By David Farrier
Korean pop, or K-pop, may be a popular genre of music in South Korea, but it hasn't exactly taken over the world.
Until now.
Korean rapper Psy has broken through, not only in Korea, where he has been a musician for more than a decade, but in America, which is why he's in New York this week trying to make sense of it all.
If you haven't seen the pop star’s video, you might want to visit YouTube, because 60 million people have watched it on the popular video website.
The song is called ‘Gangnam Style’ and it's is taking the world by storm.
The man dancing like he's riding a horse in the video is Jae-Sang Park, stage name Psy, short for Psycho.
After 12 years in the industry, his YouTube video made him mainstream in Korea, and now in America.
“Then it goes like 1 million and 2 million, 10 million, 20 million,” he says. “It's going even faster right now so oh, what is this? I didn't expect that at all.”
The 34-year-old is still stunned.
He attended a baseball game last week in LA. Dodger Stadium noticed, played his song, and baseball fans knew the dance moves.
He's number one on iTunes in the US and just met with Justin Bieber's manager.
“There are standards, like skinny, muscular, handsome, pretty, tall, whatever. None [of those] categories belong to me.”
Translated, the song is either about what he likes in a woman, or a cutting critique on wealth and class in South Korea.
Regardless, it has other musicians talking.
“Two days ago Katy Perry tweeted my music video and she said ‘help me, I'm so addicted '. So like, really? I am addicted to you so what should I say? This is…I never expect things.”
Right now, the man responsible for making K-pop mainstream is simply thankful.
“I'm still saying 'what can I say?' I'm saying, 'what am I doing this in here?’ This is beautiful."
3 News