By Ju-min Park
SEOUL, Aug 13 (Reuters) – A chubby, rapping singer with
slicked-back hair and a tacky suit is the latest musical
sensation to burst upon the world from South Korea, via a
YouTube music video that has been seen by over 20 million people
in under a month.
In a nation famed for the pretty-boy but often bland bands
of K-Pop, nobody was more surprised by the success of the video
“Gangnam Style” than its creator, Psy, a musician with a
decade-long career in his homeland who never thought to break
overseas.
“The YouTube video never targeted foreign countries. It was
for local fans,” Psy told Reuters on the sidelines of a concert
at the weekend.
“My goal in this music video was to look uncool until the
end. I achieved it.”
Decked out in a bow tie and suit jackets varying from pink
to baby blue, as well as a towel for one sequence set in a
sauna, the 34-year-old Psy busts funky moves based on
horse-riding in venues ranging from playgrounds to subways.
The video has been viewed by more than 26 million since
mid-July, eclipsing the total for pop star Justin Bieber’s most
recent effort, according to YouTube. Parodies have popped up in
South Korea and the United States, and the tune was used as part
of Stockholm’s Pride Parade earlier this month.
Even a few of South Korea’s normally staid presidential
candidates are imitating Psy’s moves in an appeal to voters.
The song, released in mid-July, was meant as a commentary on
the rampant materialism and emphasis on appearance of today’s
South Korea – particularly in relation to Gangnam, which Psy
terms Seoul’s Beverly Hills.
“It is too hot, and the economy is so bad,” said Psy, whose
real name is Park Jai-sang. “So I just wanted the song – lyrics,
dances and everything – to be full of gusto.”
At one point enrolled in a U.S. business school by his
traditional parents, who wanted their son to inherit the family
business, Psy confessed to sneaking out and buying musical
instruments with his tuition money.
“Since when I was very small, I have been looking for
something fun,” he said. “If I did not do music, I would most
likely have been a loser. I was very lazy – just drinks, clubs
and ladies. That was fun at that time.”
Eventually graduating from the Berklee College of Music in
the United States, Psy rose to fame with a 2001 debut album. But
he landed in hot water several times – once for smoking
marijuana and later for trouble over his mandatory military
service.
Known for his brash style, catchy beat and kitschy antics,
Psy specialises in high-energy and outrageous performances. At a
weekend concert that packed a Seoul stadium, he staged a parody
of Lady Gaga – complete with fake breasts that he set on fire.
“He makes people crazy, real crazy,” said Yoon Sun-sik, a
29-year-old fan. “He has the power to blow away all the stress
in the world with one punch.”
(Reporting by Ju-min Park, additional reporting by Hyunyoung
Yi; Editing by Elaine Lies)
