- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
The South Korean superstar, who broke into the U.S. market in a big way with his 2012 international smash “Gangnam Style,” recently saw the video for the song reach 1.7 billion views on YouTube, exactly a year after it first appeared on the video site. Psy was the first music artist to reach 1 billion views on YouTube.
Q&A: Psy on Pressure, the Universal Language of Michael Jackson and Ushering in 2013 ‘Gangnam Style’
The singer and dancer is signed to School Boy Records, the label owned by Justin Bieber manager Scooter Braun and distributed through Universal Music’s Republic Records.
Psy followed up “Gangnam Style” with the song “Gentleman,” which premiered in April. The latter hit No. 1 on the Billboard Streaming Songs chart, where it was the most streamed song in the U.S. across such services as YouTube and Spotify for two weeks straight.
VIDEO: Psy Learns What Herpes Is, Thanks Billie Joe Armstrong For Comparing Him to It
Thanks in large part to Psy’s success, the global music industry has seen a major surge in K-Pop interest. According to data provided by Google, in the year before “Gangnam Style,” music videos from K-Pop artists were viewed more than 2.2 billion times globally. The year after, that number jumped to more than 7 billion, with the majority of viewers watching from outside Korea, Billboard reports.
In Korea, Psy is represented by Seoul-based YG Entertainment. He was with CAA for less than a year.
WME’s music department is headed by industry veteran Marc Geiger and includes such artists as Rihanna, Lady Gaga and LMFAO on its contemporary roster.
Twitter: @THRMusic
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day