Charley Raiff
Charley Raiff is an American composer, producer, pianist and musical theater writer. He is the founder of the boutique synch collective Tuner Music,[1][2] co-creator of the viral 2025 musical short No Cap on Israel,[3] and the composer and librettist of the satirical musical Luxury Problems.[4]
Early life and education
Raiff was born in New York, NY on January 21st, 1992.[5] He grew up in Manhattan, where he developed an early interest in music. As a teenager, he attended Stagedoor Manor and the Interlochen Arts Academy, and participated in several New York–based pre-college programs in classical and jazz piano. In 2010 and 2011, he attended Berklee College of Music before transferring to The New School's College of Performing Arts.
Career
Early songwriting and collaboration
In 2015, Raiff was introduced to producer Dae Bennett, through an executive at UMG who produced Raiff's debut song cycle, In Persona.[6] The work explored themes of emotional maturation, social masks, toxic positivity, and millennial social-media culture. His songwriting and vocal style were noted for their melodic sophistication, drawing comparisons to Burt Bacharach and Elton John.
In 2016, Raiff served as musical assistant to Stew during the twice-extended run of The Total Bent[7] at The Public Theater. He later collaborated with him again during the artist's Stew-dio residency at JACK in Brooklyn.[8]
In 2017, Raiff recorded his second song cycle, Baby Blue, created in collaboration with Henry Hey, Nick Littlemore, and a diverse ensemble of New York session musicians and artists.
Tuner Music (2017–present)
In 2017, after developing a growing interest in avant-garde records, electronic production, and sampling, Raiff founded Tuner Music,[9] a boutique synch collective based in New York City. The company specializes in idiosyncratic, artist-driven music for advertising.
The collective is known for its genre-bending work with hybrid production techniques and local talent. Its roster has featured J. Hoard,[10] L'Freaq,[11] Latasha,[12] and DR King.[13]
Musical theater
Luxury Problems (2021–present)
Between 2021 and 2024, Raiff wrote the initial draft of Luxury Problems[14]. As the book and score developed, the satire expanded beyond its original concept to explore Manhattan's philanthropic elite, their performative generosity, and the social ecosystems that orbit wealth, and include American materialism at large.
The musical is directed by Danny Goldstein[15] and being developed by Lisa Dozier.[16]
In 2025, Jimmy Nederlander expressed interest in the project, recommending several revisions that shaped subsequent drafts. Industry observers have noted its position as one of the first American musical comedies to explicitly satirize Manhattan's philanthropic class.
A presentational reading is planned for February 2026.
No Cap on Israel (2025)
In 2025, Raiff composed the music and co-wrote the short musical comedy No Cap on Israel, created with Youtube channel nocapongod.[17] The piece quickly became a viral hit, amassing approximately 400,000 views.[18]
Musical style and influences
Raiff's composition style is noted for a mixture of pop sensibility, emotional honesty, and experimental production methods. He has cited influences including Jimmy Hendrix, Bob Dylan,[19] as well as collaborators of his collective like members of Empire of the Sun, David Bowie's Blackstar band, in addition to traditional musical theater writer/composers from New York George Gershwin and Frank Loesser.
Discography and works
Song Cycles
- In Persona (2015)
- Baby Blue (2017)
Musicals
- Luxury Problems (2021–present) – Composer and co-writer
- No Cap on Israel (2025) – Composer and co-writer
Other Works
- Action Plane (2009)
- Charley Raiff EP (2014)
Personal life
Raiff is married and lives in New York City. He is known to have an interest in baking, poetry, journalism, and general amusements. They adopted two cats from Animal Haven,[20] naming them Rabbi Bernstein and Rabbi Floofenberg. These are their second set of cat "Rabbis", having been preceded by Rabbi Cuddles and Rabbi Snuggles.
References
- ↑ "Tuner Music". Tuner Music. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
- ↑ Mayes-Osterman, Cybele (2020-02-27). "How to Build Careers in Music Without Going Broke ⋆ College Magazine". College Magazine. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
- ↑ no cap on god (2025-06-05). No Cap on Israel. Retrieved 2025-12-09 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Luxury Problems | A New Musical Satire". luxuryproblemsmusical.com. Archived from the original on 2025-08-13. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
- ↑ "Charles D Raiff". Access Date December 9, 2025. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ In Persona by Charley Raiff on Apple Music, 2016-03-03, retrieved 2025-12-09
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/26/theater/review-in-the-total-bent-a-father-son-rift-and-a-sensational-score.html
- ↑ "STEWDIO ZERO - program—JACK". jackny. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
- ↑ https://www.tuner-music.com
- ↑ https://ropeadope.com/jhoard
- ↑ https://www.lfreaq.com
- ↑ https://callmelatasha.com
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/drkingnyc/?hl=en
- ↑ https://luxuryproblemsmusical.com
- ↑ https://danielgoldsteincreative.com
- ↑ https://lisadozierproductions.com
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/@nocapongodfr
- ↑ no cap on god (2025-06-05). No Cap on Israel. Retrieved 2025-12-09 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Checkerphil (2015-03-28). Charley Raiff on the Checkerboard Kids. Retrieved 2025-12-09 – via YouTube.
- ↑ https://animalhaven.org
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