Posted on YouTube on July 15, 2012, the flamboyant music video became a runaway hit, with its horse-riding dance prompting thousands of imitations and parodies.
It was the first YouTube video to reach one billion views and It allowed Psy to achieve something that K-pop had always eluded: global recognition.
At the height of his popularity, the rapper was everywhere: sharing the stage with Madonna, leading a dance crowd in front of the Eiffel Tower, or performing in front of US President Barack Obama.
But “Gangnam Style” was a double-edged sword: fame brought the pressure to put out another mega-hit. Psy described it as one of the most difficult moments of her life.
Things got “heavier and harder because … every time I had to achieve this kind of success,” Psy told AFP in an interview last week at his company’s headquarters in Gangnam, the upmarket district of Seoul. who was mocked in the song.
“I had a huge dependency on the song (…) But you know, ten years ago, so now I’m really free,” explained the singer 44 years old.
The song not only transformed Psy’s career, but also the industry, proving that an artist who doesn’t use a dominant language like English can reach international audiences through the internet.
It also altered the way music hits are counted and pushed Billboard to take YouTube views and platform listeners into account.
Psy’s groundbreaking role and “Gagnam Style” has been recognized by some of the biggest names in K-pop, who are now amassing international fame.
“He’s been someone I’ve always been grateful to,” Suga, a member of the popular group BTS, said in a video last month. “With + Gangnam Style + paved the way for K-pop in America,” he added.
Psy, real name Park Jae-sang, was already a superstar in South Korea long before “Gangnam Style.”
Among his first references was Queen, whom he discovered with a video of his famous Wembley concert in 1986.
“I thought: I want to be a leader like him,” Freddie Mercury, Psy told AFP. “At the time, he wasn’t that good at music, not a very good singer…he was just a fun dancer.”
Going to college in the United States in the late 1990s, he lived through what many describe as a golden age of hiphop, with rappers like Tupac Shakur and The Notorious BIG.
“I literally listened to hip-hop every day on the radio.” “And I thought: If I can’t sing well, I have to rap. So I can be the leader,” she explained.
After debuting in 2001, he quickly made a name for himself with humorous and explosive performances and won several local awards.
Unusually controversial for a Korean star, several songs and video clips were rated Adults Only for their language.
After “Gangnam Style”, Psy has released three albums. Her latest, “Psy 9th,” was released in April by P NATION, the artist label and agency she founded in 2019.
Although further away from the spotlight, the rapper does not consider himself finished and divides his time between his music and his company.
And he remembers with affection and pride his great worldwide success.
“It’s the biggest and biggest trophy of my life,” he said. “When I do a show, it’s my most powerful weapon.”
It was demonstrated with a performance at a university in Seoul last week, in which the crowd accompanied each letter of the energetic show that also included songs from his early days, released before even the birth of his audience.
This brings you special satisfaction. “Nowadays, I’m like, +Wow, you’re so popular. They adore you!” “How lucky I am as an artist. I’m happier than ever these days.”
Source: Ambito
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