10 years after “Gangnam Style”, how the rapper Psy lives today after earning millions and wanting to look like Freddy Mercury

Ten years after he became a global phenomenon with his “Gangnam Style”South Korean rapper Psy is living the moment of his life, proud of his “greatest trophy” but free from the pressure of repeating such a great success.

Released on YouTube on July 15, 2012, the extravagant video clip became a overwhelming successwith his dance as if he were on horseback giving life to thousands of imitations and parodies. It was the first YouTube video to reach billions of views and it allowed Psy to achieve something that K-pop had always escaped: global recognition.

At the peak of his popularity, the rapper was everywhere: share the stage with the Madonnaconducting a mass ball 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 pressure to release another mega hit. Psy described it as one of the hardest times in her life.

things have changed “heavier and harder because (…) every time I had to get this kind of hit, ”Psy said in an interview with AFP last week at his company’s headquarters in Gangnam, the upscale Seoul neighborhood from which the song was composed. .

“I had one huge addiction to the song. But it’s been ten years, so now I’m really free, “explained the 44-year-old singer.

The song not only transformed Psy’s career but also the industry, proving that an artist he doesn’t use a dominant language such as English you can reach an international audience via the Internet. It also changed the way musical hits are counted and prompted Billboard to track YouTube views and platform listeners.

The pioneering role of Psy and “Gangnam Style” has been recognized by some of the biggest names in the world k popwhich is now accumulating international fame. “He was someone I was always grateful to,” said Suga, a member of the popular group bts, in a video last month. “With that song, he paved the way for K-pop in America,” she added.

Psy, whose real name is Park Jae-sang, He was already a superstar in South Korea long before “Gangnam Style”. There was one of her first referents What inside, which he discovered with a video of his famous Wembley concert in 1986. “I thought: I want to be a leader like him,” said Freddie Mercury, Psy to AFP. “At the time, he wasn’t very good with music, he wasn’t a very good singer … he was just a fun dancer.”

Going to college in the United States in the late 1990s, he experienced what many describe as a golden age of hip hop, with rappers like Tupac Shakur or The Notorious BIG “I literally listened to hiphop every day on the radio”. “And I thought: if I don’t know how to sing well, I have to rap. So I can be the leader, “he explained.

After debuting in 2001, he quickly made a name for himself with humorous and explosive performances and won numerous local awards. Unusually controversial for a Korean star, several songs and video clips have received ratings of only for adults due to its language.

After “Gangnam Style”, Psy has released three albums. The last one, “Psy 9”was released in April by P NATION, an art label and agency he founded in 2019. Today, although further away from the spotlight, the rapper does not consider himself finished and splits between his music and his company.

And he remembers his great worldwide success with affection and pride. the biggest and the biggest trophy of my life“, he assured.” When I do a show, it is my most powerful weapon, “he says.

It has been proven with performance in a Seoul university last week, in which the crowd accompanied every letter of the energetic show that also included songs from its beginnings, published even before the birth of its audience.

This brings you special satisfaction. “Today I’m like, ‘Wow, you’re so popular. They love you!’ How lucky I am as an artist. I’m happier than ever these days. “