PSY
Psy Gangnam Style performs at Marquee, The Star, Sydney, Australia (1).jpg
PSY at The Star in Sydney, Australia
Background information
Birth name Park Jae-sang (???, ???)
Born (1977-12-31) December 31, 1977 (age 35)
South Korea
Origin South Korea
Genres K-pop, hip hop, dance, hip house
Occupations Singer-songwriter, rapper, dancer, record producer
Instruments Vocals, With SKK Team
Years active 1999?present
Labels Birdman, LNLT Entertainment, YG Entertainment, YGEX, Avex Trax, Republic, Schoolboy
Associated acts YG Family, Scooter Braun, Hyuna
Website www.psypark.com
Birth name
Hangul ???
Hanja ???
Revised Romanization Bak Jae-Sang
McCune–Reischauer Pak Chaesang
Stage name
Hangul ??
Revised Romanization Ssayi

Park Jae-sang (Korean: ???, ???; born December 31, 1977), better known by his stage name PSY (Korean: ??, IPA: [s?ai]; English: /?sa?/ SY), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, rapper, dancer, and record producer. He is well known for his humorous videos and stage performances, and for his hit single "Gangnam Style", which became an Internet meme due to its popular promo video. PSY has appeared on numerous television programs, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show,[1] Extra, Good Sunday: X-Man, The Golden Fishery, The Today Show,[2] Saturday Night Live,[3] Sunrise, and The X Factor Australia.[4]

During his time in the military, PSY held the rank of Private First Class and served as a signalman in South Korea's 52th Army Infantry Divison, before being released from duties in July 2009.[5] On October 23, 2012, PSY met UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the United Nations Headquarters where Ban expressed his desire to work with the singer because of his "unlimited global reach".[6]

Contents

Biography[edit]

1977-95: Early life[edit]

Park Jae-sang, better known by his stage name PSY, was born on December 31, 1977 to an affluent family in Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea.[7] His father, Park Won-Ho, is the executive chairman of DI Corporation, a manufacturer of semiconductors listed on the Korea Exchange.[8]

PSY attended Banpo (??) Elementary School, Banpo Middle School, and Sehwa (??) High School.[9] He disliked going to school and annoyed some of his classmates, although sometimes he also made his classmates laugh. During an interview with South Korea's Seoul Broadcasting System, a former teacher of PSY remarked "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, he added a great energy to the class."[10]

Later on in his life, PSY told CNN's Alina Cho that when he was 15 years old, he had watched a Korean TV programme which introduced pop music from foreign countries. In one particular episode, he witnessed a concert held by the British rock band Queen while they were performing their 1975 hit single "Bohemian Rhapsody" at Wembley Stadium. PSY revealed that the footage of this concert had sparked off his love for music.[11]

1996-2000: Arrival in the United States and career beginnings[edit]

As part of preparations to take over DI Corporation from his father, PSY had originally planned to study business administration at Boston University in 1996.[12] However, upon his arrival in the United States, he lost interest in his studies[13] and spent his leftover tuition money on musical instruments and entertainment equipment, including a computer, an electric keyboard, and a MIDI interface.[14] After attending an English language summer course and briefly studying for one semester, PSY dropped out and applied to study at Berklee College of Music instead. During his time at Berklee, PSY took core curriculum lessons in ear training, contemporary writing and music synthesis, but he soon dropped out and returned to South Korea to pursue his career as a singer, without attaining a degree from either Boston University or Berklee.[15][16][17]

After returning back to South Korea, PSY's first appearance on national television occurred in the year 2000 after his dancing caught the attention of a TV producer.[18]

2001-02: PSY from the PSYcho World!, controversy, and domestic success[edit]

In January 2001, PSY debuted with his full-length album PSY from the PSYcho World!, for which he received a fine due to accusations that the album contained "inappropriate content". He 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".[19][20]

He released another controversial second album Sa 2 in 2002, which sparked complaints from concerned 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 those under the age of 19. Later in September 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 games held in Seoul. Despite the significant amount of controversy surrounding his music, PSY was awarded with songwriting accolades at the annually held Seoul Music Awards, which marked his breakthrough in the music industry of South Korea.[21]

2003-09: Military service, Sa Jib, and re-enlistment[edit]

For the past two years, I think I went through a lot as a person.
I had all kinds of emotions, but they came down to one: gratitude.
I thank my seniors, juniors, my fans who have been waiting all these
years, my wife, my two little girls and also the world

?PSY in an interview after his release from the military in July 2009[22]

In 2003, PSY was enlisted in the South Korean military as part of mandatory military service imposed by the South Korean government on all males aged 18 to 35.[23][24] As the government grants those with technical expertise to work in companies that serve national interests, PSY had evaded compulsory military duty by working at a software developing company, and was expected to be released from duties in 2005.[25] In 2006, PSY released his 4th album Sa Jib, which won honors at the 2006 SBS Music Awards and the Mnet Asian Music Awards.[21]

In 2007, state prosecutors accused PSY of "neglecting" his work, choosing instead to hold concerts and appear on local television networks during his previous employment period.[26] On October 12, 2007, the Seoul Administrative Court decided that PSY must be redrafted, and rejected a lawsuit filed by PSY against the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) earlier in August. PSY was re-drafted into the military 2 months later.[27] During his time in the military, PSY held the rank of Private First Class and served as a signalman in South Korea's 52th Army Infantry Divison, before being released from duties in July 2009.[28]

2010-12: 5th studio album and debut performance in Japan[edit]

Owing to financial difficulties, PSY could no longer release his own songs. This prompted his wife to encourage him to join the South Korean music label YG Entertainment, whose founder and chief executive officer Yang Hyun-suk is an old friend of PSY.[29] In 2010, Psy agreed to switch to YG Entertainment,[30] despite objections from the K-Pop singer Kim Heechul from the boyband Super Junior, who voiced out that PSY should have joined SM Entertainment instead.[31] PSY released his 5th album PSY Five in 2010, but its lead single "Right Now" was banned by South Korea's Ministry of Gender Equality and Family for its "obscene" lyrics.[32] Despite his lead single being banned, PSY received awards during the 2011 Melon Music Awards and Mnet Asian Music Awards.[21] Prior to the release of "Gangnam Style", PSY had topped domestic music charts half a dozen times throughout his 12-year career, according to Billboard.[33]

On January 7, 2012, PSY performed alongside K-Pop bands BIGBANG and 2NE1 in front of 80,000 Japanese fans during the YG Family Concert in Osaka. His performance was broadcast by Mezamashi TV, a Japanese news magazine show produced by Fuji Television. This marks his first appearance in a foreign broadcasting network.[34] 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".[35]

2012-present: "Gangnam Style" and unexpected international breakthrough[edit]

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon scheduled a meeting with PSY in the belief that music has great power to overcome intolerance.[36]

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.[37][38][39] On August 14, "Gangnam Style" ranked first on YouTube's 'Most Viewed Videos' monthly chart;[40] On August 21, 2012, "Gangnam Style" officially charted #1 on the iTunes Music Video Charts, overtaking Justin Bieber's "As Long as You Love Me" and Katy Perry's "Wide Awake"; this feat is the first for any South Korean artist. After the video went viral, celebrities quickly jumped on board with Katy Perry, Britney Spears, and Tom Cruise taking to Twitter to share their delight.[41] The Gangnam Style phenomenon has also popularized his older music videos, such as "Right Now."[42] On September 14, 2012, he appeared on The Today Show on NBC in New York City, performing the song live and teaching dance moves to the anchors.[43] The following day, he also made a cameo appearance on Saturday Night Live during a skit featuring "Gangnam Style."

"When I realized that some top stars like have imagined or tweeted about me, I thought, 'That?s joking. That?s not gonna happen...' I never expect things like this, not because they are top stars, but because this is the biggest market in the universe for pop music, right, so everybody?s dreaming about having appearance in the U.S. so I?m still saying, 'What going on here? This is beautiful.'"[44]

Riding high on the success of Gangnam Style, PSY was signed by Scooter Braun to Braun's Schoolboy Records, a label distributed by Republic Records.[45] In early September, the Gangnam district awarded Psy with a plaque and named him an honorary ambassador.[46] On October 24, 2012, PSY was recognized by the United Nations as an "International sensation."[47] According to Reuters, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon scheduled a meeting with PSY in the belief that music has great power to overcome intolerance.[48] On October 23, 2012, they met at the United Nations Headquarters 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."[6]

According to Korean newspaper The Dong-a Ilbo, PSY was appointed as a goodwill ambassador of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).[49] On October 27, 2012, South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced its decision to award PSY the Okgwan Order, a 4th grade Order of Cultural Merit. According to The Korea Times, this decision sparked controversy among citizens who felt that pop singers are unqualified for such an award.[50]

On November 7, 2012, PSY held a speech in England at the Oxford Union 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, 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, the Dalai Lama nor Michael Jackson spoke."[51]

On November 12, 2012, PSY became the second South Korean music artist to appear at the MTV Europe Music Awards[52] where he performed Gangnam Style and held off competition from Rihanna, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga to win the "Best Video" award.[53] 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".[54] A few days later, American singer-songwriter Madonna performed a mashup of "Gangnam Style" and "Give It 2 Me" alongside PSY and her backup dancers during a concert in New York City at Madison Square Garden during her MDNA Tour. PSY later told reporters that his gig with Madonna had "topped his list of accomplishments."[55]

In November 2012, Psy's success via the internet was honoured with the New Media award at the American Music Awards.[56]

After a rapid climbing of youtube's charts, On November 24, 2012, the official video of his song "Gangnam Style" became the most viewed video in YouTube history, surpassing the previous most watched video, Justin Bieber's "Baby." The number of views were achieved about eleven times faster than Beiber's. [57][58]

On November 30, 2012, PSY won a total of 4 awards at the 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong, where he met actor and stunt performer Jackie Chan, who called him a role model that proved that "dreams do come true".[59]

Artistry[edit]

Influences[edit]

According to TIME, PSY stated that Freddie Mercury of the British rock band Queen had inspired him to start his music career. PSY also revealed that the one celebrity he wants to meet most is the American actor Tom Cruise,[60] who recently asked on Twitter if PSY would "make a good future co-star Gangnam Style?"[61][62]

Public image[edit]

PSY signs a guest book at the United Nations headquarters on October 23, 2012

PSY is known for his sense of humor in his concerts, where he imitates female singers such as Park Ji-yoon, Lee Hyori, Lady Gaga and Beyonce.[63] Although his music is part of the K-pop (Korean popular music) genre, Beth Hong from The Vancouver Observer noted that PSY "doesn't fit the standard K-pop idol image of being incredibly young, good-looking, and able to carry a melodramatic note."[64]

Lucy Williamson from the BBC recognized PSY as South Korea's "newest and biggest music star", but also described him as "unpolished, unpredictable and he doesn't look like your typical Korean idol".[65][66] Sarah Charlton from Reuters called him a "chubby South Korean pop singer" that has found fame and popularity in a "sea of pretty K-pop stars".[67] In South Korea, some have called him the "Bizarre Singer"[68] while others consider him to be "the antithesis of what is popular in Korean pop music".[69] Chelsea Handler from Chelsea Lately described Psy as "Korea's Ricky Martin, as well as a sex symbol" during his introduction on the show[70] while Gil Kaufman from MTV described the singer as one of the "biggest pop sensations in the world".[55]

Personal life[edit]

In 2002, PSY was arrested for the possession of marijuana and as a result, was unable to attend his grandfather's funeral. During an interview, PSY remarked "I was very close to him. I was not there at the funeral. I will regret this [being arrested] for the rest of my life, because my grandpa loved me so much and I couldn't be there for him when he was on his deathbed."[71][72]

On October 14, 2006, PSY married Yoo Hye-yeon, his girlfriend for three and a half years and a cello major at Yonsei University. According to the Korean Broadcasting System, the couple were introduced by a mutual acquaintance and have been "in love ever since".[73][74] Currently, they have twin daughters.[75]

PSY considers "Gangnam Style" to be the greatest achievement of his life.[76]

Discography[edit]

Albums[edit]

Extended plays[edit]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Filmography[edit]

Films[edit]

Television series[edit]

Television host[edit]

List of present programs

References[edit]

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  3. ^ "Psy appears on season premiere of ?Saturday Night Live?". Allkpop. September 15, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012. 
  4. ^ "Psy to perform on Australia?s ?The X Factor? and ?Sunrise?". Allkpop. October 2, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012. 
  5. ^ AFP. "Singer Psy during his 2008 stint in the military". YouTube (AFP). Retrieved 1 December 2012. 
  6. ^ a b Davies, Lizzy. "Rapper Psy brings Gangnam Style horseplay to United Nations". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 October 2012. 
  7. ^ "PSY goes home, gets ?Gangnam-Style? welcom". msnbc. September 27, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2012. 
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External links[edit]