How to become a K-pop superstar — in 7 minutes | Charlene Kaye
TED Talks Daily
TED
4.1 • 12.1K Ratings
🗓️ 29 January 2026
⏱️ 9 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Want to become a K-pop superstar? Comedian and musician Charlene Kaye lays out the formula for breaking through in just a few easy steps, from rapping like a sexy baby to dancing like you’re making pizza in the Matrix. Part musical, part dance performance, part comedy show — this is your how-to guide for creating the next K-pop hit.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas and conversations to spark your curiosity every day. |
| 0:12.8 | I'm your host, Elise Hugh. I have been counting down the days until I could share this talk with you because it is from comedian and rock star |
| 0:22.2 | Charlene Kay who took to the TED stage in a brilliantly shiny silver jumpsuit to break down |
| 0:29.8 | a truly global phenomenon for us. It's part musical, part dance performance, part |
| 0:36.3 | comedy, part how to guide for becoming a K-pop |
| 0:41.4 | superstar. All I can say is enjoy. |
| 0:48.8 | Hello everyone. My name is Charlene Kay. I actually started my career out as a pop musician, |
| 1:00.9 | and after 20 years of grinding in the industry, the way I know that I've finally made it is that I am now |
| 1:06.4 | a stand-up comedian. And today, here at TED, |
| 1:11.4 | I'd like to talk about something |
| 1:12.5 | that I have been obsessed with for years, |
| 1:14.7 | which is K-pop. |
| 1:16.8 | Do we have any K-pop fans in here? |
| 1:19.0 | Oh, nice. |
| 1:20.4 | If not, don't worry, |
| 1:21.5 | there's nothing wrong with being a straight dude. |
| 1:25.6 | And if you love K-pop and you're a straight dude, |
| 1:29.0 | are you sure about that? |
| 1:32.2 | So you might think that it is extremely difficult to be a K-pop star. |
| 1:35.5 | You have to move to Korea, you have to do this whole training program, |
| 1:38.2 | and I'm here to tell you today that that's not true. |
| 1:41.1 | It's actually really easy to be a K-pop star. |
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