PSY's "Gangnam Style" became a viral hit in August, but now it's also a chart success. In honor of the song's rise to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, we've put together a gallery of the 15 moments that made the K-pop star a hit in the U.S. Click through to see how PSY went from South Korean rapper to international star.
PSY’s “Gangnam Style” was already a viral hit, but now it’s a chart success. In honor of the song’s rise to No. 2 on the Hot 100 this week, we’ve put together a gallery of all the moments that made the K-pop star a hit in the U.S.
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PSY’s “Gangnam Style” became a viral hit in August, but now it’s also a chart success. In honor of the song’s rise to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, we’ve put together a gallery of the 15 moments that made the K-pop star a hit in the U.S. Click through to see how PSY went from South Korean rapper to international star.
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PSY has been around for more than a decade, but in 2006, he took time off from music to get married and complete two years of military service. In 2010, he started his comeback in South Korea, kicking off the new PSY with a video for “Right Now,” which features English lyrics, “2010 once again, PSY is coming back.” He picked up where he left off with K-pop fans, but it wasn’t until two years later that PSY rose to fame in the U.S.
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Although the video was posted on July 15, 2012, PSY’s “Gangnam Style” didn’t go viral until August, when celebrities and the media started commenting on the hilarious video. It was his first return after 2010’s “PSY Five,” and now boasts almost 300 million views on YouTube. See The 10 Best ‘Gangnam Style’ Parodies.
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Back when it had only 45 million views on YouTube (on Aug. 22), PSY stopped by VH1’s “Morning Buzz” to explain the meaning of “Gangnam Style” — comparing it to Weezer’s “Beverly Hills.” Not only did hosts Carrie Keagan and Jason Dundas learn the South Korean rapper’s signature dance, but the show’s crew all took a lesson as well.
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Justin Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun, had been tweeting about PSY and “Gangnam Style” for weeks, and rumors had been circling about a partnership between the two, but on Sept. 3, PSY posted a formal announcement on his YouTube page, where he and Braun — who also signed Carly Rae Jepsen earlier this year — toasted and announced that he had signed to Braun’s Schoolboy Records, part of Universal Republic. Read more.
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On Sept. 5, just as the internet was starting to really take notice of PSY’s “Gangnam Style,” the South Korean rapper was stopped by reporters and asked to show off his dance moves while visiting the U.S. He obliged, and even taught one TMZ reporter how to “dress classy and dance cheesy” the “Gangnam Style” way. Watch here.
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Soon after he signed with Scooter Braun, it was announced that PSY would appear on the MTV Video Music Awards. Two days later, the K-pop star showed up at the MTV2/Taco Bell pre-VMA concert at the Avalon in L.A., where he hung out with John Mayer, performed, and taught his “Gangnam Style” dance to the boys in the Wanted.
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Kevin Hart & PSY
On Sept. 6, PSY joined host Kevin Hart onstage at the 2012 MTV VMAs, showing off his signature “Gangnam Style” dance to an audience of more than six million viewers. See more from the 2012 MTV VMAs.
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September: Oppen Britney style! PSY, Britney Spears and Ellen perform “Gangnam Style” on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
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PSY performed in a snappy green blazer and then sat down to chat with the hosts of NBC’s “Today” show at Rockefeller Plaza on Sept. 14.
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“A little taste of this and all your worries will disappear,” Seth MacFarlane laughed before hitting the “Gangnam Style” button on the Sept. 15 episode of “Saturday Night Live,” which featured comedians immitating PSY and a short cameo by the K-pop rapper himself.
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Continuing his slew of TV appearances, PSY appeared on “Extra” on Sept. 17, taking on a more casual look — sweater vest instead of his usual suit jacket — to teach hosts Maria Menounos and Mario Lopez the “Gangnam Style” dance.
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PSY
PSY took on his first U.S. festival in style Sept. 21, when he performed onstage during the 2012 iHeartRadio fest at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
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Everyone wanted to meet PSY at the 2012 iHeartRadio festival in Las Vegas, and the K-pop sensation posed for photos with Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte, Kathy Griffin, Miley Cyrus, Usher, Bon Jovi and more during the two-day event (Sept. 21-22).
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What better place for a viral sensation to go than Google? On Sept. 27, PSY posted a photo of himself with Google chairman Eric Schmidt after visiting the search engine’s Korean headquarters. And of course, he even showed the normally stoic executive how to do the “Gangnam Style” dance.
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This week, PSY sits atop the Digital Songs and Social 50 charts, and is just one spot behind Maroon 5 at No. 2 on the Hot 100, climbing from No. 11 last week and No. 64 the week before. Who knows if he’ll reach No. 1, but if he does, PSY has vowed to put on a topless show of “Gangnam Style” in a place where everyone can watch. PSY Watch: Will ‘Gangnam’ Go No. 1?,