Psy bids farewell to ‘Gangnam Style’
South Korean superstar Psy said his new album marks a “farewell to ‘Gangnam Style’ ” — the hit song that propelled him to superstardom a decade ago. Indeed, the music video for the lead single — “That That” featuring Suga from BTS — shows Psy in the famous blue suit he wore in the “Gangnam Style” video.
“A guy in a blue tuxedo comes out and gets a slap from Suga and goes on his way,” alluding to his old self walking away from the past, Psy said during a recent interview.
His latest album “Psy 9th,” now available, has 12 songs, including one featuring Korean Canadian rapper Tablo. Psy, whose real name is Park Jae-sang, swept the world with “Gangnam Style” in 2012. The song, with its addictive horse-riding dance and catchy melodies, made a global splash and has over 4.4 billion views on YouTube.
This interview with Psy has been edited for clarity and length.
Q: “Psy 9 th” took five years. What took so long? A:
One can’t satisfy everyone. People’s taste is subjective. But if I let someone listen to my music and even if that person isn’t from the industry, if that person says, “This is not that great,” I make a change. There are 40 to 50 people I play my music to when it’s ready. Until they collectively say, “This is the best it can get,” I search for the song. So ... I also make a lot of changes. … When I make music, I listen to it on a cellphone speaker, on a big speaker, and do my best to try to find a fault ... I’ve been in that process for a long time.
Q: Who are those 4 0 to 5 0
people? A:
Every artist in my company and some of our label employees. There are young and old people including my parents ... The most random person is my best friend — someone my age living everyday life who has been continuously monitoring my songs ever since my first album.
Q: Are you still conscious of “Gangnam Style?” Do you feel pressure?
A:
The hidden theme of this music video is “Farewell to Gangnam Style.” So, a guy in a blue tuxedo comes out and gets a slap from Suga and goes on his way. There is a hidden theme in the song of me and Suga in new outfits sending old Psy off. It’s not a serious video but there is such a scene. But personally, and work wise, the success of “Gangnam Style” was a very big event so it’s impossible to not be conscious of it permanently. … So instead of being conscious of it, I think of it as the biggest
trophy on my shelf, nothing more or less. Right now, I’m just mesmerized by doing new music with new friends.
Q: If there were to be the biggest change in the Korean pop industry in the near future, what would that be?
A:
K-pop will continuously level up in terms of the size of budget and efforts going in, and the standard of trainees ... I think the next change will be metaverse
... Metaverse will bring changes to the K-pop industry by getting rid of boundaries for stage and audience.
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