Going Gangnam with Psy

MANILA, Philippines - When I received a call to interview YouTube sensation Psy, of the Gangnam Style fame, I really got excited to speak to one of this year’s most popular stars. When he entered the room,  I met a cool, down to earth, accommodating person, unfazed by all the attention and his phenomenal popularity.

In spite of being under the weather, the 34-year-old was still his smiling and jolly self. He said his name is actually short for “Psycho. What I thought was, I was crazy about music, dancing and performing so that kind of psycho,” he said.

Psy also revealed that he is currently working on an album for the international market, which is targeted for release next March.

But the singer admitted that he doesn’t expect his next single to be as big as Gangnam Style, which now has more than 900 million hits on the video-sharing site YouTube.

“I can say I’m gonna do my best. But I cannot beat Gangnam Style. That’s for sure. That’s one time only. It’s a phenomenon,” he told me. Gangnam Style is actually a track from Psy’s sixth album.

After my one-on-one meeting with the Korean, I told him my interview would not be complete without him teaching me how to dance Gangnam Style. He gamely taught me the basic dance moves —  the horse trot, which involves pretending to ride a horse, spinning a lasso and moving into a legs-shuffling side gallop.

Here’s the full-length interview with Mr Gangnam Style which aired on BBC World News.

Psy, thank you so much for joining us on BBC World News. Psy is short for psycho. Why did you choose the word? Are you a crazy person?

“So usually, psycho is negative meaning right? Some sort of mental problem, but the thing is, for me, psycho is a really great word. And in the 21st century, what I’m thinking about psycho is crazy and mad at one special aspect so which is called a specialist and expert. That’s what I am thinking about psycho. So in my case, what I thought was crazy about music, dancing, performance, so that kind of psycho.”

Everyone is so crazy about Gangnam Style which is one of the songs in your sixth album. It took you six albums to get worldwide recognition. What made you write the song?

“So I feel kind of strange because as you told me, I have already done this for more than a decade and this was not my first time but the sixth time. And I have done the same kind of thing for 12 years and the same kind of songs for 12 years and the same kind of dance for 12 years but all of a sudden this happens. I did not do anything on purpose or honestly, I did not put any effort to be an international something so, strange, weird, still.”

Weird?

“Yes, I am trying to analyze the reason about this happening but still I cannot analyze it yet, because, I don’t know.”

And the popularity of Gangnam Style has now surpassed 900 million hits on YouTube, what does this mean for you, K-pop and Asian artists and Asian music?

“So yesterday, I was in Hong Kong attending  the MAMA Awards and at the venue, I met Jackie Chan. And he applauded me so much and he told me he is proud because I am Asian and he said the first generation was Jacky Chan and I am the second generation, that’s what he told me. It was really an honor. And I attended university in the United States when I was in college and at that time, I thought, Asians and Americans are not friendly with each other about emotion and feeling. But nowadays, there’s no barrier and I think there is a certain thirst. They feel a thirst for something new, something fresh.”

Do you feel Gangnam Style has united western music and Asian music?

“Well, honestly, I cannot say my music is eastern or western because we all got inspired from western music anyway and my beat is really western beat honestly but lyric is Korean, that’s an important thing. So, yes, in some way east and west meets I think.”

Absolutely, east meets west and Gangnam Style is in Korean. Do you plan to translate this into English or maybe into several other languages?

“Not at all. Because when I first got an offer from United States market, at that time, I thought about making translation about the song but I did not because it already had a hundred something views at that time which means if I translate the lyric into English at that time, that can make a lot of confusion about it right? So I did not do it and so every time I perform the song still, I really want people to recognize the lyrics because it’s a really funny lyrics but they don’t get it, they don’t have any idea right when I’m performing.”

So give us a background about the lyrics of Gangnam Style.

“So basically Gangnam is a district in Seoul, South Korea and I described the district as calm at the day time and crazy at the night time and I compared ladies to the district. So a lady who is calm at the day time and crazy at the night time is a sexy lady, that’s what I described in the song.”

So with the popularity of Gangnam Style, what is next for Psy?

“So I’m working on a new project, new single and my debut album for worldwide. I’m working on it right now and it’s going to be out next March. I think and a lot of people ask me about the pressure and to be another success like Gangnam Style. But, honestly, I can say I’m going to do my best but the thing is I cannot beat Gangnam Style.  That’s for sure. That’s one time only. That kind of phenomenon. It’s a phenomenon, it’s not my success, so people make it not me and they make it so, next time I’m going to make it for the first time.”

Your father is a very successful man in South Korea. He runs a publicly listed company. Do you still have plans of joining the family business and give up music? 

“Me, leave the music scene? I just got this fame, no, never (laughs).”

(The author is a BBC News anchor on Asia Business Report and Newsday every weekday morning on BBC World News.)