Showing posts with label psy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label psy. Show all posts
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Sunday, December 2, 2012
PSY's job is to "Gangnam Style" all day and every day
PSY's job is to "Gangnam Style" all day and every day
By Francine Lim, channelnewsasia.com | Posted: 02 December 2012 0009 hrs
SINGAPORE: South Korean sensation PSY was nothing but PSYched to perform his first concert in Singapore as part of a whirlwind concert tour.
The YouTube sensation PSY whose real name is Park Jae-Sang, hit the stage for a special Marina Bay Sands (MBS) "Give Back to Singapore" public show, just hours after landing in Singapore on Saturday afternoon.
The crowd at the MBS Event Plaza had to wait a while for the appearance of the "Gangnam Style" star who had a week's worth of activities around Asia.
"I get tired because of all the requests, an average (of) fifty requests per country, but still the dance allows me to come here," said PSY with a wry smile as he faced the eager media.
"I get tired but I gotta do it," he added.
"Sometimes, honestly, yes, I get tired or I get sick of it because I got so many requests to teach them," said the South Korean singer who was clad in a black suit and his trademark sunglasses.
But PSY said that despite the many times he has performed the number, he still "really like the dance."
This week alone, the South Korean sensation was whoop-whooping in Bangkok at the "Gangnam Style Thailand Extra Live" concert to commemorate the Thai King's 85th birthday, before heading up to Hong Kong where he brought the house down at the 2012 MNet Asian Music Awards (MAMA).
The annual award show saw PSY taking home four awards, including the Favourite International Artist, Best Music Video, Best Dance Performance Solo and Song of the Year, so naysayers who believe that "Gangnam Style" is just a one-hit wonder with a chubby man horsing around, need to think again.
"Usually K-Pop is known for their boy bands and girl bands and most of them are really skinny and I'm not skinny. I am proud to get big fame with this body!" said PSY when he met the media before his show at MBS.
"In the last three days, I've traveled three countries, so the schedule is really tight. But I never lost the weight! " he chuckled.
The 34-year-old star, who made YouTube history with his "Gangnam Style" music video clocking over 850 million views to become the most-watched video of all time on the site, still remains pretty grounded, even with his latest honour -- a nomination in the People's Choice category of Time magazine's Person of the Year 2012 contest.
"I'm really honoured to be a candidate...(but) I'm just doing my job," declared PSY while expressing his surprise at the nomination.
With other newsmakers such as US President Barack Obama, China's Communist Party head Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un also nominated for the same award, PSY played down his chances of topping that chart.
"I feel really strange and weird (as to) why I'm there," he said.
"It's not going to happen, I think, and I don't deserve that much. I just did my job," added PSY, who is currently fourth in the online rankings out of 40 candidates.
- CNA/AFP/sf
- wong chee tat :)
By Francine Lim, channelnewsasia.com | Posted: 02 December 2012 0009 hrs
SINGAPORE: South Korean sensation PSY was nothing but PSYched to perform his first concert in Singapore as part of a whirlwind concert tour.
The YouTube sensation PSY whose real name is Park Jae-Sang, hit the stage for a special Marina Bay Sands (MBS) "Give Back to Singapore" public show, just hours after landing in Singapore on Saturday afternoon.
The crowd at the MBS Event Plaza had to wait a while for the appearance of the "Gangnam Style" star who had a week's worth of activities around Asia.
"I get tired because of all the requests, an average (of) fifty requests per country, but still the dance allows me to come here," said PSY with a wry smile as he faced the eager media.
"I get tired but I gotta do it," he added.
"Sometimes, honestly, yes, I get tired or I get sick of it because I got so many requests to teach them," said the South Korean singer who was clad in a black suit and his trademark sunglasses.
But PSY said that despite the many times he has performed the number, he still "really like the dance."
This week alone, the South Korean sensation was whoop-whooping in Bangkok at the "Gangnam Style Thailand Extra Live" concert to commemorate the Thai King's 85th birthday, before heading up to Hong Kong where he brought the house down at the 2012 MNet Asian Music Awards (MAMA).
The annual award show saw PSY taking home four awards, including the Favourite International Artist, Best Music Video, Best Dance Performance Solo and Song of the Year, so naysayers who believe that "Gangnam Style" is just a one-hit wonder with a chubby man horsing around, need to think again.
"Usually K-Pop is known for their boy bands and girl bands and most of them are really skinny and I'm not skinny. I am proud to get big fame with this body!" said PSY when he met the media before his show at MBS.
"In the last three days, I've traveled three countries, so the schedule is really tight. But I never lost the weight! " he chuckled.
The 34-year-old star, who made YouTube history with his "Gangnam Style" music video clocking over 850 million views to become the most-watched video of all time on the site, still remains pretty grounded, even with his latest honour -- a nomination in the People's Choice category of Time magazine's Person of the Year 2012 contest.
"I'm really honoured to be a candidate...(but) I'm just doing my job," declared PSY while expressing his surprise at the nomination.
With other newsmakers such as US President Barack Obama, China's Communist Party head Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un also nominated for the same award, PSY played down his chances of topping that chart.
"I feel really strange and weird (as to) why I'm there," he said.
"It's not going to happen, I think, and I don't deserve that much. I just did my job," added PSY, who is currently fourth in the online rankings out of 40 candidates.
- CNA/AFP/sf
- wong chee tat :)
Monday, November 26, 2012
Wacky Korean singer makes YouTube history
Wacky Korean singer makes YouTube history
Posted: 25 November 2012 1633 hrs
SEOUL: Psy made his quirky debut in South Korea's K-pop industry back in 2001 but it wasn't until July that he began shooting to global fame with "Gangnam Style" -- now the most-watched video of all time on YouTube.
A rare sense of humour and irony distinguished the chubby rapper, now 34, from his peers in the manufactured world of K-pop and made him an unlikely worldwide success.
As of Sunday "Gangnam Style" -- whose wacky music and dance moves mock the hedonistic lifestyle of the upmarket southern Seoul neighbourhood -- had registered almost 814 million views in four months.
The video has inspired thousands of online imitations of Psy's famous horse-ride dance, and flash mobs of tens of thousands in Paris, Rome and Milan.
The song peaked at number two on the US Billboard's pop chart for seven weeks in a row after sweeping the charts in countries including Australia and Britain.
World figures swept up in the fever include UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, British Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama, who either tried out the dance or marvelled at its popularity.
Psy, whose real name is Park Jae-Sang, gained the ultimate showbiz accolade by teaming up with Madonna in the pop diva's concert and performing a special version of "Gangnam Style" with MC Hammer in the American Music Awards.
YouTube called the music video -- which Saturday overtook Justin Bieber's "Baby" in number of views -- "a massive hit at a global level unlike anything we've ever seen before".
Billboard.com noted it racked up the YouTube milestone in about four months compared to more than two years for "Baby", calling it "nothing short of a pop culture phenomenon".
Psy's dramatic rise has been viewed with a mixture of pride and surprise in his home country, whose music industry has long been dominated by prettified, highly-manufactured girl and boy bands.
Having taken Asia by storm over the past decade with bubblegum hooks and dance moves staged with military precision, K-pop in recent years has garnered a small but growing fan base among teenagers in parts of Europe and America.
But none has come close to the worldwide popularity of the homely Psy.
"Psy is right at the opposite of our typical K-pop stars who are extremely preened and whose every single move is strictly dictated by their agent," prominent music critic Kang Hun told AFP.
Humour, especially satire, is rare in the mainstream Korean music scene and that, coupled with Psy's embrace of his anti-pop idol looks, has set him apart.
The singer, well known at home for his humorous and explosive stage performances, has long been a somewhat provocative figure in Korea.
He was once convicted in Seoul of smoking marijuana. Several of his earlier songs and music videos were banned for those aged under 18 because of what state censors deemed to be overly sexual lyrics or bad language.
In 2007 Psy was forced to serve a second period of compulsory military service after it was revealed that he had continued with his showbiz interests during his first two-year stint.
"Psy has long had very freewheeling, humorous and even provocative elements in his songs which are utterly lacking in most young K-pop idols," Kang said.
"I think 'Gangnam Style' is a pinnacle of such a humourous, non-serious bad-boy style of his. And apparently people around the world can relate to his self-deprecating sense of humour."
Psy himself says he invites laughter and not ridicule.
"My motto is to be funny, but not stupid," he once said in an interview with Yonhap news agency.
It remains to be seen if "Gangnam Style" will prove anything more than a one-hit wonder. Psy is set to release a new album in English and Korean early next year which will be distributed globally.
But even if it takes off, it will be hard to replicate the success of "Gangnam Style", said Han Koo-Hyun, the head of the Korean Wave Research Institute.
"His next song will be able to rack up at least hundreds of millions of views due to the popularity of 'Gangnam Style' but will never be more popular than 'Gangnam Style', said Han.
"This is too huge a success to accomplish twice."
- AFP/ck
- wong chee tat :)
Posted: 25 November 2012 1633 hrs
SEOUL: Psy made his quirky debut in South Korea's K-pop industry back in 2001 but it wasn't until July that he began shooting to global fame with "Gangnam Style" -- now the most-watched video of all time on YouTube.
A rare sense of humour and irony distinguished the chubby rapper, now 34, from his peers in the manufactured world of K-pop and made him an unlikely worldwide success.
As of Sunday "Gangnam Style" -- whose wacky music and dance moves mock the hedonistic lifestyle of the upmarket southern Seoul neighbourhood -- had registered almost 814 million views in four months.
The video has inspired thousands of online imitations of Psy's famous horse-ride dance, and flash mobs of tens of thousands in Paris, Rome and Milan.
The song peaked at number two on the US Billboard's pop chart for seven weeks in a row after sweeping the charts in countries including Australia and Britain.
World figures swept up in the fever include UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, British Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama, who either tried out the dance or marvelled at its popularity.
Psy, whose real name is Park Jae-Sang, gained the ultimate showbiz accolade by teaming up with Madonna in the pop diva's concert and performing a special version of "Gangnam Style" with MC Hammer in the American Music Awards.
YouTube called the music video -- which Saturday overtook Justin Bieber's "Baby" in number of views -- "a massive hit at a global level unlike anything we've ever seen before".
Billboard.com noted it racked up the YouTube milestone in about four months compared to more than two years for "Baby", calling it "nothing short of a pop culture phenomenon".
Psy's dramatic rise has been viewed with a mixture of pride and surprise in his home country, whose music industry has long been dominated by prettified, highly-manufactured girl and boy bands.
Having taken Asia by storm over the past decade with bubblegum hooks and dance moves staged with military precision, K-pop in recent years has garnered a small but growing fan base among teenagers in parts of Europe and America.
But none has come close to the worldwide popularity of the homely Psy.
"Psy is right at the opposite of our typical K-pop stars who are extremely preened and whose every single move is strictly dictated by their agent," prominent music critic Kang Hun told AFP.
Humour, especially satire, is rare in the mainstream Korean music scene and that, coupled with Psy's embrace of his anti-pop idol looks, has set him apart.
The singer, well known at home for his humorous and explosive stage performances, has long been a somewhat provocative figure in Korea.
He was once convicted in Seoul of smoking marijuana. Several of his earlier songs and music videos were banned for those aged under 18 because of what state censors deemed to be overly sexual lyrics or bad language.
In 2007 Psy was forced to serve a second period of compulsory military service after it was revealed that he had continued with his showbiz interests during his first two-year stint.
"Psy has long had very freewheeling, humorous and even provocative elements in his songs which are utterly lacking in most young K-pop idols," Kang said.
"I think 'Gangnam Style' is a pinnacle of such a humourous, non-serious bad-boy style of his. And apparently people around the world can relate to his self-deprecating sense of humour."
Psy himself says he invites laughter and not ridicule.
"My motto is to be funny, but not stupid," he once said in an interview with Yonhap news agency.
It remains to be seen if "Gangnam Style" will prove anything more than a one-hit wonder. Psy is set to release a new album in English and Korean early next year which will be distributed globally.
But even if it takes off, it will be hard to replicate the success of "Gangnam Style", said Han Koo-Hyun, the head of the Korean Wave Research Institute.
"His next song will be able to rack up at least hundreds of millions of views due to the popularity of 'Gangnam Style' but will never be more popular than 'Gangnam Style', said Han.
"This is too huge a success to accomplish twice."
- AFP/ck
- wong chee tat :)
Monday, November 19, 2012
The staying power of 'Gangnam Style'
The staying power of 'Gangnam Style'
Posted on 19 November 2012 - 05:28am
Last updated on 19 November 2012 - 10:13am
SEOUL (Nov 18, 2012): President Obama, the
mayor of London, China's top dissident artist and Madonna, every time
someone signals the death of "Gangnam Style" up pops another
high-profile figure to keep the phenomenon alive.Last updated on 19 November 2012 - 10:13am
K-Pop
star Psy, whose 'Gangnam Style' has amassed more than 450 million
YouTube hits, arriving before the start of the Formula One Korean Grand
Prix at the Korean Circuit in Yeongam. AFPIn the four months since the music video by South Korean rapper Psy went viral on YouTube, it has been name-checked and imitated by an impressive roster of global notables from world leaders to sports stars and business tycoons.
And the public has joined in with tens of thousands turning out for giant flashmob performances of Psy's horse-riding dance in cities like Paris and Rome.
While many believe Gangnam Style will ultimately prove to be a one-hit wonder, the song has shown surprising staying power and an unlikely ability to penetrate international corridors of power.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called it a force for world peace. On the morning of the US presidential election, Barack Obama told a local radio station that he was confident he could match Psy's dance moves.
"But I'm not sure that the inauguration ball is the appropriate time to break that out. Maybe do it privately for Michelle," he said.
British Prime Minister David Cameron and London Mayor Boris Johnson performed a joint Gangnam Style dance spectacular for their wives in September during a private gathering in the premier's country retreat Chequers.
Johnson went on to reference the event in his keynote speech to the ruling conservative party's annual conference.
If politicians have appropriated the song in an effort to boost their populist credentials, others have used it to drive home an anti-establishment message - most notably renowned Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei.
Banned from traveling abroad, Ai posted a Gangnam Style dance parody on YouTube, during which he brandished a set of handcuffs in a clear reference to Beijing's efforts to silence his outspoken views.
The video was removed by China's Internet censors, prompting the Indian-born British sculptor Anish Kapoor to gather 250 art world luminaries at his London studio this week to film their own Gangnam video in support of Ai.
"Yes, it is desperately silly, but what is the paradigm of the artist? The artist does stupid things with serious intent," Kapoor said.
Silly or not, Psy's influence has spread to some of the world's most famous academic institutions.
Earlier this month, the 34-year-old rapper was invited to follow the likes of Ronald Reagan and the Dalai Lama in addressing the 189-year-old Oxford Union club at Oxford University.
And a Gangnam Style video parody made by students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, featured cameos by Eric Lander, one of the principle leaders of the Human Genome Project, and Noam Chomsky.
"Oppan Chomsky Style," the 83-year-old father of modern linguistics deadpanned into the camera while sipping a cup of coffee.
For some commentators, it has all become a bit too much.
"Can anyone kill Gangnam Style?" Britain's Guardian newspaper asked recently.
After Google chairman Eric Schmidt gave a rather awkward horse-riding performance during a visit to Seoul, Time magazine declared the Gangnam Style craze "officially over", but that was way back in September.
If anything, Psy has since gone from strength to strength, gaining the ultimate showbiz accolade this week by performing a mash-up of Gangnam Style with pop icon Madonna during her concert at New York's Madison Square Garden. – AFP
- wong chee tat :)
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
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