We have worked with a leading entertainment company in Korea and this article, we feel, does a great job in summing up why Psy has been the, only, K-Pop star, to date, to be able to significantly capitalize on his talent in the States. We wish more Korean entertainers would consider fostering the skills that make the entertainers unique and not, simply, try to make an artist conform to what audiences are perceived to like. Psy has done this and, thus, has been successful.
The article notes, in part, that:
Psy’s unexpected international success not only took Korea by surprise, but the rest of the world as well. On July 15, the Korean rap star, who had enjoyed little international popularity in the past, released his comedic and cleverly choreographed “Gangnam Style” on YouTube.
What followed is history. With more than 1.5 billion global views, “Gangnam Style” has become one of the world’s most successful songs.
“Gentleman,” Psy’s follow-up single to his record-breaking track, was released worldwide on April 12. The music video which was uploaded onto YouTube the following day broke a world record for the most views in 24 hours with an astonishing 38.4 million hits, making it the rapper’s fourth entry in the Guinness World Records. As of Thursday afternoon, “Gentleman” has been viewed more than 267 million times, alleviating Psy’s public worries of becoming a one-hit wonder.
Psy was the underdog that no one thought could make it big overseas. Whereas the previous K-pop acts who premiered in the U.S. before him had tried to conform and blend in with the sounds and trends of the Western music market and had sung in English, it was Psy’s comedy, creativity and pure entertainment that finally caught America’s interest.
As for an explanation for his phenomenal global success, Psy summed it up best when he stated, “I’m simply an entertainer.”
Psy, simply, was successful because he is doing something unique. Great job Psy and looking forward to your next big hit. Making Korea proud.
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Sean Hayes is co-chair of the Korea Practice Team at IPG Legal. He is the only non-Korean to have worked as an attorney for the Korean court system (Constitutional Court of Korea) and one of the first non-Koreans to be a regular member of a Korean law faculty.
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