PSY’s most iconic worldwide popular song Gangnam Style has completed a long run of 11 years since the day it gained a billion views on YouTube. The music video that took the world by storm ever since its release in 2012 has had a massive influence on the world of music.
Gangnam Style by PSY still prevails as one of the most unmatched songs of all time. Back in the 2010s the song dominated the music industry not just in its homeland Korea but places around the globe. It gained even more significance when the dance steps flaunted in the music video got turned into memes. Gangnam Style took over the internet with its iconic horse-riding dance in the music video, which was so infectious that people around the world adapted to it jamming to the beats.
courtesy: Gangnam Style on Youtube
Today, that is, 21 December marks an important milestone in PSY’s music career and the success of Gangnam Style. It marks the very day on which the music video destroyed several records and dominated YouTube by becoming the first video to get a billion views.
1.1 Other Records By Gangnam Style
Gangnam Style was the lead single from PSY 6 (Six Rules), Part 1 which successfully crushed all records. The song in itself is a catchy K-pop tune that playfully references Seoul, Korea’s famous Gangnam district.
On this day, 11 years ago, PSY’s hit song Gangnam Style broke the bar after emerging as the first YouTube video to get a billion views on the platform. It debuted at number one on South Korea’s Gaon Chart on 15th of July, 2012. The song received massive support from the audience and PSY was praised for his music around the world. A single song turned the tables in the global music scene.
Even though it was already quite popular among people, this did not stop the song from spreading its tunes more. In August 2012 the music video once again made history in global pop culture. In the United States of America, Gangnam Style reached the number two position on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the highest charting song ever made by a South Korean artist to date. It went on to rule in over 30 more countries around the world.
The song has approximately set 10 world records which also includes the achievement of being the first K-pop song to reach #1 on the UK Chart. It has secured several records including the title of the “Most Liked Video on YouTube” and the most-played K-pop music video on the platform. Not only did the song earn itself as the first Youtube video with a billion views but it also achieved this milestone in such a short period, it’s commendable.
courtesy: PSY on youtube
1.2 PSY’s Rise To Stardom
Although the song grabbed the attention of millions with its rhythm and groove. What cannot be overshadowed is the fact that PSY’s horse-riding dance played a huge role in making the video global. Language too has its barriers but dance has no barriers and can be expressed by and to anyone. The video also featured various Korean celebrities to engage Korean fans. In honour of the impact Gangnam Style had on the music industry, a statue was inaugurated in 2016.
Unlike other K-pop artists, PSY made a change in the way K-pop was always expected to be with the inclusion of electronic dance elements in his work. He did not believe in following rules or expectations in music and hence worked as a free soul, providing his fans with the music he truly loved making. This new and innovative step helped him win the Best Video award at the MTV Europe Music Awards that year. The song had turned into a source of laughter and joy.
When the video was released globally on YouTube on July 15, 2012, it was quick to grab a lot of attention from the audiences and reached 500,000 views even before the day ended. World-renowned public figures appreciated Gangnam Style for the joy it had provided to people. The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon also once called the music video “a force for world peace.” During a meeting with South Korea’s President Park Geun Hye at the White House on 7 May 2013, then-US President Barack Obama acknowledged the success of Gangnam Style and said that it was a great example of how the Korean Wave of culture was spreading across the world.
In today’s musical world, PSY and his hit single Gangnam Style are both legendary, leaving a monumental mark and representing K-pop in the International arena. In the end, Gangnam Style was not just a song or a music video but instead a revolutionary step towards a greater good for Korean music and culture.
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