Twelve years on from Gangnam Style, K-Pop star Psy is living a new life

It’s been 12 years since Psy took over the world with the release of Gangnam Style, now, the K-Pop star is living a completely new life.

It’s been almost 12 years to the day since an unknown artist released a song and accompanying music video that would be hailed as a “force for world peace”, shattering internet records and uniting millions in the process.

South Korean performer Psy, then-known solely in his home country, rocketed to international stardom with the release of his 2012 hit Gangnam Style, pioneering a mainstream K-pop boom.

Despite attempts to recreate the track’s success, the effervescent artist whose signature gallop dance move was viral enough to be discussed by US president Barack Obama on the re-election trail, was destined to become a one(ish) hit wonder, at least internationally.

So what came of the man who became a bona fide cultural phenomenon overnight, and the first ever creator to clock a billion views on YouTube?

Psy shot to global stardom in 2012. Picture: Supplied

The now 46-year-old, a husband and father of twin girls, is back living in Seoul after a stint in the US, with an estimated net worth of $29 million, a figure which continues to trickle over thanks to Gangnam Style royalties and YouTube ad revenue.

Psy, whose real name is Park Jae-sang, had enjoyed a decade of success in Seoul before Gangnam Style topped international charts.

In a bid to continue his foothold globally, the musician moved to Los Angeles at the height of the Gangnam wave, where he was signed to Schoolboy Records, the label owned by Taylor Swift’s number one enemy, Scooter Braun.

But his much-anticipated follow-up single Gentleman, released in 2013, failed to have the same impact, and was largely panned by critics.

Still, it garnered over 18 million views on YouTube in its first 24 hours, and even became a top five hit on the US charts, although it sold a fraction of the copies of its predecessor.

Responding to the lacklustre reception at the time, Psy described the intense pressure he felt to produce a worthy sister song to Gangnam Style.

“I’ve been doing this for 12 years. Would it be fair to call me a one-hit wonder just because my next song falls flat?” Psy said after performing the song at a concert in Seoul.

“I gained international fame almost by accident but that does not mean that I will make desperate efforts to maintain that global popularity.

“I will just continue to do what I have been doing for all these years. If it satisfies people’s appetite it will. If not, it won’t.”

Psy became the first creator to garner a billion YouTube views. Picture: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

After several months in the studio, Psy came out with 2014 single Hangover featuring US rapper Snoop Dogg, as well as two albums Chiljip Psy-da in 2015 and 4X2=8 in 2017.

Despite a flurry of new songs in the years afterwards, it was still Gangnam Style that was resonating among the masses – the music video hitting two billion YouTube views in 2014, and five billion in December 2023. It is currently the 10th most-viewed video of all time on the platform (the Baby Shark Dance is number one, if you’re curious).

In 2018, Psy decided to return to his roots, cutting ties with his US labels and starting his own South Korean recording company, P Nation, before moving permanently back to Seoul by 2022.

P Nation, fittingly, is located in the affluent Gangnam district, which formed the inspiration for his legacy hit.

Speaking to the New York Times in a rare interview in late 2022, Psy said he was now focused on fostering the next generation of K-Pop talent as a music executive.

He did, however, release his ninth studio album Psy 9th in April of that year, which housed the lead single That That featuring BTS band member Suga.

The performer struggled to replicate Gangnam Style’s success. Picture: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Revealing Gangnam Style “haunted” him for some time, Psy told the outlet he’d since made peace with not replicating its influence.

“If another good song comes along and if that thing happens again, great. If not, so be it,” Psy told the publication.

“For now, I’ll do what I do in my rightful place.”

Psy is married to Yoo Hye-yeon, a cello major, whom he wed in 2006 after three years of dating.

The private couple lives north of the river in Seoul, on the opposite side of town to Gangnam, which is south of the river.

Psy regularly keeps fans in the loop with his movements on Instagram.

He made his blockbuster return to live performing in the summer of 2022 following the pandemic, reigniting his annual appearances at the SUMMER SWAG festivals hosted in several cities across South Korea.

Psy broke the attendance record that year, welcoming crowds of more than 350,000 people across seven shows, a feat chronicled in the Disney+ documentary Psy Summer Swag 2022.

This year’s tour, which debuted June 29 in Wonju, will comprise nine shows, wrapping up in Suwon August 25.

Psy is in the midst of the Summer Swag tour across South Korea, and still has a cheeky sense of humour, as this clearly Photoshopped tour poster shows.

“I feel happy when I see other people being happy, and to see others being happy through my music is something that cannot compare to anything else in this world,” Psy said at a press conference ahead of last year’s festival.

“That is the reason I sing, dance and produce my ‘Summer Swag’ concerts. It is all for the second-hand happiness I get through seeing others enjoy themselves.

“After each concert, I can feel my throat, from singing, and my body, from dancing, being used to the maximum.

“I have to put in my all, though, because if I do not, I feel that I haven’t given my best to my fans and the people who came out to the concerts — and that, I cannot live with.”

Originally published as Twelve years on from Gangnam Style, K-Pop star Psy is living a new life