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In July 2007, Zonday went from a grad student in ], ]<ref></ref> to appearances on national television. He appeared on the '']'',<ref></ref> ] '']'', ]’s '']'',<ref></ref> '']'', '']'', and ]<ref></ref><ref name=People/> where he performed "Chocolate Rain" on national television a little over three months after he posted his composition on YouTube. He made the front page of Sunday's '']'' on August 12, 2007 with additional features in The '']'', The '']''''s '']'', The '']''<ref></ref> and '']''<ref name=People/> and has appeared on ]<ref></ref> for a televised interview. He also has appeared on ]. On February 12, 2008, he appeared on the television show '']'' on BBC Three, and performed a cover of ]'s debut hit "]". In March 2008 this popular video won a YouTube-award in the category "Music", and he was also spoofed in the '']'' episode "]". Zonday also appeared in a spoof of ] by ]. In July 2007, Zonday went from a grad student in ], ]<ref></ref> to appearances on national television. He appeared on the '']'',<ref></ref> ] '']'', ]’s '']'',<ref></ref> '']'', '']'', and ]<ref></ref><ref name=People/> where he performed "Chocolate Rain" on national television a little over three months after he posted his composition on YouTube. He made the front page of Sunday's '']'' on August 12, 2007 with additional features in The '']'', The '']''''s '']'', The '']''<ref></ref> and '']''<ref name=People/> and has appeared on ]<ref></ref> for a televised interview. He also has appeared on ]. On February 12, 2008, he appeared on the television show '']'' on BBC Three, and performed a cover of ]'s debut hit "]". In March 2008 this popular video won a YouTube-award in the category "Music", and he was also spoofed in the '']'' episode "]". Zonday also appeared in a spoof of ] by ].


The ]n '']'' newspaper wrote: "Tay Zonday has written perhaps the most listened to song in the world right now."<ref>{{cite news |first=Garth |last=Montgomery |title=Chocolate Rain goes huge |url=http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22170787-5012327,00.html |work=Daily Telegraph |publisher=News Limited. |date=August 1, 2007 |accessdate=2007-08-09 }}</ref> '']'' said: “He's scored a YouTube hit with his repetitive, ]-driven "Chocolate Rain", and after a recent appearance on '']'', Tay Zonday's star is shining even brighter.”<ref Name=People>{{cite news |first=Brian |last=Orloff |title='Chocolate Rain' YouTube Sensation Makes TV Debut |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20050678,00.html |work=People |publisher=Time Inc. |date=August 9, 2007 |accessdate=2007-08-09 }} </ref> The article also noted that celebrity musicians paid tribute to the song as its popularity rapidly peaked in August 2007. Singer ] reportedly mimicked Zonday's keyboard riff with his guitar in concert,<ref name="Concert Review: John Mayer brings soul to Nashville">{{Citation | last = Keiper | first = Nicole | title = Concert Review: John Mayer brings soul to Nashville | newspaper = The Tennessean | date= August 4, 2007 | url = http://www.ashlandcitytimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070804/ENTERTAINMENT0106/70804002}}</ref><ref name="Jennifer Lopez And Marc Anthony Roll Out">{{Citation | last = MTV News Staff | title = Jennifer Lopez And Marc Anthony Roll Out Tour Dates; Plus Lindsay Lohan, Gwen Stefani, Nas, Amy Winehouse & More, In For The Record | newspaper = MTV News | date= August 6, 2007 | url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1566402/20070806/lopez_jennifer.jhtml}}</ref> along with appearing on '']'' {{dead link|date=February 2010}} to the tune of ]'s "]".<ref>{{dead link|date=February 2010}}</ref> ] drummer ] recorded a cover of "Chocolate Rain" which he .<ref name=Undercover>{{cite news |first=Tim |last=Cashmere |title=Green Day Drummer Tre Cool Covers Tay Zonday |url=http://undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=2560 |work=Undercover |publisher= |date=August 3, 2007 |accessdate=2007-08-09 }}</ref> Zonday also became the subject of thousands of other parodies and remixes on YouTube. A clip of his video was also shown on ]'s '']'', a new series.<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref> Zonday has been interviewed twice on ], in March and November 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2747938/ |title=Tay Zonday |accessdate=2009-01-12 |publisher=IBDB}}</ref> The ]n '']'' newspaper wrote: "Tay Zonday has written pornographic newspapers perhaps the most listened to song in the world right now."<ref>{{cite news |first=Garth |last=Montgomery |title=Chocolate Rain goes huge |url=http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22170787-5012327,00.html |work=Daily Telegraph |publisher=News Limited. |date=August 1, 2007 |accessdate=2007-08-09 }}</ref> '']'' said: “He's scored a YouTube hit with his repetitive, ]-driven "Chocolate Rain", and after a recent appearance on '']'', Tay Zonday's star is shining even brighter.”<ref Name=People>{{cite news |first=Brian |last=Orloff |title='Chocolate Rain' YouTube Sensation Makes TV Debut |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20050678,00.html |work=People |publisher=Time Inc. |date=August 9, 2007 |accessdate=2007-08-09 }} </ref> The article also noted that celebrity musicians paid tribute to the song as its popularity rapidly peaked in August 2007. Singer ] reportedly mimicked Zonday's keyboard riff with his guitar in concert,<ref name="Concert Review: John Mayer brings soul to Nashville">{{Citation | last = Keiper | first = Nicole | title = Concert Review: John Mayer brings soul to Nashville | newspaper = The Tennessean | date= August 4, 2007 | url = http://www.ashlandcitytimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070804/ENTERTAINMENT0106/70804002}}</ref><ref name="Jennifer Lopez And Marc Anthony Roll Out">{{Citation | last = MTV News Staff | title = Jennifer Lopez And Marc Anthony Roll Out Tour Dates; Plus Lindsay Lohan, Gwen Stefani, Nas, Amy Winehouse & More, In For The Record | newspaper = MTV News | date= August 6, 2007 | url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1566402/20070806/lopez_jennifer.jhtml}}</ref> along with appearing on '']'' {{dead link|date=February 2010}} to the tune of ]'s "]".<ref>{{dead link|date=February 2010}}</ref> ] drummer ] recorded a cover of "Chocolate Rain" which he .<ref name=Undercover>{{cite news |first=Tim |last=Cashmere |title=Green Day Drummer Tre Cool Covers Tay Zonday |url=http://undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=2560 |work=Undercover |publisher= |date=August 3, 2007 |accessdate=2007-08-09 }}</ref> Zonday also became the subject of thousands of other parodies and remixes on YouTube. A clip of his video was also shown on ]'s '']'', a new series.<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref> Zonday has been interviewed twice on ], in March and November 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2747938/ |title=Tay Zonday |accessdate=2009-01-12 |publisher=IBDB}}</ref>


Zonday has also been referenced in episodes of ], ], ] and ].<ref>]</ref> Zonday has also been referenced in episodes of ], ], ] and ].<ref>]</ref>

Revision as of 12:54, 20 May 2010

Tay Zonday
Musical artist

Adam Nyerere Bahner (born July 6, 1982), better known by the pseudonym Tay Zonday, is an American musician, voice actor, and film actor. He entered mainstream exposure when his song "Chocolate Rain" and accompanying video on YouTube became a popular Internet meme in July 2007. As of May 15, 2010, it had more than 51 million views.

Media response

In July 2007, Zonday went from a grad student in Minneapolis, Minnesota to appearances on national television. He appeared on the Opie & Anthony Show, G4TV's Attack of the Show!, VH1’s Best Week Ever, Lily Allen and Friends, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Maury where he performed "Chocolate Rain" on national television a little over three months after he posted his composition on YouTube. He made the front page of Sunday's Los Angeles Times on August 12, 2007 with additional features in The Toronto Star, The Chicago Tribune''s RedEye, The Star Tribune and People and has appeared on CNN for a televised interview. He also has appeared on Fox News. On February 12, 2008, he appeared on the television show Lily Allen and Friends on BBC Three, and performed a cover of Lily Allen's debut hit "Smile". In March 2008 this popular video won a YouTube-award in the category "Music", and he was also spoofed in the South Park episode "Canada on Strike". Zonday also appeared in a spoof of Baby by Justin Bieber.

The Australian Daily Telegraph newspaper wrote: "Tay Zonday has written pornographic newspapers perhaps the most listened to song in the world right now." People said: “He's scored a YouTube hit with his repetitive, keyboard-driven "Chocolate Rain", and after a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Tay Zonday's star is shining even brighter.” The article also noted that celebrity musicians paid tribute to the song as its popularity rapidly peaked in August 2007. Singer John Mayer reportedly mimicked Zonday's keyboard riff with his guitar in concert, along with appearing on Best Week Ever improvising a parody to the tune of Nelly Furtado's "Say It Right". Green Day drummer Tré Cool recorded a cover of "Chocolate Rain" which he posted on Youtube. Zonday also became the subject of thousands of other parodies and remixes on YouTube. A clip of his video was also shown on CW11's Online Nation, a new series. Zonday has been interviewed twice on Good Morning America, in March and November 2008.

Zonday has also been referenced in episodes of The Office, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 30 Rock and South Park.

Career

Zonday starred in a commercial for Comedy Central's "Last Laugh 07", hosted by Lewis Black. He released a video titled "Cherry Chocolate Rain", in a promotion with Dr Pepper. He starred alongside Leslie Hall in a commercial for Firefox singing a song entitled "Users Against Boredom" in a parody of We Are The World. He appeared in-person at Intel's Consumer Electronics Show booth, rendering the source files of the "Chocolate Rain" Youtube video in Sony Vegas.

The Grammy-winning music video for rock band Weezer's single "Pork and Beans" featured Zonday along with other YouTube celebrities in May of 2008, spoofing his appearance in "Chocolate Rain"; as well, he performed an acoustic version of the song with Brian Bell of Weezer.

As a voice actor, Zonday voiced part of a multimedia presentation built to celebrate 50 years of NASA history. He also voiced a role in AdultSwim's Robot Chicken.

Zonday was featured on the "Jace Hall Show," where he was comically interviewed at a famous Hollywood restaurant in a play on the dissonance between internet-fame and the traditional entertainment industry.

In February 2010 Zonday cameoed in a Vizio Super Bowl commercial opened by Beyonce.

Biography

Zonday, who is of European and African descent, was a graduate student in American Studies at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2007 when he first came to attention. When asked about his racial identity he remarked:

The straight-faced answer is that I'm Martian. They don't have a box for me on the census form. I'm the write-in candidate that the government leaves no space for when you have to choose your race. Seriously, is race something you choose? The whole point is that I don't choose it. It is somebody else's shortcut to my soul. So journalists ask "what's your background?" like I'm supposed to retell someone else's story about me as though it's a fact of who I am and where I come from. As long as I talk about myself in fiction that someone else wrote, I might as well write my own fiction: I'm from Mars. Most believe the story that I'm a black mulatto.

He attended the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy between 1997 and 1998, leaving after his sophomore year. He then went on to earn his undergraduate degree at The Evergreen State College. According to an autobiographical video posted in YouTube, he originally wanted to be a college professor, but disliked it; changing professions was what inspired him to post music on YouTube. He has said that growing up, his parents did not allow him to listen to popular music. When music downloading services such as Napster came around, he began to secretly build a small collection of popular music. Zonday makes many references in interviews as to how much he loves his parents.

Tay describes himself as a "musical orphan", having no influences and not feeling particularly connected to any musicians or bands. Tay says his voice is often compared to Paul Robeson, Barry White, James Earl Jones, and Brad Roberts of the Crash Test Dummies.

According to his twitter page, Zonday presently resides in Los Angeles, California.

See also

References

  1. Profile on official site
  2. Official site
  3. Ryan, Joal (August 9, 2007). "The "Chocolate" Reign of Tay Zonday". E! Online. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
  4. ^ " "Chocolate Rain Singer Tay Zonday Still A Star". MYfox Phoenix. February 19, 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  5. Minneapolis City Pages: Rain Man
  6. YouTube: Tay Zonday on the Opie & Anthony Show
  7. YouTube: Chocolate Rain on Best Week Ever
  8. YouTube: Tay Zonday On Jimmy Kimmel
  9. ^ Orloff, Brian (August 9, 2007). "'Chocolate Rain' YouTube Sensation Makes TV Debut". People. Time Inc. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
  10. Music: 'Chocolate Rain' falls on YouTube star's hometown
  11. CNN.com - Transcripts
  12. Montgomery, Garth (August 1, 2007). "Chocolate Rain goes huge". Daily Telegraph. News Limited. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
  13. Keiper, Nicole (August 4, 2007), "Concert Review: John Mayer brings soul to Nashville", The Tennessean
  14. MTV News Staff (August 6, 2007), "Jennifer Lopez And Marc Anthony Roll Out Tour Dates; Plus Lindsay Lohan, Gwen Stefani, Nas, Amy Winehouse & More, In For The Record", MTV News
  15. John Mayer on Best Week Ever
  16. Cashmere, Tim (August 3, 2007). "Green Day Drummer Tre Cool Covers Tay Zonday". Undercover. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
  17. YouTube - Chocolate Rain Sung By McGruff The Crime Dog
  18. YouTube - Broadcast Yourself
  19. YouTube - Chocolate Rain McDonald's Spot / Tay Zonday
  20. "Tay Zonday". IBDB. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  21. Canada on Strike
  22. funnyguy1375 (2007-11-15). "Last Laugh 07 Chocolate Rain - Tay Zonday". YouTube. Retrieved 2009-01-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. YouTube - "Cherry Chocolate Rain" Original Song by Tay Zonday
  24. Riley, Duncan (2008-01-07). "Exclusive: Mozilla Secretly Launches A Viral Campaign For Firefox". Techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  25. channelintel (2008-01-07). "Chocolate Rain at CES". YouTube. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  26. YouTube - Pork & Beans Acoustic - Tay Zonday and Brian Bell
  27. "50th Anniversary of NASA". Nasa.gov. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  28. {cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2747938/ |title=Tay Zonday IMDB |publisher=IMDB |accessdate=2010-03-13}}
  29. Video: The Jace Hall Show with Tay Zonday, Gearbox (2008-06-27). "Video: The Jace Hall Show with Tay Zonday, Gearbox". GameArgus.com. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  30. "Make It Rain: Tay Zonday". HHNLive. Retrieved 2010-02-25. {{cite web}}: Text "HHNLive Interview" ignored (help)

External links

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