Park Jae-sang (, ; born December 31, 1977), known professionally as Psy (stylized in
all caps
In typography, all caps (short for "all capitals") refers to text or a font in which all letters are capital letters, for example: "THIS TEXT IS IN ALL CAPS". All caps may be used for emphasis (for a word or phrase). They are commonly seen in l ...
as PSY) (; ; ), is a South Korean singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Psy is known domestically for his humorous videos and stage performances, and internationally for his hit single "
Gangnam Style". The song's refrain was entered into ''
The Yale Book of Quotations
''The Yale Book of Quotations'' is a quotations collection focusing on modern and American quotations. Edited by Fred R. Shapiro, it was published by Yale University Press in 2006 with a foreword by Joseph Epstein, . Prior to publication it was re ...
'' as one of the most famous quotations of 2012.
On December 21, 2012, his music video for "Gangnam Style" exceeded one billion views on YouTube, becoming the first video to do so in the website's history. Psy was subsequently recognized by the media as the King of YouTube. As of March 2022, it is the eleventh
most viewed video on YouTube, with over 4 billion views.
In December 2012, MTV noted Psy's rise from being little known outside South Korea, to being hailed as the "Viral Star of 2012". On December 31, 2012, Psy performed in a
globally televised New Year's Eve celebration with American rapper
MC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American rapper, dancer, record producer and entrepreneur. He is known for hit songs such as " U Can't Touch This", "2 Legit 2 Quit" ...
on-stage in front of a live audience of over a million people in
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
, New York City. Following his departure from YG Entertainment in 2018, he founded his own company, P Nation, in 2019.
Early life
Park Jae-sang was born on December 31, 1977,
to an affluent family in the
Gangnam District
Gangnam District ( ; , ) is one of the 25 local government districts which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Gangnam translates to "South of the ( Han) River". Gangnam District is the third largest district in Seoul, with an area of . ...
of
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
, South Korea. His father, Park Won-Ho, is the executive chairman of
DI Corporation
DI Corporation is a South Korean company involved in the manufacture and supply of semiconductors test equipments and computer chips. DI stands for Dongil.
Ownership
Its executive chairman is Park Won-ho, father of the K-Pop artist PSY, who releas ...
, a manufacturer of
semiconductor manufacturing equipment listed on the
Korea Exchange
Korea Exchange (KRX) is the sole securities exchange operator in South Korea. It is headquartered in Busan, and has an office for cash markets and market oversight in Seoul.
History
The Korea Exchange was created through the integration of Ko ...
. His mother, Kim Young-hee, owns several restaurants in Gangnam.
Park attended Banpo (반포) Elementary and Middle Schools and Sehwa (세화) High School.
He disliked school and was known as the
class clown
''Class Clown'' is the fourth album released by American comedian George Carlin. It was recorded on May 27, 1972 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California, and released in September.
Background
At the time Carlin was rel ...
. In an interview on South Korea's
Seoul Broadcasting System, a former teacher of Park said: "I remember Psy making a lot of
sexual jokes during class. He had such a big influence that he would drive the entire class to his jokes. I disliked him at the time, but looking back, I see that he added a great energy to the class."
Park told CNN's
Alina Cho
Alina Cho is an American journalist who was a television correspondent and former host of CNN's "Fashion: Backstage Pass", and is an Editor at Large at Ballantine Bantam Dell, a division of Penguin Random House. Cho is responsible for developing ...
that when he was 15 years old, he watched a Korean TV programme that introduced foreign pop music. One particular episode showed
a concert at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...
held by the British rock band
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
where they performed their 1975 hit single "
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released as the lead single from their fourth album, '' A Night at the Opera'' (1975). Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, the song is a six-minute suite, notable for its lack o ...
". Park said it was this concert footage that sparked his love for music.
Music career
1996–2000: Brief study in the United States and career beginnings
![Gangnam Style PSY 17logo (8037750783)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Gangnam_Style_PSY_17logo_%288037750783%29.jpg)
As part of preparations to take over DI Corporation from his father, Park had originally planned to study
business administration at
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...
in 1996. However, upon his arrival in the United States, he lost interest in his studies, spending his remaining tuition funds on musical instruments and entertainment equipment, including a computer, an electric keyboard, and a
MIDI
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...
interface. After attending an English-language summer course and studying for one semester, Park dropped out of Boston University and applied to study at
Berklee College of Music instead. During his time at Berklee, Park took core curriculum lessons in ear training, contemporary writing and music synthesis, but he soon dropped out and returned to South Korea to pursue a career as a singer, without having attained a degree from either Boston University or Berklee.
Psy was found by South Korean rapper
zoPD and featured in the song "카사노바" from his second album ''In Stardom Version 2.0'' in 1999.
In South Korea, Psy made his first appearance on Korean national television in 2000 after his dancing caught the eye of a TV producer.
2001–2002: ''Psy from the Psycho World!'', controversy, and domestic success
In January 2001, Psy debuted his full-length album ''
Psy from the Psycho World!
''Psy from the Psycho World!'' is the debut album by South Korean singer Psy. The album was released on February 12, 2001. The album contains 19 songs. Track 11 "I Love Sex" is a re-make of Lee Jung-hyun's song "I Love X", featured on her debut a ...
'', for which he was fined by South Korean government authorities due to his album's "inappropriate content". Psy was a rookie
hip hop singer that stirred up the Korean pop music scene with very blunt lyrics, peculiar dance moves and an unconventional appearance that earned him the nickname "The Bizarre Singer(엽기가수)".
His second album ''Sa 2'' also created controversy upon its release in 2002, earning complaints from civil groups due to the potentially negative influence his album would have on children and teenagers. Since then, Psy has been thought of as a controversial artist, and ''Sa 2'' was banned in 2002 from being sold to the under-19 set. In September of the same year, Psy released his third album ''3 Psy''. The album's title song, "Champion", saw great success partly due to the hype from the
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
games held in Seoul. Despite the significant amount of controversy surrounding his music, Psy was awarded songwriting accolades at the annual
Seoul Music Awards
The Seoul Music Awards (; SMA) is a major South Korean music awards show presented by the newspaper ''Sports Seoul''. The award winners are selected based on a combination of criteria, including music sales, popular votes, and expert judges' op ...
, marking his breakthrough in the South Korean music industry.
2003–2009: Military service, ''Ssajib'', and re-enlistment
In 2003, Psy was conscripted into the
South Korean military as part of
mandatory military service imposed on all South Korean men aged 18 to 35. Psy was excused from military duty due to working at a software development company (the
South Korean government
The Government of South Korea is the union government of the Republic of Korea, created by the Constitution of South Korea as the executive, legislative and judicial authority of the republic. The president acts as the head of state and is the ...
grants exemptions to those with technical expertise work in companies that serve the national interest). He was expected to be released from duties in 2005. In 2006, Psy released his fourth album ''
Ssajib'', which won honors at the 2006 SBS Music Awards and Hong Kong's
Mnet Asian Music Awards.
In 2007, state prosecutors accused Psy of "neglecting" his work, holding concerts and appearing on local television networks during his period of prior employment. On October 12, 2007, the Seoul Administrative Court decided that Psy must be redrafted, rejecting a lawsuit filed by Psy against the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) in August. Two months later, Psy was re-drafted into the military where he had held the rank of
Private First Class and served as a
signalman in the
52nd Army Infantry Division, before being released from duties in July 2009.
2010–2012: Fifth studio album and debut performance in Japan
Owing to financial difficulties, Psy could no longer release his own songs. His wife encouraged him to join the South Korean music label
YG Entertainment
YG Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production comp ...
, whose founder and chief executive officer
Yang Hyun-suk
Yang Hyun-suk (born January 9, 1970) is a South Korean music executive, rapper, dancer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame as a member of Seo Taiji and Boys during the 1990s. After the group disbanded, he founded and became the Ex ...
was an old friend of Psy's. In 2010, Psy joined YG Entertainment. The
K-pop singer
Kim Hee-chul
Kim Hee-chul (; born July 10, 1983), better known mononymously as Heechul, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, presenter and actor. He is a member of the South Korean boy band Super Junior and has further participated in its subgroup Supe ...
, from the boyband
Super Junior, wished Psy had joined his group's label
SM Entertainment
SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...
instead. Psy released his fifth album ''
PsyFive'' in 2010, and its lead single "Right Now" was banned from under-19 audiences by South Korea's
Ministry of Gender Equality and Family
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (), or formerly the Ministry of Gender Equality (여성부, 女性部, ), is a cabinet-level division of the government of South Korea. It was created on February 28, 1998 as the ''Presidential Commissio ...
for what it deemed an "obscene" lyric, "Life is like toxic alcohol". Despite the ban, Psy received awards during the 2011
Melon Music Awards and
Mnet Asian Music Awards.
Psy had, up until this point, topped domestic music charts half a dozen times throughout his twelve-year career in South Korea.
On January 7, 2012, Psy performed alongside K-pop bands
Bigbang
Big Bang (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean boy band formed by YG Entertainment. The group consists of four members: G-Dragon, T.O.P, Taeyang, and Daesung. Originally a five-piece band, Seungri retired from the entertainment industry ...
and
2NE1 in front of 80,000 Japanese fans during the ''YG Family Concert'' in
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
. His performance was broadcast by
Mezamashi TV
is a Japanese news magazine show broadcast every weekday on Fuji TV from 4:55 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. ''Mezamashi'' is a form of the Japanese verb mezamasu (to wake up).
Mezamashi TV has several spin-off shows such as (replacing Meza News w ...
(''mezamashi'' meaning "wake-up alarm"), a Japanese news magazine show produced by
Fuji Television
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...
. This marked his first appearance on a foreign broadcasting network. During the concert, Psy introduced himself to his Japanese fans with a sign that read "I'm a famous singer well known for driving the audience wild in Korea, but here, today, I'm just a little chubby newcomer" and sang five of his hit songs while Japanese TV commentators expressed their approval in their astonishment at his humorous incorporation of the moves of
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
and
Beyoncé.
2012–2013: "Gangnam Style" and international breakthrough
![Psy NRJ Music Awards 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Psy_NRJ_Music_Awards_2013.jpg)
In July 2012, Psy released his sixth album ''
Psy 6 (Six Rules), Part 1'' and the song "
Gangnam Style" appeared in broadcasting networks and newspapers outside Asia.
On August 14, "Gangnam Style" ranked first on YouTube's 'Most Viewed Videos' monthly chart; on August 21, 2012, "Gangnam Style" officially charted No. 1 on the iTunes Music Video Charts, overtaking
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
's "
As Long as You Love Me" and
Katy Perry's "
Wide Awake"; this feat was the first for a South Korean artist. After the video went viral, celebrities quickly jumped on board, with
Katy Perry,
Britney Spears, and
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Go ...
taking to Twitter to share their delight. The Gangnam Style phenomenon has also popularized his older music videos, such as "Right Now".
On September 14, 2012, he appeared on ''
The Today Show
''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It ...
'' on NBC in New York City, performing the song live and teaching dance moves to the anchors. The following day, he also made a cameo appearance on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' during a skit featuring "Gangnam Style". Commenting on his popularity among foreign celebrities, Psy said:
Riding high on the success of "Gangnam Style", Psy was signed by
Scooter Braun
Scott Samuel "Scooter" Braun (born June 18, 1981) is an American entrepreneur, investor, and entertainment executive. Known as the manager for artists such as Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, J Balvin, Demi Lovato, The Kid Laroi and other artists ...
to Braun's
Schoolboy Records
Schoolboy Records is an American record label established in 2007 by Scooter Braun through his Schoolboy Entertainment, part of SB Projects (now a subsidiary of Hybe America), a full-service entertainment and marketing company encompassing a wide ...
, a label distributed by
Republic Records.
In early September, the
Gangnam district
Gangnam District ( ; , ) is one of the 25 local government districts which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Gangnam translates to "South of the ( Han) River". Gangnam District is the third largest district in Seoul, with an area of . ...
awarded Psy with a plaque and named him an honorary ambassador. On October 24, 2012, Psy was recognized by the United Nations as an "International sensation". According to
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was esta ...
, U.N. Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon scheduled a meeting with Psy in the belief that music has great power to overcome intolerance.
On October 23, 2012, they met at the
United Nations Headquarters
zh, 联合国总部大楼french: Siège des Nations uniesrussian: Штаб-квартира Организации Объединённых Наций es, Sede de las Naciones Unidas
, image = Midtown Manhattan Skyline 004.jpg
, im ...
where Ban expressed his desire to work with Psy. He remarked that Psy has an "unlimited global reach" and said, "I hope that we can work together using your global reach".
According to Korean newspaper ''
The Dong-a Ilbo
The ''Dong-A Ilbo'' (, literally ''East Asia Daily'') is a newspaper of record in Korea since 1920 with a daily circulation of more than 1.2 million and opinion leaders as its main readers. ''The Dong-A Ilbo'' is the parent company of Dong-A ...
'', Psy was appointed as a goodwill ambassador of the
United Nations Children's Fund
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...
(UNICEF).
On November 7, 2012, Psy held a speech in England at the
Oxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford England, whose membership is drawn primarily from the University of Oxford. Founded in 1823, it is one of Britain's oldest ...
to discuss the inspiration behind "Gangnam Style" and his next album. He told the audience that due to the success of "Gangnam Style" he is now living in both a dream and a nightmare, as it will be difficult for his next song to equal "Gangnam Style"'s success. He also talked about his early life and the moment he realized "Gangnam Style" became famous. According to ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'', tickets for his speech were "in such demand they had to be assigned by ballot—a method not required when former presidential candidate
John McCain spoke earlier that year, nor when
Mother Teresa
Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was ...
, the
Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current D ...
nor
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
spoke".
On November 12, 2012, Psy became the second South Korean music artist to appear at the
MTV Europe Music Awards
The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an a ...
where he performed "Gangnam Style" and held off competition from
Rihanna,
Katy Perry, and
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
to win the "
Best Video" award. The event was broadcast worldwide and hosted by the German model and actress
Heidi Klum, who introduced Psy to the audience as the "undisputed King of Pop". A few days later, American singer-songwriter
Madonna performed a mashup of "Gangnam Style" and "
Give It 2 Me
"Give It 2 Me" is a song by American singer and songwriter Madonna, featured on her 11th studio album ''Hard Candy''. It was released on June 24, 2008, by Warner Bros. Records as the second single from the album. The song was written by Madon ...
" alongside Psy and her backup dancers during a concert in New York City at
Madison Square Garden during
The MDNA Tour
The MDNA Tour was the ninth concert tour by American singer Madonna, launched in support of her twelfth studio album, '' MDNA'' (2012). Comprising 88 shows, the tour began on May 31, 2012, in Tel Aviv's Ramat Gan Stadium and concluded in Cór ...
. Psy later told reporters that his gig with Madonna had "topped his list of accomplishments".
On November 24, 2012, "Gangnam Style" became the most viewed video in YouTube history, surpassing the previous most-watched video,
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
's "
Baby
An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...
". The number of views was achieved about eleven times faster than Bieber's. Psy later won four awards at the
2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong on November 30, 2012. On December 21, 2012, "Gangnam Style" reached 1 billion views on YouTube, becoming the first video to do so in the website's history.
He met actor and stunt performer
Jackie Chan
Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
, who called him a role model that proved that "dreams do come true". Also, he was selected as
Singer of the Year in the public survey conducted by
Gallup Korea
Gallup Korea () or Gallup Korea Research Institute () is a South Korean research company. Founded by Park Moo-ik in 1974, the company became a member of Gallup International Association in 1997. It is best known for conducting public surveys o ...
that year.
In January 2013, Psy was announced as a winner of the 2013 Korea Image Awards, being awarded the Korea Image Stepping Stone Award for "his contribution to enhancing the national image". Psy made his debut on South American television by giving an interview on the Brazilian news program ''
Fantástico
''Fantástico'' (originally known as ''Fantástico: O Show da Vida'', Portuguese for ''Fantastic The Show of Life'') is a Brazilian weekly television news program broadcast on Sunday nights on Rede Globo since August 5, 1973, created by José Bo ...
''. It was announced on January 27, 2013, that Psy would perform at South Korea's presidential inauguration ceremony on February 25, 2013.
2013–2014: "Gentleman", "Hangover", YouTube record
On April 12, 2013, the audio of Psy's follow-up single "
Gentleman" was leaked onto the internet, a day before its official international release. On the following day, the music video for 'Gentleman' premiered at Psy's 'Happening' Concert, which was attended by 50,000 people and live streamed on YouTube to an audience of 150,000.
Guest performers of the concert included
Lee Hi
Lee Ha-yi (; born September 23, 1996), known by her stage name Lee Hi, is a South Korean singer and songwriter. She first garnered attention as the runner-up of '' K-pop Star 1''. She debuted with single "1, 2, 3, 4" on October 28, 2012 and rea ...
,
2NE1 and
G-Dragon
Kwon Ji-yong (; born August 18, 1988), also known by his stage name G-Dragon (지드래곤), is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur and fashion designer, known as the " King of K-pop". G-Dragon is the recipi ...
.
He reportedly invested US$2.7 million into the production of the concert. Psy continued to promote Gentlemen throughout 2013. In May 2013, PSY appeared twice on
Live! with Kelly and Michael
''Live with Kelly and Ryan'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American syndicated morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show formula has aired under various hosts since ...
and taught
Kelly Ripa
Kelly Ripa (; born October 2, 1970) is an American actress and talk show host. Since 2001, she has been the co-host of the syndicated morning talk show '' Live! with Kelly and Ryan'' in various formats.
As an actress, Ripa's best known roles ...
and
Michael Strahan
Michael T. Strahan ( ; born November 21, 1971) is an American television personality, journalist, and former professional football player. He played his entire 15-year professional career as a defensive end for the New York Giants of the Nation ...
how to do the Gentleman Dance. Psy also appeared in the finale of ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
''
season 12 and sang "Gentleman". Psy also performed his song "Gentleman" on the Finale of
Dancing With the Stars, Season 16. Five days later, Psy also performed at the
final match of the
2012–13 Coppa Italia
The 2012–13 Coppa Italia, also known as TIM Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 66th edition of the competition. As in the previous year, 78 clubs have taken part in the tournament. Napoli were the cup holders. Lazio were the winners, thus qua ...
. On June 8, 2013, Psy and his troupe performed "Gentleman" on the Finale of
Britain's Got Talent
''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloqui ...
, Series 7. Later that month, on June 8, Psy co-hosted the Canadian
MuchMusic Video Awards, where he also opened the show with his worldwide hit "Gangnam Style" and ended the show with his "official last performance of 'Gentleman' on TV."
Psy was slated to star in a South Korean remake of the Hindi film ''
ABCD: Any Body Can Dance'', taking over the role of ''Vishnu'' (
Prabhu Deva
Prabhu Deva (born 3 April 1973) is an Indian dance choreographer, film director, producer and actor who has worked predominantly in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada language films. In a career spanning 32 years, he has performed and designed a ...
) in the original film. In April he became the tourism ambassador of South Korea for 2013. On May 9, Psy gave a special lecture at Harvard University. In this lecture, he spoke about his passion and other reasons for his popularity. On May 24, 2013, people began voting daily, at www.psygobibigo.com, for one of the Top Three Chefs, based on more than one hundred ninety video entries, in Psy's "Psy Needs a Chef" video contest. The Top Three Chefs in this contest were Aaron Contreras, Dj Park and Ricardo Caput. Voting ended June 10, 2013, at midnight
Greenwich Mean Time
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, counted from midnight. At different times in the past, it has been calculated in different ways, including being calculated from noon; as a con ...
. Aaron Contreras received 2,005 votes. Ricardo received 22,384 votes. Dj Park, won the popular vote with 22,533 votes. Winners were to be announced June 14, 2013. However, Psy postponed his decision until June 18, 2013, and chose Ricardo to be his chef, in spite of the popular vote.
On June 9, 2014, Psy released a new single, "
Hangover
A hangover is the experience of various unpleasant physiological and psychological effects usually following the consumption of alcohol, such as wine, beer, and liquor. Hangovers can last for several hours or for more than 24 hours. Typical sympto ...
", featuring American rapper
Snoop Dogg, and announced his intention to release a new song titled "Father".
On December 1, 2014, the YouTube video for "Gangnam Style" garnered over
231 − 1 views, overflowing the YouTube counter to a negative number, resulting in a public comment from Google/YouTube saying "We never thought a video would be watched in numbers greater than a 32-bit integer (=2,147,483,647 views), but that was before we met PSY. "Gangnam Style" has been viewed so many times we had to upgrade to a 64-bit integer (9,223,372,036,854,775,808)!" Hovering over the counter of the YouTube video triggered an easter egg. A YouTube representative later revealed that the comment was a joke and that the company had already updated to a 64-bit integer months ago.
2015–2018: ''Chiljip PSY-da'', ''4X2=8'', and departure from YG Entertainment
On March 28, 2015, he released a music video for his song ''Father''. On December 1, 2015, Psy released his seventh album titled ''
Chiljip PSY-da'', with double title tracks "Daddy" and "Napal Baji". The album included features from label mate
CL as well as
Will.i.am
William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas.
...
Promotions for the album included two performances on ''
Inkigayo'', where the single "Daddy" won a triple crown, as well as a performance on ''
You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook
''You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook'' () is a South Korean talk show and live music television program airing from April 24 2009 until July 22nd 2022. It was hosted by You Hee-yeol, also known as his one-man band, Toy. The program has aired since April ...
''. "Daddy" was also included in the dance video game
Just Dance 2017
''Just Dance 2017'' is a 2016 dance video game developed and published by Ubisoft. It was unveiled on June 13, 2016, during its E3 press conference as the eighth main installment of the series, and was released in October 2016 for PlayStation 3 ...
.
In May 2017, Psy released his eighth studio album, ''
4X2=8'', with lead singles "I Luv it" and "New Face". The album features collaborations from several artists including label-mates
G-Dragon
Kwon Ji-yong (; born August 18, 1988), also known by his stage name G-Dragon (지드래곤), is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur and fashion designer, known as the " King of K-pop". G-Dragon is the recipi ...
and
Taeyang
Dong Young-bae (; born May 18, 1988), better known by his stage names Taeyang (meaning "sun" in Korean) and SOL (when performing in Japan), is a South Korean singer, songwriter and dancer. After appearing in Jinusean's music video "A-yo", Tae ...
. The music video for "I Luv It" featured actor
Lee Byung-hun
Lee Byung-hun (; born July 12, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He has received critical acclaim for his work in a wide range of genres, most notably ''Joint Security Area'' (2000); ''A Bittersweet Life'' (2005); ''The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' ...
and comedian
Pikotaro
, better known by his stage names and , is a Japanese comedian, television personality and entertainer. Kosaka insists that Pikotaro is another personality promoted by him, but they are considered the same person. He is currently signed with Av ...
while for the "New Face" video
Apink
Apink ( ko, 에이핑크, ja, エーピンク) is a South Korean girl group formed by IST Entertainment (formerly Play M Entertainment, A Cube Entertainment, and Plan A Entertainment). The group debuted on April 19, 2011, with the extended play ...
's
Son Na-eun
Son Na-eun (; born February 10, 1994), known mononymously as Naeun, is a South Korean singer and actress. She gained popularity following her debut as a member of the South Korean girl group, Apink. Apart from her group's activities, Son has a ...
played the title role.
On May 15, 2018, Psy officially left YG Entertainment after eight years.
2019–present: P Nation, ''Loud'', and ''Psy 9th''
In 2019, he founded his own label P Nation. He signed his first artist
Jessi
Jessi may refer to:
People
* Jessi (musician) (born 1988), Korean-American rapper, singer, and songwriter
* Gianluigi Jessi (born 1945), Italian basketball player
* Jessi Alexander (born 1976), American country music artist
* Jessi Colter (bor ...
on January 25, 2019. Two days later, on January 27, 2019, he also signed both
Hyuna
Kim Hyun-ah (born June 6, 1992), better known by the mononym Hyuna (stylized HyunA), is a South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper and model. She debuted as a member of the girl group Wonder Girls in February 2007. After leaving the ensemble sho ...
and
Dawn
Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's hori ...
, formerly of
Cube Entertainment
Cube Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean entertainment company. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production company, and music publishing house. Cube are known for h ...
with the latter being a former member of
Pentagon under the name E'Dawn. He also signed
Crush on July 17, 2019, and
Heize
Jang Da-hye (; born August 9, 1991), better known by her stage name Heize, is a South Korean singer, rapper, songwriter, composer and producer currently signed to P Nation. The name Heize was inspired by the name of an American rapper Angel Haz ...
on September 16, 2020. On April 26, 2021, it was reported that he and
Park Jin-young
Park Jin-young (Hangul: 박진영; born December 13, 1971), also known by his stage names J. Y. Park and The Asiansoul or the initials JYP, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, record executive, and reality television show ju ...
, the founder of
JYP Entertainment
JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate founded in 1997 by J. Y. Park. It is one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea, and operates as a record label, tale ...
, will collaborate together to form a new boy group each in ''
Loud'', which premiered on June 5, 2021 on
SBS. In 2022, Psy did his first concert in Dubai as part of the
Expo 2020
Expo 2020 ( ar, إكسبو 2020) was a World Expo hosted by Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Originally scheduled for 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 ...
on Korean national day event.
On April 29, 2022, Psy released his ninth studio album, ''
Psy 9th'', with its lead single "
That That" featuring
Suga of
BTS
BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-pr ...
.
On June 10, 2022, Psy released the official SNS afternoon tour schedule of 'Psy Soak Show SUMMER SWAG 2022', a domestic tour of 7 cities in the country until August 20.
P Nation
Following Psy's departure from
YG Entertainment
YG Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production comp ...
in 2018, Psy founded his own entertainment company, P Nation. Psy announced the first artist signed to his label in January 2019, the rapper
Jessi
Jessi may refer to:
People
* Jessi (musician) (born 1988), Korean-American rapper, singer, and songwriter
* Gianluigi Jessi (born 1945), Italian basketball player
* Jessi Alexander (born 1976), American country music artist
* Jessi Colter (bor ...
.
P Nation then signed
Hyuna
Kim Hyun-ah (born June 6, 1992), better known by the mononym Hyuna (stylized HyunA), is a South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper and model. She debuted as a member of the girl group Wonder Girls in February 2007. After leaving the ensemble sho ...
and
Dawn
Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's hori ...
, both formerly of
Cube Entertainment
Cube Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean entertainment company. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production company, and music publishing house. Cube are known for h ...
.
As of November 2022, the label had 10 artists signed to the label, including the six-member boy band,
TNX
is a Japanese holding company for various entertainment companies. Its subsidiaries include the talent agency Up-Front Promotion and Up-Front Works, a music production and sales company that manages such record labels as Zetima, Piccolo Town, ...
.
The record label is located in the Gangnam area.
Artistry
Park Jae-sang's stage name "Psy" derives from the word ''psycho''. Explaining his stage name, he said in a
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
interview, "what I thought was, you know, crazy about music, dancing, performance, so that kind of psycho".
his biggest musical influence: "My lifetime role model and hero is Freddie Mercury of Queen. His songwriting skills, I cannot even approach, but his showmanship, I learned it from videos. I'm No. 1 in the U.K. right now, so if I have any chance to go there, I want to meet Queen and to tell them how much I got inspired by their music." Psy also revealed that the one celebrity he wants to meet most is the American actor
, who helped popularize "Gangnam style" on Twitter and tweeted whether Psy would "make a good future co-star Gangnam Style?".
Psy is known for his sense of humor in his concerts, where he imitates female singers such as
image of being "incredibly young, good-looking, and able to carry a melodramatic note".
Lucy Williamson from the
...