'Gangnam Style' most watched YouTube video ever
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_SKOREA_GANGNAM_STYLE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-11-25-00-27-18'Gangnam Style' most watched YouTube video ever
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- South Korean rapper PSY's "Gangnam Style" has become YouTube's most viewed video of all time.
YouTube says in a posting on its Trends blog that "Gangnam Style" had been viewed 805 million times as of Saturday afternoon, surpassing Justin Bieber's "Baby," which has had 803 million views.
The blog says the "velocity of popularity for PSY's outlandish video is unprecedented."
PSY's video featuring his horse-riding dance was posted on YouTube in July, while "Baby" was uploaded in February 2010.
= new reply since forum marked as read
He's a family man with 4-year-old twin daughters, who's very caring toward other people even though he's a rebel.
He's been in the Korean music biz for over a decade...writes all his own songs as well as producing his albums, contributing to choreography, directing music videos (incl. "Gangnam Style"
. Not at all the kind of factory-made star that usually dominates the K-pop scene. Among his idols is the late Freddie Mercury of Queen.
He was even told to get plastic surgery in his early 20's, because he didn't have the pretty-boy look that record companies want. He didn't get to go to his grandfather's funeral because he was in jail for the "huge crime" of possessing marijuana. He was forced to do his mandatory military service twice because of some bureaucratic screw-up. He didn't even get to see his daughters when they were born.
To thank his Korean fans for their support, he recently put on a free outdoor concert that was attended by more than 80,000 people.
In other words, he's an ordinary guy, a real artist, and his music goes far beyond "Gangnam Style". He's most proud of this touching song, which someone uploaded to YouTube with English subtitles:
PSY (short for "psycho"--his real name is Park Jae Sang) is proof that you don't need plastic surgery and a battery of songwriters to become an international pop star.
And I think he'll actually get 1 billion views of his "Gangnam Style" video on YouTube, before it's all over.
He even made David Gregory shut up and dance. What more could you ask for??
