Did you know that Ricky Gervais was part of a New Wave group whose music was influenced by David Bowie, Wham! and Duran Duran? His childhood dream was to become a music superstar. Things turned out differently, and now we know Gervais for his jokes rather than his tunes. But you know what? There are plenty of comedians out there who specialise in delivering their punchlines through song, living out two dreams—of music stardom and comedy success—in one go. For World Music Day, we’ve decided to showcase some of the artists who excel at blending together our two favourite genres of entertainment—comedy and music.

Tom Cardy

If you love musical comedy, Tom Cardy is your man. His material takes aim at self-professed woke soft boys who hit on their partner’s friends, the Tinder match obsessed with ambiguous messages or the mate who won’t help you find your keys. All of this comes in the form of catchy tunes, sometimes laced with body-thumping techno beats or the digitally manipulated sound of a mouth harp. Zany. Profane at times. Self-deprecating. He’s all of those things but most importantly, he’s funny as hell.

Steve Martin

Steve Martin is truly the master of musical comedy. Equipped with a banjo and a brain full of punchlines, Martin marries the unconventional and the unpredictable with such ease, it almost always results in the audience dissolving into laughter. His act, one of the hottest ticket sellers of the ’70s, included his famous song King Tut, which details the famous Egyptian king’s funk factor. Over the years, he leaned further into his musical career, acing it with a Grammy win for his 2009 album The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo.

Tenacious D

From High Fidelity to School of Rock, Jack Black has spent his career playing wannabe rockers on the big screen. In a lesser-known role, he also played Paul McCartney in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Now, that’s a dream come true for rock n’ roll nerds. But it’s been his comedy-rock band Tenacious D that has allowed Black to live out his rockstar fantasies in the real world. With heavy tones and grungy riffs, Black and partner in crime Kyle Gass, manage to satirise and pay tribute to the music they grew up on, all at once. With now-classic songs like Kielbasa—which has less to do with the actual sausage than what Black and Gass have in their pants—the duo channel their raunchy side to deliver some kickass music which will make you fall out of your seat, either from laughter or from the sheer power of rock ‘n roll.

Garfunkel and Oates 

Imagine a folksy ballad sung by two innocent-sounding women. Except they’re not trying to serenade a lover or talking about a lost love. They’re listing all the differences between handjobs and blowjobs. Kate Micucci and Riki Lindhome are comedians and actresses in their own right, but together they form the incredibly talented musical duo, Garfunkel and Oates. Their lyrics often contrast starkly with the cutesy chord progressions so don’t get all wide-eyed at the things they say. Theirs is an honest take on life as a 21st-century woman. Micucci and Lindhome have found great success in their musical journey. You can check out one of their many commercial triumphs on The Big Bang Theory, where the duo ghostwrote If I Didn’t Have You (Bernadette’s Song). 

Flight of the Conchords 

Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement started off as just a couple of New Zealanders singing funny tunes before earning a cult following for their “acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk” music outfit, Flight of the Conchords. After hitting up a bunch of music festivals and releasing a short documentary showcasing their know-how of musical comedy and filmmaking, the duo got their big break on HBO with an eponymous series in 2007. The pair adroitly channel their nerdy and quiet personas into their music as they explore relationships, and sexual expectations and sing about xenophobic fruit vendors and David Bowie getting stuck in space. It’s all a toss-up, but it works incredibly. Listen to their bops, you’re not going to be disappointed.

Bo Burnham

This list can’t be complete without Bo Burnham. The 32-year-old comedian has four comedy albums to his name already, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. Burnham’s humour borders on the non-traditional. Like, knocking over a bottle only to break into song and dance about how it was all just a ruse. On top of that, the music really does slap with beautiful guitars and synths stacked on top of each other. His musical talents aren’t just limited to the comedy stage. You can also catch him channelling an angry teenage pop-star on Parks and Recreation. He’s just nailed it. You’ve got to watch it for yourself.