"Uncool" Korean star goes viral with rapping dance
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Buy SPH photosSEOUL (REUTERS) - A chubby, rapping singer with slicked-back hair and a tacky suit is the latest musical sensation to burst upon the world from South Korea, via a YouTube music video that has been seen by over 20 million people in under a month.
In a nation famed for the pretty-boy but often bland bands of K-Pop, nobody was more surprised by the success of the video Gangnam Style than its creator, Psy, a musician with a decade-long career in his homeland who never thought to break overseas. "The YouTube video never targeted foreign countries. It was for local fans," Psy told Reuters on the sidelines of a concert at the weekend. "My goal in this music video was to look uncool until the end. I achieved it."
Decked out in a bow tie and suit jackets varying from pink to baby blue, as well as a towel for one sequence set in a sauna, the 34-year-old Psy busts funky moves based on horse-riding in venues ranging from playgrounds to subways.
The video has been viewed by more than 26 million since mid-July, eclipsing the total for pop star Justin Bieber's most recent effort, according to YouTube. Parodies have popped up in South Korea and the United States, and the tune was used as part of Stockholm's Pride Parade earlier this month.
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South Korean singer Psy poses during an interview with Reuters before his concert in Seoul on Aug 11, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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South Korean singer Psy poses during an interview with Reuters before his concert in Seoul on Aug 11, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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South Korean singer Psy poses during an interview with Reuters before his concert in Seoul on Aug 11, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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Singer Psy (centre) performs a parody of Lady Gaga with dancers during his concert in Seoul on Aug 11, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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Singer Psy (front) performs during his concert in Seoul on Aug 11, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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Singer Psy appears on giant screens during his concert in Seoul on Aug 11, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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This handout photo taken on Aug 3, 2012 and released by Expo 2012 Yeosu shows South Korean singer Park Jae-Sang, better known by his stage name "Psy", during an Asia song festival in the southern port city of Yeosu. -- PHOTO: AFP/EXPO 2012 YEOSU
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This handout photo taken on Aug 3, 2012 and released by Expo 2012 Yeosu shows South Korean singer Park Jae-Sang, better known by his stage name "Psy", during an Asia song festival in the southern port city of Yeosu. -- PHOTO: AFP/EXPO 2012 YEOSU
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This handout photo taken on Aug 3, 2012 and released by Expo 2012 Yeosu shows South Korean singer Park Jae-Sang, better known by his stage name "Psy", during an Asia song festival in the southern port city of Yeosu. -- PHOTO: AFP/EXPO 2012 YEOSU
South Korean singer Psy poses during an interview with Reuters before his concert in Seoul on Aug 11, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
South Korean singer Psy poses during an interview with Reuters before his concert in Seoul on Aug 11, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
South Korean singer Psy poses during an interview with Reuters before his concert in Seoul on Aug 11, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Singer Psy (centre) performs a parody of Lady Gaga with dancers during his concert in Seoul on Aug 11, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Singer Psy (front) performs during his concert in Seoul on Aug 11, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Singer Psy appears on giant screens during his concert in Seoul on Aug 11, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
This handout photo taken on Aug 3, 2012 and released by Expo 2012 Yeosu shows South Korean singer Park Jae-Sang, better known by his stage name "Psy", during an Asia song festival in the southern port city of Yeosu. -- PHOTO: AFP/EXPO 2012 YEOSU
This handout photo taken on Aug 3, 2012 and released by Expo 2012 Yeosu shows South Korean singer Park Jae-Sang, better known by his stage name "Psy", during an Asia song festival in the southern port city of Yeosu. -- PHOTO: AFP/EXPO 2012 YEOSU
This handout photo taken on Aug 3, 2012 and released by Expo 2012 Yeosu shows South Korean singer Park Jae-Sang, better known by his stage name "Psy", during an Asia song festival in the southern port city of Yeosu. -- PHOTO: AFP/EXPO 2012 YEOSU
