Psy, the YG solo artist who needs little introduction since he Ganganam-styled his way into the world’s media a few years back, is making a comeback on 1 Dec.
His new album will be titled 7th Album Cider, and he’ll doubtless be performing tracks from it at the MAMA awards ceremony in Hong Kong.
Wait, 7th album? Yep, surprisingly Psy – real name Park Jaesang – has released 6 albums to date, with Gangnam Style being one of the main tracks on the 6th album. And in a way, the UK is partly responsible: Psy cites Queen as an early musical inspiration. As a teenager he saw them perform Bohemian Rhapsody on TV and he was smitten with music and showmanship from then on.
Psy first debuted back in 2001, and earned himself the nickname ‘the bizarre singer’ in Korea, a rookie hip-hop singer who combined unusual style, dance moves and blunt lyrics. The South Korean government even fined him for some of the lyrics on his first album, Psy from the Psycho World! His second album Sa 2 didn’t fare much better with authorities, as it was age restricted, due to civil groups thinking it may have a bad influence on under-19s.
The World Cup in 2002 marked Psy’s first major breakthrough to mainstream pop, as a song from his third album Champion captured the nation’s footie fever. Mandatory military service and two albums later, he was with YG, and his sixth album release gave the world Gangnam Style.
Gangnam Style is, and remains, a global phenomenon. Its MV has almost two and a half million views, and it has led to worldwide acclaim and criticism for Psy, collaborations with Madonna, and here on our own shores, a packed room at the Oxford Union, where he taught students a few Gangnam moves.
There’s no denying that Psy leaped language and cultural boundaries with an imaginary horse to grab the world’s attention in 2012; so can he ever repeat that success? Let’s see what his 7th album has in store.
Recommended MVs
Gangnam Style
Gentleman
Hangover (ft Snoop Dogg)
Psy speaking at the Oxford Union (and teaching them his moves)
On the Jonathan Ross show
