Psy: His life after the global gangnam style phenomenon
It was in the summer of 2012 when an unknown artist from South Korea uploaded to YouTube A song with a weird dance, vibrant colors and a title that no one could pronounce properly.
The reason for Gangnam Style. A song that didn’t take long to turn into a worldwide phenomenon – broke a record of screenings, came into political speeches and, according to some, « brought peace to the world » … for at least 4 minutes.
If you live in a cave and you have never heard of it. This is Gangnam Style by Psy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BZKP7Q19F0
Psy, world-famous Park Jae-Sang, became the first creator to exceed 1 billion views on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzivgkuhnl4
Although no longer in the first place (it’s the Baby Shark Dance, if you are wondering), the video of Gangnam Style is still one of the most popular of all time, having exceeded 5 billion views in 2025!
And so, Psy became a global cultural phenomenon, with his characteristic « gallop » imitating young children to … Barack Obama.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tg0vzh8bnu
After worldwide success, Psy moved to Los Angeles, signing the man’s record label – the man behind Justin Bieber’s first steps and Taylor Swift’s big opponent.
In 2013 she released Single Gentleman, which, although impressive (18 million views in the first 24 hours), failed to reach the same cult status. Although he tried, as you will see below…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aso_zypdnsq
He then admitted that the pressure was huge: « I won an international reputation almost by chance. I will not make desperate attempts to maintain it. I will continue to do what I always did. If the world likes it, welcome. If not, too, « he had said.
After a few more singles and two albums (Chiljip Psy-Da in 2015 and 4×2 = 8 in 2017), Psy made the decision to finally return to Seoul in 2022. There he founded his own record company, P Nation, in the heart of… gangnam-of the area that inspired him to write the legendary song.
His new mission? To highlight the new generation of K-pop. In 2022 he released his ninth album, Psy 9th, with Single That, in collaboration with BTS Suga.
In an interview with the New York Times, he acknowledged that for years he was « haunting » Gangnam Style. But now, he has reconciled with the idea that he does not need to repeat it: « If it happens again, perfect. If not, it doesn’t matter. I will continue to do what I know, in the role I belong to. «
Married since 2006 to Yoo Hye-Yeon, a musician studying at the cello, Psy is the father of twin girls and lives north of Seoul-on the other side of Gangnam, geographically and perhaps symbolically.
From 2022, after the pandemic, he returned to the stage with his spectacular Summer Swag Festival, touring various cities in Korea. In the summer of 2022 he scored 350,000 spectators, breaking every previous record – an experience recorded in the Disney+documentary, « Psy Summer Swag 2022 ».
« I feel happy when I see other people being happy. And to see them smiling with my music, it is compared to anything in the world, « he said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPwzk_oow2G
Psy may never repeat the explosive « Gangnam Style », but he lives his own second act as a mentor, creator and performer, with greater consciousness and dedication than ever.
And the world public may have known him through a gallop, but his real fan knows: Psy didn’t just ran a viral marathon. He ran his own course – and it’s not over yet.
