TikTok's Rodger Cleye Trend Has Taken the App by Storm With Musical Comedy

Alexa, play Jay-Z featuring J. Cole’s “A Star s Born.”

It’s no secret that TikTok has been responsible for catapulting the careers of stars — from Olivia Rodrigo to Dixie D’Amelio. Like the latter, the app has also made everyday people celebrities in their own right.

And it appears that TikTok’s next star may very well be Rodger Cleye.

The middle-aged man has been entertaining the masses with his unique vocals and covers of today’s hottest songs. And in true TikTok fashion, Rodger has become a trend that has gone viral.

So, what and who is the Rodger Cleye trend all about? Here’s everything that we know.

Avid TikToker users are probably familiar with the name Rodger Cleye. Rodger, who hails from Lake Forest, Calif., is known on the short-form video app for his rendition of various hit songs.

As a result, Rodger currently has 3.2 million followers and counting.

While we can agree that he has a voice, it’s the songs that he chooses to cover that are quite entertaining for viewers — from “Hero” by Enrique Iglesias to “Lose You to Love Me” by Selena Gomez.

Fans have been quite taken with his rendition of Nicki Minaj’s Billboard hit song “Super Freaky Girl.”

The hilarious video has not only earned Rodger 3.2 million likes but also garnered more than 20 million views and counting.

Judging by the comments on Rodger’s Nicki Minaj cover, the Barbs are pleased with his valiant effort.

While Rodger’s videos may seem to be nothing but entertainment for viewers, he shared that music has been very instrumental in his life.

“Music fills my head at all times,” Rodger shared on his Songtradr account. “It helps me cope with life. I have always had a great love for music. 28 years ago, I was a 28-year-old frustrated male. I was trying to make sense of the world around me. The dating scene was (is I imagine) quite confusing. I also needed to learn how to apply my BSEE degree as that is what turned out to pay the bills in my journey of life."

Rodger continued, “I learned from every relationship I was exposed to. But more importantly, I wrote all my feelings down. I put them to music and produced it on an '80s synthesizer and a guitar my mom gave me at age 27 (I had never played any instrument before that). It was therapy for me. There were plenty of relationships that had gone wrong to write about. This simply helped me deal. I had no outlet to distribute those songs. They sat on my hard drive for the last 28 years! Finally, I bring them to you. I hope they comfort you as they have me through the years!"

Rodger’s voice is truly one in a million. And since Rodger has thousands of videos with covers of popular artists ranging from hip-hop to country, it’s easy for users to clip his singing into their TikTok videos.

And once one user clipped Rodger’s head with him singing in one of their videos, the trend quickly grew legs overnight.

Some of the most popular POV content with Rodger’s vocals includes TikToker @Rachel’s video of her describing her emotional state dealing with her boyfriend.

“POV: My boyfriend tells me that he’s gonna go hang out with the guys on Friday night,” the text reads as Rodger sings Christina Perri’s “Jar of Hearts.”

Another video shared by TikToker @eviepevielemonsqueezie’s showcases a POV edit of her feeling when a guy she likes does the bare minimum.

In the TikTok, Rodger is edited in singing Olivia Newton-John’s “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” with a laptop opened with a screen that reads “22 Signs You’re Falling in Love, According to Therapists.” Hilarious!

TikTok users appreciate originality and entertainment. Since Rodger sings to the beat of his own drum, we expect a surge of more POV videos with Rodger’s singing to take over the app.

So yes, a star has indeed been born.