8220;Gangnam Style8221; star Psy said he and 50,000 fans would give a 8220;shout out8221; to the people of North Korea at his concert today when he unveils the all-important dance video for his new single 8220;Gentleman8221;.
At a press conference before the concert,the 35-year-old South Korean rapper also acknowledged the 8220;enormous pressure8221;of following a global phenomenon like 8220;Gangnam Style,but argued he had been singing too long to be called a one-hit wonder.
Some 50,000 fans packed Seoul8217;s World Cup stadium for the concert,which comes at a time of soaring military tensions with North Korea,and with South Korea8217;s armed forces on heightened alert for an expected missile test.
Describing the division of the Korean peninsula as a 8220;tragedy8221;,Psy said he wanted North Koreans to share in the 8220;fun and happiness8221; of his music. 8220;Tonight me and 50,000 Korean people8230;we are going to sing out loud. We are going to shout out loud and we are really close to them,so they can hear,8221; he said.
8220;Hopefully with my 8216;Gangnam style8217;,8217;Gentleman8217;,and my music video,choreography8230; hopefully they might enjoy it too,8221; he added.
8220;Gentleman8221;,the long-awaited follow-up to 8220;Gangnam Style8221;,hit online stores yesterday in a midnight rolling release across 119 nations. In a move that surprised some industry experts and frustrated a lot of fans,it was released without the music video which had been the main focus of anticipation and speculation.
It was the video of 8220;Gangnam Style8221;,and in particular Psy8217;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 Seoul8217;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.
The 8220;Gentleman8221; music video was expected to be posted on YouTube at 9:00pm after Psy debuts the song8217;s dance moves at today8217;s concert. 8220;Gangnam Style8221; was always going to be a hard act to follow,and 8220;Gentleman8221; has had a mixed reception as Psy acknowledged,although he was happy with its initial chart showing.
8220;Many expressed disappointment,saying I made too many calculations and I should have remade some of the songs I did in the past. But this is the best song,best work and the best choice I could possibly do,8221; he said. 8220;I made the song feeling enormous pressure,8221; he added.