Psy’s ‘Gentleman’ video smashes YouTube records

SEOUL – “Gangnam Style” star Psy’s new music video had received more than 50 million views on YouTube by Monday, re-writing the video-sharing site’s records for single-day hits.

The dance video to “Gentleman”, the South Korean singer’s long-awaited follow up to “Gangnam Style, was only posted on YouTube at 9:00 pm (1200 GMT) on Saturday.

In the first 24 hours, it racked up around 20 million hits, destroying the previous record for single-day views of 8.0 million, set by Canadian heartthrob Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend” video in May 2012.

Now that record looks set to be stretched again, with the view count about 40 hours after release standing at 51 million.

“51million views in 40hours!! My God~!!!” the 35-year-old star exclaimed on his Twitter account.

The video shows Psy, wearing his signature sunglasses, dancing at various locations in and around Seoul including a high-end clothing store, restaurant, swimming pool and a library.

The storyline features the singer teasing and playing practical jokes on women, such as pulling their chairs away as they are about to sit or untying a woman’s bikini top at a swimming pool, before meeting his match.

It was the video of “Gangnam Style”, and in particular Psy’s signature horse-riding dance, that pushed him to global stardom last year after it was posted on YouTube and turned into a viral sensation.

A satire on the luxury lifestyle of Seoul’s upscale Gangnam district, it has become the most-watched YouTube video of all time, registering more than 1.5 billion views since it debuted last July.

“Gentleman” was ranked in the top 10 songs on iTunes stores in a number of countries Monday, including France, Canada, New Zealand, Denmark and Sweden. It also topped the chart in Finland.

Critical reactions to the song were mixed but the video — showing the quirky singer’s signature self-mocking humour as well as the new hip-swivelling dance — left many fans satisfied.

“The song isn’t all that great but let’s face it. The video is actually hilarious,” wrote one Youtube commentator.

“I just love the fact that neither he nor the dancers are taking themselves too serious, but seriously enough to pelvic sway with perfect synchronization,” wrote another.

source: interaksyon.com

Psy to perform in Washington after apology over anti-US remarks

WASHINGTON – South Korean superstar Psy, famed for his “Gangnam Style” mega hit, will perform as planned Sunday for a US audience that includes President Barack Obama, after he apologized for anti-American remarks.

In 2002, the singer smashed a model US tank at a protest over the US presence in his country and the death of two South Korean teenagers who were struck by an American military vehicle.

Two years later, he joined a performance of a song that made reference to the US-led invasion of Iraq, using controversial expletive-laden lyrics calling for the killing of “Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives.”

“Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law, and fathers. Kill them all slowly and painfully,” he rapped.

Psy performed the lyrics at a concert held in the wake of the beheading of a South Korean evangelist by Islamist militants in Iraq, after Seoul rejected their demand to halt a troop deployment to the country.

But he recanted those thoughts on Saturday ahead of the annual “Christmas in Washington” concert to be attended by Obama and his family.

“I will forever be sorry for any pain I have caused by those words,” the 34-year-old said in a statement that was later followed by confirmation that the singer would appear as planned at Sunday’s concert.

He said the past performance and lyrics were part of a “deeply emotional reaction” to the war in Iraq and deaths of the two schoolgirls that was “part of the overall anti-war sentiment shared by others around the world.”

“While I’m grateful for the freedom to express one’s self, I’ve learned there are limits to what language is appropriate and I’m deeply sorry for how these lyrics could be interpreted.”

“I have been honored to perform in front of American soldiers in recent months — including an appearance on the Jay Leno show specifically for them — and I hope they and all Americans can accept my apology.”

News reports of the performances surfaced in the United States days before the pop sensation’s planned appearance in the US capital.

“Psy is performing at Christmas in Washington as planned,” a spokeswoman for event organizers TNT said in a statement to AFP.

Psy’s “Gangnam Style” has become the most-watched video of all time on YouTube in just five months, garnering almost 906 million views.

The clip has inspired thousands of online imitations of Psy’s famous horse-ride dance, and flash mobs of tens of thousands in Paris, Rome and Milan.

source: interaksyon.com