SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) — South Korean rapper Psy has gone back to basics with his eighth full-length album called “4×2=8,” paying greater attention to his fans at home while doing what he loves to do most — perform and “go crazy” on stage.
The “Gangnam Style” star told Reuters in an interview that he has moved on from the success of the 2012 smash-hit that shaped him into an internationally-recognized artist. Gangnam Style, holds the record for the world’s most watched video with 2.8 billion views on YouTube as of May 22. He currently has more than 10 million subscribers on his official YouTube channel, a record for a non-group individual in Asia.
Singles “I LUV IT” and “New Face” from the latest album are more for a Korean audience, based on his ethnic Korean origins, said 41-year-old Psy, or Park Jai-sang.
“When Gangnam Style became famous around the world, it was not because of its lyrics, it was because the song was in Korean, (and) no one knows what the lyrics mean except for (the phrase) ‘sexy lady’. In fact, I am a creator (musician) who focuses more on lyrics, so no matter how many times I tried after (Gangnam Style), I couldn’t fully express my thoughts. So I thought, ‘well, I should just focus on communicating with people of my own nation’,” he said.
With two children and now over 40, Psy said he would like to focus more on music production and helping younger artists. As a singer, Psy says he has achieved all he could ask for and more.
He would like to stay on stage for as long as he can, but Psy’s biggest dream is to retire just before people start telling him he’s washed out. It’s been his dream ever since he debuted 16 years ago in 2001, he said.
