“Gangnam Style” celebrates its 10th anniversary as a top hit song

The song “Gangnam Style,” which made headlines in 2012 and became a party staple, was released ten years ago on Friday.

The song was launched by South Korean musician Psy on July 15, 2012, and it immediately went viral. The song was so well-liked that it was the first YouTube video to receive 1 billion views. It held that record for a whole year until Justin Bieber’s “Baby” music video also received 1 billion views.

In a statement provided by YouTube, Psy said, “Being the first artist to reach 1 billion views on YouTube was an extraordinary feeling 10 years ago, and it still is today. It is a genuine honour to have helped open the door for music of all genres to cross international boundaries.

The video, which presently has 4.47 billion views and is among YouTube’s Top 5 most watched videos, took less than six months to earn 1 billion views.

When the song was at its peak of popularity, YouTube claims it received 14.8 million views in a single day and currently receives close to 900,000 daily.

Psy became an instant sensation thanks to the song, and soon he was performing it live and doing the famous dance from the music video on all the late-night talk shows. People all across the world tried to learn how to do the dance, which eventually became just as well-known as the music.

According to the success of groups like BTS and Blackpink, “Gangnam Style” was the forerunner to the K-Pop mania that has since spread to the United States.

Psy asserts that even after their first success, these musicians were able to surpass him and continue to be popular abroad.

“There are cases where the song increases in popularity and cases when the [artist] increases in popularity, and longevity is that much longer in the latter,” Psy said during a press conference for his latest album. “”I feel very proud that I had a role in being that trigger. BTS have thanked me for that part several times, so I’m proud of it.”

Psy’s biggest hit in the United States was “Gangnam Style,” but he has also been successful as a musician in South Korea. Before the release of “Gangnam Style,” Psy was already popular, and in 2015 and 2017, after releasing additional music, he established his own record company, P Nation.

Since then, P Nation has developed into one of the most prosperous record labels in South Korea. He represents a number of musicians, including Heize, Hyuna, Dawn, and Crush.