Heard of Gangnam Style but not sure what it is?
It’s actually a Korean hip hop single released in July by pop star Park Jae-Sang (or PSY), 34, named after the affluent and trendy neighbourhood where he grew up in Seoul.
The video version of the song is currently the second most-watched YouTube video of all time with more than 620 million hits. (It is out rated by Justin Bieber’s Baby).
It’s quirky and went viral worldwide because of an idiosyncratic horse-riding style dance step, which has spawned hundreds of copycat videos and tributes across the world. Football fans in Korea and elsewhere perform Gangnam Style tributes at matches, Nelly Furtado performed the song at a concert in the Philippines, British Prime Minister David Cameron has had a little gig and even the North Koreans have got into the act by uploading a low production parody with a political message. UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, says Gangnam Style could be "a force for world peace".
Gangnam Style has remained at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart in the US for six weeks and has topped the charts in Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the UK. It has been less warmly received in Japan. PSY is now so popular that he has landed a contract with Bieber’s management agency.
PSY is currently on a promotional tour of the US and will soon perform in England and Germany. Despite his recent global success, he’s no stranger to the pop music industry with six albums spanning an 11 year recording career.
If you haven't already seen it, take a look for yourself.
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