Over the Thanksgiving weekend, it had been widely reported that the “Gangnam Style” video from the Korean pop star PSY, is now the most watched video ever on You Tube, currently at nearly 830 million views. Released less than five months ago on You Tube, the hit single remains incredibly popular, with many well-known celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears as well as much of the nation imitating the quirky dance, while joining in on the dancing party. And it certainly didn’t matter that most of PSY’s viewing audience didn’t have a clue on what he was saying in the song.
But the popularity of this K-pop hit has yet to fade, as fans and television viewers are now enjoying (or not) “Gangnam Style” during intermissions at live sporting events, drawing even more interest to the video destined to reach one billion views, possibly before the year is up. PSY also teamed with aging rapper MC Hammer on the stage during the recent 40th American Music Awards to perform not only the hit single but also spun into Hammer’s “Too Legit to Quit”, accompanied by the signature Gangnam dance moves. The video produced from the show is also a hit with nearly five million views and displayed nearly everyone in the VIP section out of their seats and prancing about like the pop star who is arguably the most popular entertainer ever from Asia.
While the Korean-born, 34-year-old rapper PSY, whose real name is Park Jae-Sang, is now a bona fide international star and a raging internet meme, his pretty co-star in the video has not gotten nearly as much publicity. But for many viewers, especially those who are in denial of a secret crush on 20-year-old Kim Hyun-a, she also deserves much of the credit for its wildly popular success. After all, PSY isn’t exactly the most sexy and handsome guy, lacking all the attributes he readily admits to and tries to capitalize upon.
Hyun-a or Hyuna, as she is affectionately known as by her legions of fans, is a young Korean college student who lives in Seoul, South Korea. What many You Tube viewers might not realize is that she is also a major pop star in her native country. Her past accomplishments include a two-year stint with MTV’s Korean television program “Wonder Girls”, member of the Korean all-girl group, 4Minute and an impressive collection of Asian Music Awards. Among her most notable honors was the award for Most Viewed Music Video from You Tube’s 2011 K-pop Awards for her hit single, “Bubble Pop”, a catchy, bouncy pop song surrounded in controversy for its sexual content although hardly any different from any content from PSY’s landmark video.
Despite some criticism of her video, it went viral shortly after its release and has since garnered over 42 million views on You Tube. Not exactly PSY-like numbers but still impressive and signals a continuing successful career for the beautiful singer known for her long flowing amber-colored hair and engaging dance moves. Whether she will ever match the enormous success of her Gangnam co-star is uncertain but there is no question she definitely made an impact on the viewership on You Tube, particularly those in denial.
