Who is Tay Zonday?
Adam Bahner, now under his created stage name of Tay Zonday, turned an apartment filmed music video into appearances on CNN, Jimmy Kimmel, Carson Daly, ABC, Playboy TV, VH1 and Opie and Anthony’s radio show. Pieces were written about him in the LA Times, People magazine, Wall Street Journal and on and on and on. He was officially a fad.
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 its accompanying video. An American Studies graduate student at the University of Minnesota, Zonday was not permitted 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 such as Napster became available. Within one month of releasing “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 as well as 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, hinged on a number of juxtapositions within the video. There is Zonday’s baritone voice in contrast with his youthful
His YouTube profile says he’s 25 years old and he has a natural baritone voice. His handful of homemade music videos feature covers, karaoke, classical arrangements, and original songs. And from this small collection of music, Tay Zonday has a huge following. By far, the most popular of his videos is the staccato piano-driven “Chocolate Rain.” Originally introduced 3 months ago, it’s been viewed nearly 4 million times. Whether they’re curious about the lyrics, the stark production, or the seemingly mismatched voice with the baby-faced singer, searchers are dialing up “tay zonday” (+46%). Interest in the vocalist is overwhelmingly male, with 74% of dudes checking up on him. Queries on the song range from plain old “chocolate rain” to “chocolate rain lyrics” to “chocolate rain youtube.” The weirdly addictive tune has inspired remixes, including Darth Vader, McGruff the Crime Dog, and even John Mayer on VH1’s “Best Week Ever.” Will Zonday come up with another more popular meme, or is he a
