Psy

Psy is a South Korean singer, who was born in Seoul in 1977. His real name is Park Jae-sang. Park’s father was an executive at the appliance company so his family was financially stable. Jae-sang attended an elite private school. Since childhood, the future celebrity was a big fan of American rappers. However, his parents didn’t appreciate the hobby. Park’s father sent him to the USA to get an education as a business manager so the young man could follow in his footsteps. Jae-sang didn’t like studying in Boston. In just six months, he quit school and came back home.

After some time, Psy decided to enroll in Berklee College of Music. However, he didn’t seem focused enough on studying and quit again. Park learned some basics of vocals and came back home to record songs. The artist uploaded his tracks to the Internet under the pseudonym, Psy. After some time, Park got a chance to appear on the South Korean TV to present his first song “Bird”, which became popular immediately. In 2001, the young artist released the debut LP, PSY from the PSYcho World!, which eventually sold over 110,000 copies in Korea. Psy’s songs started appearing on national charts. His music videos were broadcasted on local music channels. During that period, Psy managed to become a big celebrity in South Korea. In 2002, he released one more LP, Sa 2, which was available for sale to people over 19 years old since the content was “potentially dangerous” for teenagers. However, it didn’t stop many fans from trying to book Psy for private events.

Half a year later, the singer presented one more LP, 3 PSY. Again, the lyrics weren’t allowed for young listeners. Psy even had to pay a fine but it didn’t stop him from writing similar songs in the future. Overall, the third album wasn’t as successful as its predecessors. But it featured a hit, “Champion”, which was released during World Soccer Cup 2002. It became an unofficial anthem of the championship. 

The song brought Psy a prize at Music Awards in Korea. Between 2003 and 2012, Psy didn’t come up with any hits. His popularity was slowing waning. The best songs during that period were "FATHER", "Beautiful Goodbyes", "We Are the One", "THANK YOU", "It’s Art", and "Artists". However, none of them managed to bring Psy as much popularity as his previous work. It seemed as if the singer’s career was about to be over. But the best was yet to come.

In 2012, Psy became an international celebrity after presenting a hit single, "Gangnam Style", accompanied by an intricate dance. The music video for the song collected over a billion views in just half a year. It brought the singer $3.5 million. It also helped him appear in the Guinness Book of World Records. The song topped the UK Singles Chart and Billboard Hot 100. The simple dance from the music video became extremely popular. People began recording their own music videos while dancing it. In 2016, Seoul authorities created a monument to the Gangnam Style dance, which wasn’t appreciated by the singer or the citizens. However, it still attracts numerous tourists.

The World Record set by “Gangnam Style” was surpassed only 5 years later by the soundtrack to Furious 7, "See You Again". Some time after, Psy released a new successful track “Gentleman”, which topped the charts and earned several gold statuses.In 2015, the singer presented a new LP, Chiljip PSY-da. To record the album, he invited a successful British singer Ed Sheeran and got assistance from the famous American rapper and producer, will.I.am. In May 2017, Psy released his latest album to date, 4X2=8, which featured such singles as "I Luv it" and "New Face". To record the LP, the artist invited TAEYANG and G-Dragon.