Psy Page 4

If you thought Psy was a one-trick pony, you were totally wrong. His newest single 'Daddy' is definitely one to rival 'Gangnam Style', and you can get it and more with his brand new album 'Chiljib PSY-Da', out today (December 1st 2015).

Psy is back with another goofy video

He's always been a hit in South Korea, but it wasn't until 2012 that his single 'Gangnam Style' (and its accompanying video and dance) became an international hit propelling him and his comedic brand of pop to instant stardom. The just as catchy 'Gentleman' followed in 2013 and now Psy has returned with another stand-out number entitled 'Daddy' featuring CL of 2NE1, with whom Psy shares manager Scooter Braun.

Continue reading: Where'd You Get That Body From?: Psy Answers The Question On Everyone's Lips With New Single 'Daddy'

Psy, the South Korean best known for his 2012 hit single ‘Gangnam Style’, was involved in a car accident on Thursday (16th July). Psy was driving in his Rolls-Royce when it collided with a bus in city in eastern China. The accident has made headlines, both in China and worldwide, owing to the stylish way Psy left the incident. He may have arrived in a Rolls-Royce but he made his exit from the scene in a Porsche. 

Psy was involved in a car accident in China last week.

Read More: 'Gangnam Style' Breaks YouTube.

Continue reading: Psy Writes Off Rolls-Royce In Accident, Leaves Scene In Porsche

Psy may appear the cartoonish pop hero of 2012, though it seems the 'Gangnam Style' singer has a vice just like anybody else: drinking, specifically.

His YouTube channel hit three billion views earlier this month, though it appears Psy is not immune to the pressures of success.

During a candid interview with The Sunday Times Magazine, the singer admitted that vodka is his "best friend."

Continue reading: Psy: "If I'm Sad, I'm Drinking. If It's Raining, I'm Drinking"

A man who looks slightly similar to Psy decided to don his fanciest tuxedo and most outlandish sunglasses to see if he could blag his way into the Cannes Film Festival this week. As ridiculous as that sounds, the man's plan worked like a charm, with the impostor Psy managing to blag his way into some of the glitziest events in the South of France and even managed to walk away with all manner of free gifts from companies looking to get their name out.

Although it sounds as though the story was taken straight from The Onion, the only reason the fake Psy was found out about was because the real South Korea K-Pop star caught wind of the impostor and alerted the press via his Twitter account. The real Psy, who is currently in Singapore, took to his Twitter page on Wednesday (May 22) to call out the fake Psy, writing; "seems like there's another ME at cannes...say Hi to him @scooterbraun lol #PSYinSINGAPORE."

What is particularly funny about this story, bar the fact that a man talked his way into Cannes, is that the impostor genuinely looks nothing like Psy. Still, that didn't stop the wannabe 'Gangnam Style' singer from mixing with the stars and posing for photos with fans, with just about everybody getting duped by the fake Psy. Even Skyfall actress Naomie Harris Tweeted a picture of herself with 'non-Psy' at a party on Tuesday (May 21), with many others falling for the act and posting pictures of the impostor online too. We're not sure if people were just being polite or stupid, but how a man whose only resemblance to Psy is his girth and ethnicity managed to fool so many people is beyond us.

Continue reading: Cheeky Psy Look-A-Like Manages To Blag His Way Into The Cannes Film Festival

A Week in Videos... Undoubtedly the most eagerly-anticipated video of the week comes from Daft Punk, who return to the scene with ‘Get Lucky.’ Featuring Pharrell on vocals and the legend that is Nile Rogers on guitar, the track has already broken daily play records on Spotify and quickly became one of the most talked-about tracks online. A classic in the making, Roger’s distinctive guitar sound lends the track an authentic disco edge.

Heavy on the expletives, low on production costs, this Frank Turner video for ‘Plain Sailing Weather’ sees the angry troubadour continuing the confessional vibes of his last single ‘Recovery.’ Playing with his band in a church, the track begins with Frank playing alone, with his guitar, before the band kick in with him for the chorus.

Continue reading: A Week In Music, Daft Punk Make Triumphant Return With Get Lucky, Chvrches EP Precedes Anticipated Album, Vampire Weekend Interviewed At Coachella

Psy might now be a global star, thanks to the runaway success of his viral single ‘Gangnam Style,’ but in his native South Korea it’s clear that he isn’t above the law, and he’s had a knuckle rap in the shape of his new video, for ‘Gentleman,’ being banned by Korean officials.

The State-funded KBS, a major broadcaster in South Korea, has reportedly banned the new music video because the rapper is shown abusing public property. That particular piece of public property? A cone that says ‘no parking.’ Utter, utter, rebel. The video hasn’t been banned in this country, presumably because the UK’s gone to the dogs and none of us are above kicking cones, so you can have a look and see for yourself whether you think he’s up to anything of disrepute.

Watch Psy's Gentleman below

Continue reading: Psy In Trouble Over Cone Kicking On New Video 'Gentleman' [Video]

Frankly, Do We Care? It's becoming familiar reading, though Justin Bieber committed another classic PR gaffe this week. The rules are: don't suffer a wardrobe malfunction, don't be racist or homophobic, and don't be insensitive to victims of the Holocaust. Justin Bieber committed one of these this week. 

Psy-chic: South Korean rapper Psy appears to know exactly what the public want from their beat heavy catchy pop tunes. Actually, we're still not sure who's watching this guy's tunes, but over 80 million of you have watched the follow-up to Gangnam Style, Gentleman. Come on now, own up.

Continue reading: A Week In News: Bieber In Amsterdam, Psy Returns, Lindsay's Late

So we pretty much all assumed Psy would disappear without trace, many of us even hoped he would. But he hasn't. Quite the opposite in fact. The South-Korean rapper's follow-up to Gangnam Style has already broken the record for the most views in a single day after it was watched 20 million times in its first 24 hours. The video for 'Gentleman' has since gone on to rack up a huge 87 million views, meaning it's tracking to topple the 1.5 billion achieved by Psy's breakout hit.

Surprise, surprise - 'Gentleman' once again furthers Psy's reputation for catchy dance moves. He's seen pulling off a woman's bikini, removing a chair from underneath another and forcing his weird moves on a girl studying in a library. He even adjusts the speed setting on a treadmill to ensure a runner goes flying off the end. This is certainly not gentlemanly Psy. We are disappointed in you.

The song basically sounds exactly the same as Gangnam Style, which we can't exactly blame him for. It's also number eight in the UK iTunes chart and will no doubt reach the top spot at some point. As the YouTube hits racked up, Psy tweeted his surprise, writing, "51million views in 40hours!! My God!!!"

Continue reading: One Hit Wonder? Psy's 'Gentleman' Breaks 24hr YouTube Record

Psy, the South Korean pop star who shot to meteoric highs after his song 'Gangnam Style' became an internet sensation, is back to his old tricks of breaking YouTube records following the release of his newest single. 'Gentleman' was uploaded to Psy's YouTube account last Saturday (April 13) and since then the song has soared through the viewing figures and currently stands at over 85 million views, with that figure ever increasing as the clicks keep on coming.

On Saturday itself, the video picked up almost 19 million views, smashing the record for most views in a single day previously held by Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj for the 'Beauty and the Beat' video (which had close to 10 million views in its first 24 hours). If you can't quite remember why Psy is still such a name to behold, his breakthrough record, 'Gangnam Style,' became the first video on Youtube to surpass 1 billion views and given the rate 'Gentleman' is being watched Psy might have another Guinness World Record to pick up in the near future. One person who can't quite believe the pace at which 'Gentleman' is moving is Psy himself, who Tweeted on Monday (April 15) “51 million views in 40 hours!! My God!!”

Continue reading: Psy's 'King Of YouTube' Crown Remains Intact After 'Gentleman' Scores 85 Million+ Views In First Few Days

Psy is known for one thing and one thing only: his hair. Nah, we’re kidding, it’s Gangnam Style, obviously. But will he start another ridiculous trend at Seoul's World Cup stadium? See that’s the concert in which the video for Gentleman will be revealed.

The now-global superstar describes the division of the Korean peninsula as a "tragedy", and says he wants North Koreans to share in the "fun and happiness" of his music. "Tonight me and 50,000 Korean people...we are going to sing out loud. We are going to shout out loud and we are really close to them, so they can hear," he said. "Hopefully with my 'Gangnam style', 'Gentleman', and my music video, choreography... hopefully they might enjoy it too," he added. Gangnam Style was an unprecedented success and took the world by storm. It was the first video to reach one billion views on YouTube, and since then, it has become the most-watched YouTube video of all time, registering more than 1.5 billion views since it debuted last July. Because of that, the decision to release Gentleman without a video came as quite a surprise.

Psy went from domestic to worldwide star in... 5 minutes?

Continue reading: Psy’s New Video For Gentleman To Be Revealed, Shout Out To Korea Planned

Nemo's Back! Great news this week for fans of Finding Nemo, Pixar's smash-hit animation featuring the voices of and Albert Brooks. Yep, you guessed it, a sequel has been announced and will hit cinemas in 2015. 'Finding Dory' will focus on DeGeneres' character, though Pixar promises plenty of new faces!

Klum's Close Call: Sticking on the subject of the ocean, it was a close call for Heidi Klum in Hawaii this week when son Henry was dragged into a dangerous riptide. Luckily, the youngster is a strong swimmer and managed to claw his way back onto dry land. Phew!

Continue reading: A Week In News: Finding Nemo Sequel, Magic Johnson's Son And Diana In Drag?

The NME awards isn't just to praise the biggest and best bands of the year, it is also a platform for popular social commentary, and for a hefty dose of good humored judgement. The categories of Heroes and Villains are a tidy round up of the stars that have done the best and worst work over the year. 

This year's Villain nominations include the obvious choice of David Cameron, but he's facing stiff competition in the form of Harry Styles, Skrillex, Psy, Fred Macpherson and Azealia Banks. Styles being in One Direction (nominated for worst band) is reason enough to be in the list, and Azealia Banks tweeted feud with fellow female rapper Angel Haze in which she used a homophobic slur against Haze certainly makes her a baddy. But as for Fred Macpherson's appearance in the list, we can't quite work out why he's been included, Spector aren't that bad. 

The Hero's list is a far better list and there's no question as to why any of the nominees are included. Dave Grohl brought Nirvana back with the help of Paul McCartney - even if you don't agree with the choice of McCartney, it was a great feat, and Grohl never fails to give his all to music and to an enormous range of bands. Pussy Riot went to prison for speaking openly about LGBT and feminist topics. Frank Ocean brazenly came out in a predominantly heterosexual and largely homophobic hip hop community during 2012, confessing to having fallen in love with a man. Bradley Wiggins is Bradley Wiggins. Barack Obama is Barack Obama. And David Bowie is back. Happy days.

Continue reading: Male Heavy Nominations For NME's Heroes And Villains Inc. Bradley Wiggins, Barack Obama, David Cameron And Harry Styles

It’s hard to believe that a single artist has made a year’s worth of news with a single track, but this is exactly what Psy has done with 'Gangnam Style.'

We can hear you groaning already. If you’ve lived on planet Earth in the past six months, you’ve probably heard the K-pop sensation enough times to last you a lifetime, not counting remixes, spoofs, parodies and whatever else there is. Well, all that publicity adds up to something massive, as 'Gangnam Style' has become the first video on youtube to reach a billion views, Billboard reports. Yes, we had to spell it out, so as not to get confused by all the zeroes. One billion. This trumps Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and any video of a cat falling over you can think of.

Psy, or Park Jae-Sang, has so far sold more than 4 million copies of the song worldwide, as well as becoming the first Korean artist to reach the top of the UK chart - a victory for cultural diversity, the power of the internet and, well, overall strangeness, if ever there was one. It’s rare that an online sensation crosses over into “real life” so easily, but at the end of last summer, 'Gangnam Style' broke into traditional media and regular life with such force, that it managed to stamp itself onto the collective consciousness for months and maybe even years to come. In a somewhat ironic (or is it? we can never figure that out) twist, by the time traditional media picked up on the phenomenon, the internet was already sick of it, resulting in 'Gangnam Style' being declared dead more times than hip hop.

Continue reading: First Video To Reach 1 Billion Views On Youtube - Psy's Gangnam Style

The incredible success of Gangnam style, from the already-established-in-Korea rapper, Psy, has left him struggling to gather enough superlatives and explanations when MTV spoke to him about the song and its billion views on YouTube. 

"I can't compare it to anything else!" he laughed. "In 2012, I experienced so many things; it's been a tremendous year, but to accomplish this, it's really something that stands out. Because it all began with YouTube, and to have [the video] reach 1 billion views ... I don't think even I can break that record!" Psy has been seen at pretty much every must-be-seen at event this year, teaching the stars how to dance Gangnam style, and even plugging his slogan, "dress well, dance cheesy." "Honestly, when I made this video I didn't even expect 1 million views, because this is off my sixth album in Korea, so I just hoped it would be huge there," he said. "I didn't even think about any other countries; I just did my job and waited and watched. And, you know, today, I'm still wondering and analyzing its success. Because I've done this thing many times, this dance, this album, this video ... this one just became something else entirely."

"Gangnam Style" is a Korean neologism that refers to a lifestyle associated with the Gangnam District of Seoul, where people are trendy, hip and exude a certain supposed "class".

Forget Goyte, forget Charlie bit my finger, Obama's rap battle or Kony 2012, because Psy's 'Gangnam Style' has become the most-viewed YouTube video of all time. The South Korean pop sensation is approaching 1 billion views for his bizarre dance video, leaving hugely popular clips in his wake.

To clarify, Gangnam Style isn't just the most watched music video of all time, it's the most popular video full stop. Artists and comedians are increasingly using the sharing website to promote their material and it's clearly working with the right videos. "It definitely suggests that there's change afoot," said James McQuivey, an analyst with Forrester Research. "I don't think the change is about one form of entertainment replacing the other. It's about the expansion of the platform to include more things. That will continue." The website now attracts more than 800 million users, who watch more than 4 billion hours of video a month. Gangnam Style, which spread from Asia to the United States and Europe, illustrates the true power of the internet influencing popular culture. "A lot of people are used to us having an insular pop culture, where everything is originating out of the U.S. and spreads to other parts of the world," said YouTube trends manager Kevin Allocca, "YouTube is a global thing - 70% of YouTube's views happen outside of the U.S. You have these things that are phenomena at a global scale."

Psy's breakout video overtook Gotye's 'Somebody That I Used To Know' as the most watched YouTube video of all time, with the Kony 2012 clip in third place. 'Call Me Maybe' by Carly Rae Jepsen and the Barack Obama versus Mitt Romney Rap Battle rounded out the top five. 

Continue reading: Gotye Ya! Psy's Gangnam Style Is Most Watched YouTube Of All Time

The first instance of a Gangnam Style death has occurred, and while the dance did not explicitly cause Eamonn Kilbride's death, the physical excursion from what is a demanding set of moves did.

We at Contact Music are paying our respects to Kilbride, 46, and his family: his wife Julie and children, Laurajade, 22, Jack, 21, and Conor, 18, who are all at university. Mrs Kilbride paid tribute to her "loving husband" of 23 years, calling him "the life of the party." Unfortunately for Mr Kilbride, his health problems, which came to a head while he was dancing Psy's Gangnam style, have rendered his death intrinsically to the Korean rapper. Professor Bernard Keavney, a consultant cardiologist at Newcastle University, has warned older men not to "stray outside your comfort zone" while dancing at their Christmas parties this year. "The chance that you'll come to grief is very small. But as with any form of untypical exercise ... be somewhat measured. Let the lady dance around you," he told The Daily Telegraph.

Mrs Kilbride said the following of her late husband and father to her children: "He was a great family man and he worked so hard. Eamonn was always the life of the party and loved dancing. We were having a fantastic time at the Christmas party and Eamonn had just finished dancing to Gangnam Style. He was up on stage and entertaining everybody. He said he had a bit of a pain and just collapsed. He loved me dearly and would tell people all the time. I know he thought the world of us."

Continue reading: Gangnam Style Death: Father Of Three Dies While Dancing The Popular Dance

The world’s first Gangnam Style death has prompted a warning to middle aged-men, urging them not attempt the dance, after a 46 year old man collapsed at an office party in Blackburn, England. Eamonn Kilbride died in front of his wife after mimicking Psy’s popular ‘Gangnam Style’ dance, The Independent reports.

A consultant cardiologist at Newcastle University warned older men to be careful, especially during the festive season and told them not stray outside of their “comfort zones” when it comes to strenuous exercise, or having fun at their Christmas parties. He added “The chance that you’ll come to grief is very small. But as with any form of untypical exercise … be somewhat measured. Let the lady dance around you.” Kilbride was at the party with his wife Julie, who described him as the “life of the party” and she paid tribute to her “loving husband.” He leaves behind three children, Laurajade, 22, Jack, 21 and Conor, 18.

There have been a plethora of ‘tribute’ videos to Psy’s unique ‘Gangnam Style’ dance uploaded onto YouTube – the site that made the original version so famous. Occasionally, the stories behind these videos have not had such a happy ending; such as the time a group of lifeguards lost their jobs for but this is the first time that such a tragic story has been reported as a result of people celebrating Psy’s overnight success.

Despite offending the nation with the discovery of an avidly anti-American song, 'Dear America', which speaks about killing Americans, families and children, Psy is still on the good side of the States having issued what seems like a heartfelt apology, and performing at the Christmas in Washington charity concert, reports MTV.

The apology read: "The song I was featured in - from eight years ago - was part of a deeply emotional reaction to the war in Iraq and the killing of two innocent Korean civilians that was part of the overall antiwar sentiment shared by others around the world at that time," he said "While I'm grateful for the freedom to express one's self I've learned there are limits to what language is appropriate and I'm deeply sorry for how these lyrics could be interpreted. I will forever be sorry for any pain I have caused anyone by those words." 

It was obviously deemed enough in President Obama's eyes who shook Psy's hand at the event hosted by Conan O'Brien, and didn't even refer to the Psy controversy in his speech. "Tonight is about Conan and Diana Ross and Santa and all the other talented folks on the stage," Obama said. "But it's also about the Americans who are spending this holiday in a hospital bed, or a shelter, or protecting our freedom on a battlefield far from home ... let's keep them in our prayers." 

Continue reading: Psy's Anti-American Song Is No Match For Gangnam Style Take-over

You’d think that shaking the hand of President Barack Obama would signify the high point of ‘Gangnam Style’ rapper Psy’s acceptance by the USA, however, from the outraged reaction of several publications it would appear that his love affair with the country could be about to come to an end.

Though known these days as a lovable funster, whose dance moves have caught the imagination the world over and caused him to have the most watched Youtube video ever, back in 2004 he sang “kill those f****** Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives…kill them all slowly and painfully” as part of an anti-American protest song that he’d written, according to the Daily Mail. Psy has apparently since apologized for the song, but it was picked up by Breitbart.com nevertheless who fumed at the meeting of the rapper and the President. They raged “OBAMA, BIDEN COZY UP TO ANTI-AMERICAN RAPPER PSY”, their story going on to be tweeted dozens of times, with other publications picking up the piece as well.

Psy was performing at the White House as part of a charity concert that also featured Diana Ross, Demi Lovato and Scotty McCreery, the festive gathering seeing the K-pop star perform his celebrated dance moves. The President said that the event was “a chance to get in the Christmas spirit, spread some joy and sing along with artists who have much better voices than we do.” It seems like some aren’t quite ready to impart any seasonal goodwill just yet.

After it emerged that Korean pop sensation Psy had covered aan anti-American song eight years ago, it looked like the honeymoon was well and truly over for South Korea's new cultural ambassador. However, looking over Twitter and the rest of Psy's home away from home (the internet), it looks as though he might escape this one with only a few scratches.

At last nights New York Nets game against the Golden State Warriors, 'Gangnam Style' could still be heard blaring down from the rafters, and no one seemed to care. Likewise on Twitter, rather than a feeling of Nationalist defence of America there was more of a feeling of "well, not that many people like us anyway." Acclaimed author Gary Shteyngart for one praised Psy for being "so Old Testament," in regards to his lyric "Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law, and fathers." Whilst another person Tweeted "Psy doesn't like us :( I thought that was clear when he brought MC Hammer out onto the stage."

Psy has since issued a public apology for the song and any other anti-American sentiment he may have harboured before he became an internationally known star. The events in question are both ten and eight years old respectively and the latter involved the star at a protest aimed at the U.S. military presence in South Korea in 2002 (as the Washington Post first pointed out) where he destroyed a fake tank on stage and again in 2004 at another anti-America military rally where he performed the now infamous song 'Dear America' - a cover by the South Korea metal band N.E.X.T. 

Justin Bieber performs on the second night of the KIIS Jingle Ball, but he was far from the only star of the evening

Justin Bieber was among those performing at the second night of the KIIS FM Jingle Ball, with pretty much anyone who's been anyone making an appearance over the radio network's massive two-dayer. Sunday night (December 2) at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles saw current chart sensation Taylor Swift coming up against The Jonas Brothers - who found themselves eclipsed by the star. Last night, though (December 3), it was the turn of Bieber - still deep into his lengthy tour - Ke$ha, YouTube sensation Psy and fast rising British group The Wanted, among others, to provide the party.

Continue reading: Pictures: Justin Bieber, Ke$ha And A Who's Who Of 2012 Pop Play The Second Night Of KIIS FM's Jingle Ball

Coldplay live CD/DVD Cover

Albums of Note... Coldplay’s Live 2012 album shows a band far more at ease with themselves than their previous live release, from 2003. The Live 2012 package includes both blu-ray and CD. The footage is punctuated by behind-the-scenes interludes and these excerpts showcase each band member’s enthusiasm for their live shows as well as revealing how the material from Mylo Xyloto evolved over time and culminated with them band playing to a vast stadium audiences across the globe. “Live 2012 includes some nice musical moments... the low-key piano intro to 'Yellow', a guest appearance from Rihanna during 'Princess Of China', and the stripped back intimacy of 'Us Against The World'. All of the other elements of big choruses and sing-along's spanning the entire Coldplay back catalogue are present and correct… and Chris Martin's voice seems to have found a renewed strength to cope with the massive venues the band now fills.”

Continue reading: A Week In Music Featuring: Coldplay, ELO, Hot Chip, Hot Chip And Much More!

Whether you love or hate Psy's 'Gangnam Style', one has to recognise its sheer popularity as it became YouTube's most viewed video ever, despite not being around as long as many of its competitors.

While we either dance around to it, or cover our ears and run away whenever we hear it, the song, and Psy's success has been a pretty big deal for South Korea, who have attempted to capitalize on the unlikely triumph of an already established rapper in the U.S and Europe. The dance, and song, is named after the Gangnam district - one of the 25 gu (local government districts) which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. The affluent part of town literally translates as "South of the (Han) River". In fact, the song isn't just named after the district, famous for its deluxe shopping boutiques and rich population, it's pretty disparaging of it; mocking the rampant consumerism that goes on down there. 

The whole thinking behind this frankly bizarre video is to boost Gangnam's attractions. The goal is to draw more tourists to the area, and to Seoul. And along with the campaign is a contest in which people write on the group's Facebook page about what Gangnam means to them. Winners get a free trip to Seoul. Check out vid below; it kind of makes us never ever want to go anywhere near it. Ever. 

Continue reading: Let's All Do Gangnam Style In The Gangnam District

Have we not had enough of members of seeing members of Joe Public performing the insufferable dance to the ubiquitous 'Gangnam Style' yet? Seems like you can’t even walk down the street these days for fear of being swept up in some kind of sloppily choreographed version of K-pop rapper Psy’s dance routine.

Anyway, the latest group of dancers to perform the dance do perhaps have more excuse than most, given that they’re in prison and there generally isn’t very much to do in prison. The Associated Press reports that 70 of the 4,500 prisoners currently held captive at the Bangkok Remand Prison in South Korea put on a show on Tuesday (November 27) for the media and corrections department executives after competing in a dance contest. The idea behind the contest, apparently, was that it would relieve stress and help keep them fit. We’d be more of the surly, pump iron in silence prisoner types we reckon, but fair enough.

Anyway, this flimsy event comes amidst the backdrop of the original video for ‘Gangnam Style’ becoming the most watched clip on YouTube ever, a feat it achieved earlier in the month. It’s currently heading towards the 838 million viewers mark.

Continue reading: South Korean Prisoners Perform 'Gangnam Style' Dance

It's hard to imagine a life before Psy's Gangnam Style, especially for us entertainment writers. Such is its popularity, it's recently become the highest viewed video on YouTube, and if this continues, it'll be the first vid to secure 1 billion hits, we're sure of it. 

But don't take our word for it; YouTube trends manager Kevin Allocca has been talking to MTV about the viral hit-turned-dance floor classic. "There are a number of artists who have a billion views in their catalog ... Bieber has three billion for all his videos," said Allocca. "But we haven't had a single music video pass one billion yet [and] 'Gangnam' is in position to be the one right now." And  with an average of 7-10 million views a day (11 million on Saturdays), Allocca said the tune is still operating at an "incredible" pace that hasn't been seen before. "This is so unlike anything we've seen before," he said. "It's hard to say he'll average seven million a day because that's a ridiculous statement based on what we know about YouTube. But he's operating in a space where there's not a lot of history to work from."

What Bieber started - using the social media video platform to launch a prolific career - Psy seems to have capitalized on, and maybe even bettered. "What Bieber has done is a very special thing in pop culture," he said, noting that "Baby" has been online since February 2010 and has slowed down since its heyday. "He's a poster figure for using YouTube and social media to build a dedicated fanbase who feel very invested in him."

Gangnam Style, the surprise hit by South Korean artist Psy, has become the most watched video on YouTube after racking up 825 million views. Psy overtakes the previous record holder Justin Bieber, whose video for Baby totalled 805,378,958 hits.

A blog post on YouTube announced the figures, though warned that Bieber was still the king of social media, "Psy's official channel now has over 1 billion views, a considerable number. Views on Bieber's Vevo channel alone, however, still total over 3 billion," it read. However, any sense of a battle brewing between the pair is severely unfounded, given that Bieber's manager Scooter Braun has already signed up Psy with the intention of releasing an English-language track in the near future. Real name Park Jae-Sang, Psy, 34, attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston though grew up in the upscale Gangnam district of Seoul. His released an album of hip-hop tracks in 2091, though it was Gangnam style and that horse dance that catapulted him to global prominence this year.

During a recent interview the New York Times, Psy said he took his inspiration from Tupac, Notorious B.I.G, Dr Dre, Eminem and Snoop Dogg.

Continue reading: Sorry Justin: Psy's Gangnam Style Becomes Most Watched YouTube, Ever

'Gangnam Style' Psy joined Madonna on stage yesterday (13th Nov. 2012) where her MDNA tour has reached New York, at Madison Square Garden, reports New York Daily News. 

Over the years Madonna has been vilified and praised for her interesting manner in which she proclaims her political inclinations. This year the use of a swastika in her tour came under fire in France, pointing a fake gun at a crowd in Denver was also met with swathes of criticism and her very vocal support of Barack Obama did nothing for her popularity at the New Orleans leg of the tour. In a similarly political slant, the Gangnam Style South Korean star Psy was awarded the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit by South Korea's Culture Ministry, earlier this month, for increasing interest in South Korea and knowledge of the country's pop music, reports the BBC. 

However, unlike Madonna's political advocations, which are entirely under her own steam, Psy seems intimidated by the whole ordeal. Speaking to BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat he said "They are saying that I am making history for the country right now so all of a sudden I just became the guy who is representing one country and that is really heavy pressure and I don't want to live like that." He also admitted to being something of a 'badass' before international success hit. 

Continue reading: Madonna And Psy, Music's Political Leaders Together On Stage

Madonna in one of her less revealing stage outfits at Madison Square Garden last night (November 13, 2012)

Madonna called in to New York's Madison Square Garden for the second night in a row of a tour that's stretched back to before the summer - but this time she had a special guest with her. At one point in the concert, the 53 year-old announced that she was going to sing a song she'd not performed in a while, before launching into 'Give It 2 Me', from 2008. So far so 'meh'. However, midway through the track who should pop up than current internet sensation Psy, spitting lyrics from his ubiquitous hit 'Gangnam Style', the both of them performing the infamous dance moves from the video for the song. The pair also duetted on Madonna's smash hit 'Music'. Check out the fan video below!

Continue reading: PICTURES: Madonna Joined By Special Guest Psy At Madison Square Garden

South Korean superstar Psy has already taken the world with his hugely successful video for the single 'Gangnam Style,' yet that didn't mean he was going to take things easy when he pulled up in Frankfurt for this this weekends MTV Europe Music Awards.

The K-Pop sensation brought the multi-platinum single to the stage at the awards ceremony and just like the video for the song, he didn't skimp on the over the top antics with a performance that included hundreds of Psy lookalikes taking to the stage and even a surprise appearance from David Hasslehoff, on a toilet no less. The performance featured Psy and a throng of back-up dancers walking to the stage to perform his trademark dance, with a screen behind him featuring a cartoon image of the singer before he was joined by even more backing dancers - all dressed as Psy. If that wasn't good enough, then the appearance from the Hoff should have appeased just about everyone watching.

Psy took to Twitter after his performance to ask his fans what they thought of his breathtaking performance, asking:  "How was it!? Am I #EMAzingPSY!!???" 

Continue reading: Psy Makes EMAs His Own

Global phenomenon Psy was in London this week to discuss world-recognised hit 'Gangnam Style' whilst also picking up his plaque from Guinness World Records as he officially became recognised as having the 'Most Liked' video on Youtube.

The Korean star wipe aside competition from Justin Bieber who’s debut song 'Baby' comes in at third with a total of 1,327,147 likes, with LMFAO’s 'Party Rock Anthem' closely following with 1,574,963 likes. However 'Gangnam Style' blew his closest rivals out of the water with a massive 4,911,081 likes recorded on the video sharing website.

Psy was speaking to BBC Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills on his show when the award was at last delivered to honour the song that has been listened to over 680 million time worldwide and has made Psy and his infectious song a household name. This is by no means the first record that Psy has broken though, having become the first Korean to top the iTunes chart with his hit song.

Continue reading: Psy Collects Guinness World Record For 'Gangnam Style'

Maroon 5's new single 'One More Night' stays at number one in the charts for the eighth week running, kicking Psy's 'Gangnam Style' to number two.

The pop band have also beaten their own record by doubling their previous hit 'Moves Like Jagger' featuring Christina Aguilera which remained at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for just four weeks. South Korean rapper Psy, whose hilarious hit 'Gangnam Style' originally hit the charts at number one has dropped to number two for its seventh week. Last week, the points between the two songs were scarce at just 600, but more and more listeners seem to be enjoying 'One More Night' as this week 2,000 points separate the two tunes. It is also in its fifth week on top of the Radio Songs chart while Psy still stands at the top on the Digital Songs and On-Demand Songs charts. The last seven week run at number one was Rihanna with 'We Found Love' featuring Calvin Harris in November and December 2011.

At number three is Fun.'s 'Some Nights' while 'Diamonds' by Rihanna goes from number five to number four. Taylor Swift's 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together' is now at number five having survived three weeks at number one on its release.

Zara Phillips and her fellow Team GB equestrian team members will be dancing ‘Gangnam Style’ to raise money for Children in Need.

The Royal Olympian and granddaughter to the Queen will be dancing in full equestrian kit, to the strains of Psy’s surprise electro-pop hit, which has spawned many an imitation (one of which got a group of lifeguards fired from their jobs, no less), The Telegraph reports.

‘Gangnam Style’ became a viral hit this summer and has now been viewed over 658 million times on YouTube. Now, it gets the royal seal of approval, as Princess Anne’s daughter, along with Tina Cook and Nicola Wilson, will perform their very own brand of the now-legendary dance as part of the BBC’s evening of charity-focused entertainment. Fittingly, the dance itself features a mime of someone pretending to ride a horse and spinning a lasso. That first bit, at least, should be a doddle for the Equestrian Event team, who will release the video on Monday (November 12, 2012), ahead of the annual Children in Need telethon, which will take place on Friday (November 16, 2012).

Continue reading: 'Gangnam Style' Gets Royal Treatment, Zara Phillips Dances For Children In Need

South Korean internet sensation Psy led a mass dance to his worldwide hit 'Gangnam Style' at Oxford University Union this week. Appearing at a packed university debating chamber, Psy, 34, simply turned on the speakers, fired up his song, and showed students his famous horse dance.

Hundreds joined in with the moves, made famous in a YouTube video that has garnered over 650 million views. He's the first Korean pop artist to score a UK No.1 and hopes his success will start a new wave of Korean acts having chart success in Britain. Addressing the university union, Psy spoke of his surprise at the rapid success of 'Gangnam Style' and now feels the pressure to do the same with his new work. Ah, that difficult second album eh?

The Oxford Union is one of the most famous and prestigious student societies in the world, having been founded in 1823 to provide a form for free speech at a time when Oxford University banned all discussion of politics and religion. The late Michael Jackson is a previous singer to have addressed the union, as is Shakira and more recently, the My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way.

Continue reading: Psy Leads Mass 'Gangnam Style' Dance At Oxford University (Video)

The nonconformist Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has blasted his government’s removal of his ‘Gangnam Style’ parody video from the China-based website it had being hosted on. 

The famous ‘horse dance’ from the Korean singer Psy's well-known video was filmed at the artist’s studio in Beijing, and was later posted on a number of video hosting sites authorised by the Chinese government, from which it was promptly removed by the country’s governing body. The parody video, called ‘Caonima’, is a reference to state control of the web and the title itself, meaning grass, mud, horse, is an insult that has been adopted by the online community in the country to describe the government’s online presence. 

The artist told Reuters: "After we had uploaded it, a few hours later ... we found that a lot of people, tens of thousands, had already watched it. Now, in China, it has already been totally removed, deleted entirely, and you can't see it in China.”

Continue reading: Protest Artist Ai Weiwei Hits Out Over Chinese Government Censorship Of His Video

Chinese artist, Ai Weiweu has capitalized on the success of the Gangnam Style craze created by rapper Psy to create a spoof, and in doing so, criticize the level of censorship enforced by the Chinese government, The New York Daily News Reports. 

In a video uploaded to YouTube on Wednesday, Ai's "Grass-Mud Horse Style" riffs off an Internet meme that pokes fun and criticizes online censorship in China. Ai's clip features him imitating the popular dance moves made famous by South Korean rapper Psy in the original "Gangnam Style" video, which has more than 530 million views on YouTube and sits at No. 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Ai cuts a controversial figure in his native China, where he was arrested last year on charges of tax evasion. Although the 55-year-old is barred from leaving China, his outspokenness has earned him an international following and hasn't stopped him from creating sculptures, photos and other installation art, most of which, criticize what he believes to be an oppressive government. 

Another spoof of the dance landed the Royal Thai in a spot of bother, as a senior naval officer mimicked the vid with this uniform on, The Daily Dot reported. Vice Admiral Therathorn Kajitsuwan accepted the blame for the performance, saying, "I admit that in some respects it may not be appropriate, but I insist that we had no intention to insult or make fun of Navy officers in uniform. We only thought about finding an activity that officers and employees would enjoy doing together to bid farewell to our retiring colleagues."

Continue reading: Ai Weiwei Uses 'Gangnam Style' Spoof To Criticise Government

A camp South Korean artist released a video and single called 'Gangnam Style' a few months ago which has ended up being an enormous success, with 530 million views on YouTube alone. Since then, there have been countless parodies, covers and remixes but none that have raised such controversy as that of Chinese dissident artist and political activist, Ai Weiwei.

Ai Weiwei is a huge figure of art on an international basis, which means while in China "people are [reportedly] arrested or taken away without any formal charge" and never seen of again, Ai Weiwei has the international standing for the government to treat him with a little more caution and respect (though he still spent 81 days in 'detention' last year, refused his passport and barring him from accepiting a job at a German university [and this is China being cautious]). Weiwei's Gangnam Style cover is called, in translation, Grass Mud Horse Style. The Grass Mud Horse, according to the New York Times, is a homophone of another phrase that translates 'f*** your mother' and a trope adopted by the Chinese on the internet which symbolically expresses protest against the stringent regime in place in China. By mimicking the horse riding dance made famous by Psy, and wielding a pair of handcuffs, while singing the protest phrase, the cover video has really irritated the government.

Richard Koshalek, director of Hirshhorn museum, is quoted by the Guardian, who referred to the dissident in an exhibition catalogue: "Ai Weiwei's art and his activism resonate far beyond the art world and encourage an expanded dialogue on crucial social, cultural, and political issues of the day." 

Continue reading: Why Does The Chinese Government Care About A Cover Of Gangnam Style?

The global popularity of South Korean rapper Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ appeared to know no bounds. Until recently, that is, when Japan ‘snubbed’ the song. That’s right, folks, the people of Japan, between them, only bought enough copies of ‘Gangnam Style’ for it to “just scrape” the top 30 songs on the Japanese iTunes chart, according to The Telegraph. To many, that would still be a pretty respectable result. The people of South Korea are not happy with the result, however and are blaming political tensions between the countries.

Japan have responded by accusing South Korean citizens of boosting the singer’s online YouTube views by using automated viewing programmes. Crikey. Who knew that a silly dance tune like ‘Gangnam Style’ could create such cultural and political conflict!? Possibly in an effort to smooth over such contentious issues, Psy took some time to do a little bit of a dance with the secretary general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday (October 23, 2012). Ban Ki-moon joked that he felt a little outdone by Psy, who could well have ousted him as the most famous Korean in the world, thanks to the viral success of ‘Gangnam Style.’

Continue reading: Is Japan Immune To The Power Of Psy's 'Gangnam Style'?

Adele's single for the soundtrack of the newest Bond movie has failed to hit the top of the UK charts, having been beaten out by Swedish House Mafia's Don't You Worry Child. Skyfall is closely followed in the charts by K-Pop sensation Psy's internet hit, Gangnam Style and Rihanna's newest single, Diamonds. Despite limited promotion, Adele's effort had been touted as sure to storm the charts on its release - a feat, which no Bond soundtrack has ever achieved. It seems it wasn't in the stars for this song either, which only managed to climb two places after entering the charts at number four last week.

The track is enjoying a lot of success regardless, having topped the international iTunes charts mere hours after its online release on October 5th. Fans are jumping at the chance to own the tune and supporting the singer over various social media outlets. "The theme song for the new 007 that Adele did is perfect," one fan tweeted.

The 007 star himself, Daniel Craig, has expressed his admiration for Adele on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon recently, saying: "When Adele's name came up I just jumped at it, I just said, "We have to get her." "I just thought that she has the voice and she's got the tone that we wanted", the actor added, according to the Daily Mail.

Continue reading: Adele's 'Skyfall' Misses Out On Top Spot

Youtube viral video sensation Psy is to be the flag waver at this weekend's South Korean Formula 1 Grand Prix. Some might argue that this is some sort of hefty selling out by the 34 year-old rapper given that the song that has made him famous, 'Gangnam Style', is an attack on the wealthy, materialistic ways of the people who dwell in the aforementioned Gangnam area. After all, is there anything quite so indulgent as owners pumping millions of dollars into a car race? Yet it's hard not to soften to Psy, given the way that his video has caught the imagination of the global public.

Continue reading: South Korean Formula 1 Grand Prix To Be Given A Touch Of 'Gangnam Style' This Weekend

Gangnam Style, the Korean rap video that has taken the internet by storm, could potentially help the nation’s tourist industry. The wacky dance video, featuring rapper Psy, was shot in various locations around Seoul’s Gangnam neighbourhood – a hugely wealthy district, home to the country’s rich and famous.

Korean tourism hasn’t always been an easy sell – especially to Americans – though Luis Maravi, marketing manager for the Korea Tourism Organization in New York, has noticed a definite change since Psy’s video hit the web, telling USA Today, “A lot of people are wanting to visit that district of Seoul and tour operators are developing tours around it.” Gangnam is actually a 15-square-mile neighbourhood, considered to be the capital’s financial centre. It represents seven per cent of South Korea’s GDP and Gangnam is home to good restaurants, shopping malls and luxury spas. The United States is the fourth largest inbound market to South Korea (around 650,000 visited in 2011), though the majority of those journeys were made for business reasons. Maravi added, “We would like those numbers to be higher, but we compete with bigger better-known neighbors…I think (the video) is popular because it's fun to watch…It has a catchy beat. And it's not a complicated dance.”

Movie buffs visiting Gangnam may recognize a couple of the tube stations, which featured in the 2012 Hollywood movie ‘The Bourne Legacy’, starring Jeremy Renner.