the autobiographical “Internet Dream”. From time to time, Zonday engages in discussions with fans about the meaning of his lyrics on his personal MySpace page.
Tay Zonday is a popular example of the YouTube celebrity phenomenon made possible through viral videos in recent years. Other YouTube celebrities include Obama Girl, The Star Wars Kid and The Bus Uncle. While some viral video stars have become YouTube celebrities based on spontaneous videos or without their consent, Tay Zonday represents a category of YouTube celebrities who have exploited the viral nature of the Internet to gain mainstream relevance and success.
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