Home >
Ready with a Song to Follow "Gangnam Style"
By Kang Su-jin
"One is similar to 'Gangnam Style,' the other is completely different. I'm still undecided as to whether a similar song or a completely different song would be better. I'm thinking this over, with the choreography all prepared." The singer Psy (36, photo), now an international star, returned to Korea to release a new single and to perform at another concert.

Psy arrived at Gimpo Airport on March 17 after a concert in Malaysia and told the press, "I've finished preparations for my new single, and am currently trying to decide between two songs." On rumors that his next song was titled "Assarabia," he said, "It's amazing how people already know that. One of the songs is 'Assarabia,' but I'm currently making changes to the second half of the song, so we may change the title."

Psy's new single will be released on April 12. Psy had originally planned to release both songs at once, but after consulting a U.S. music distributor decided to release only one of the songs first. "I wanted to know if I could release two songs as we can in Korea, since this will be a single album. But they said the reason why I wasn't able to top the Billboard (singles chart) last year was because of radio airplay and said radio airplay would be divided if I released two songs."

Psy poses as he arrives at Gimpo Airport on March 17. Yonhap News


As for the choreography for his new song, he said, "The choreographers were probably under immense pressure, since they had to come up with something better than the 'horse dance.' They tried every living and inanimate object such as kangaroos and pigs," and laughed.

He also talked about the pressure of having to follow in the success of "Gangnam Style." He said, "I found that there are many people who worry about my success more than me. Actually, I think it's a miracle that I came as far as I have."

He added, "I'm glad I'm not a new comer. If I had experienced all this in the early years as a singer, I would've gone nuts (laughs). Although the scale is different, I did achieve great success with my songs 'Champion' and 'Bird,' and I have also fallen. So I think I'll be okay."

After releasing his new single, Psy will perform a concert titled "Happening" at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seongsan-dong, Mapo-gu on April 13. The concert will be broadcast live to the world via YouTube. For the time being, Psy will focus on his new single and the concert with no other official schedules.

Earlier that morning, Psy tweeted on Twitter in Korean and in English about his thoughts on completing his promotion of "Gangnam Style." He wrote, "40 cities & 14 countries in 9 months.. Getting Awake from a dream.. I CAN'T SAY I'VE BEEN THE BEST BUT CAN SAY I'VE DONE MY BEST!!"

Copyright The Kyunghyang Shinmun. All rights reserved. Reproduction and redistribution without permission absolutely prohibited.
이미지