While many YouTube videos are uploaded in hopes of getting discovered, Burnham began uploading his videos for a different reason. Having written a few songs about what he described as teenage angst, Burnham uploaded the videos onto Youtube so that his brother would be able to see them at college.
Filmed in Burnham's bedroom, the two videos were done very simply. Burnham in fact later said that instead of actually having a tripod, the camera filming was simply placed on a pile of books. The two videos both featured noting more than Burnham playing the piano and singing his two songs, "My Little Secret" and "My Whole Family Thinks I'm Gay." The videos had unexpected success, both of them now having over a million hits each. Since then, Burnham has gone on to release a total of 14 videos of himself singing comedic songs that he wrote.
Burnham's comedy comes from his R-rated lyrics, most of them unprintable, which poke fun of anyone and everyone including himself. He sings songs which talk about white supremacy, Helen Keller's disabilities, pedophilia, homosexuality and more, all with a tongue planted firmly in his cheek attitude. Burnham describes his on stage persona as a "more arrogant, stuck-up version [of] himself." In addition to their R-rated tone, Burnham's lyrics are also well known for their sly puns that always seem to work surprisingly well: "Lets rob an Asian kitchen, or stroll down the block, either way girl, we're taking a walk" (Wok)
