Riya Choudhary, Delhi

Park Jae-sang, popularly known as PSY, is a South Korean singer, eccentric rapper, songwriter, and record producer. His stage name is derived from the word ‘psycho’ which was decided by him because he wanted to be known as an artist who is crazy about music, dancing, and performance.

He was born on December 31, 1977, in Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea. He came from an affluent and well-off family. His father is the Executive Chairman of DI Corporation, and his mother owns various restaurants in Gangnam. He attended elementary, middle, and high school in South Korea, and in 1996, went to the USA for further studies. He attended Boston University to study Business Administration to take over DI Corporation from his father but later dropped out of college because he lost interest in studies. His interest in music increased, and he applied at the Berklee College of Music. He took some lessons there and later dropped out to pursue a career as a singer in Korea without attaining degrees from either Boston University or Berklee.

In January 2001, he debuted with his first full-length album Psy from the Psycho World! which was later fined by the South Korean government authorities due to inappropriate content. He released two more albums that year. His third album’s title song ‘Champion’ got people’s attention due to the World Cup games held in Seoul, and later, he was awarded at the Seoul Music Award.

Now, he is known for his cheesy but classy and foot-tapping music, making him an ultimate legend. Here are three reasons why he deserves the title.

Popularised K-pop around the world

He joined YG Entertainment in the year 2010 and went to overseas concerts where he gained immense popularity. Later, he released many albums that were well received. He is known for his humorous videos, and his song ‘Gangnam Style’ and ‘Gentleman’ caught the attention of the world. That is how a lot of people were introduced to K-pop. He became one of most popular personalities in the K-pop scene. In 2018, his single ‘New Face’, which features Son Na-eun of Apink, also became extremely popular.

He left YG Entertainment in 2018 and in 2019 established his own company called P Nation. In Korea, he is popular for being ‘The Bizarre Singer’. He is considered to be one of the few first K-pop artists to make a breakthrough in the Western music industry.

Stole the show with the legendary ‘Gangnam Style’

The words ‘Gangnam Style’ is a Korean neologism that refers to the lifestyle of rich and privileged people living in the Gangnam district of Seoul. In the song, PSY referred to himself as “Oppa Gangnam Style” which means “Big brother is Gangnam Style”. This song, choreographed by Lee Ju-sun, had cheesy dance moves that caught the attention of worldwide fans and went viral. This song received mixed ratings but became an international sensation. The music video of this song crossed 3.6 billion views on YouTube and broke four Guinness World Records, including the most viewed video online, the most liked video online, the first video to be viewed more than a billion times, as well as the first video to be viewed more than 2 billion times on YouTube.

Here’s a little fun fact: you can spot comedians Yoo Jae-suk, Noh Hong-chul, and singer Hyuna in the music video of this song. PSY was recognized as an “international sensation” by the United Nation on October 24, 2012, because of the immense popularity of the song. Whether someone knows K-Pop or not, everyone knows this song and its legendary dance steps.

His humbleness and connections

He is known to be extremely humble. He dresses perfectly and advises people to ‘dress classy, dance cheesy.’ He has worked with Snoop Dogg for ‘Hangover’, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, assigned to US label record Schoolboy Records which is owned by Scooter Braun, collaborated with Madonna for ‘Gangnam Style’ during a concert, and featured many artists, such as Hyuna, CL of 2NE1 et cetera, in his songs.

A loving family man

On October 14, 2006, he married his girlfriend Yoo Hye-yeon in a hotel in Seoul. Their marriage was one of the biggest events in South Korea. The couple is blessed with twin daughters. He is a loving family man and keeps his family away from the media.

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