Why the Hype for Gangnam Style?
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The hype of Gangnam Style is getting to the point of insanity! This catchy song has dominated music charts all over the world, competing with popular western singers like Pink, Script, Taylor Swift and even Fun. The official YouTube video has more than 284 million views as of right now.
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Many people ask me, why do you think Gangnam Style became so popular? Well, before sharing my own personal opinion, I would like to take a few excerpts from The Korean, who runs the very popular Ask a Korean blog. The Korean posits two main factors that made Gangnam Style stand out.
"First, Korean pop music has been laying a solid groundwork for PSY to succeed. It is true that, thus far, efforts by Korea's pop stars to break into the U.S. market resulted in a flop. Top stars like Wonder Girls, Girls' Generation and 2NE1 never made a dent on America's public consciousness. Nevertheless, the groundwork that these groups laid remains important. Because Korean pop music at least got on the radar screen of the insider players of American media market, PSY's music was easily accepted by those insiders".
Yes, some people may say that Wonder Girls, Girls' Generation and 2NE1 was only popular among Korean Americans, credit must be given to these groups by building a foundation of K-Pop.
"Second, Gangnam Style is popular in America because Gangnam Style is familiar to Americans in multiple ways. The song's electro-pop tune fits right in with the current American music trend"
Since his debut, PSY was known as an electro-pop singer. His music style was always somewhat different from the usual either bright or sad (love story-related) music. Because he maintained this unique style for over 10 years, now it had a chance to shine!
To add on my opinion, Gangnam Style is popular because of its funny dance, catchy Korean lyrics ("Oppa, Gangnam Style" isn't too difficult to pronounce) and, of course, PSY's presence with his somewhat ridiculous outfit and style. Instead of trying to look pretty or handsome as most other K pop stars, he wasn't afraid to speak Korean and be himself. However, I totally agree that his success might not have happened if weren't for pioneering K pop stars who bravely went into US market first. In a nutshell, the success was due to a combination of many different factors!
About the author by Sophie Choi
Born in Korea and raised on three different continents, I have always been enthusiastic to share the uniqueness of Korean culture and design. On top of that, the advanced level of Korean technology makes me proud to call myself Korean and motivates me to spread technology related news to more people around the world. The list of things I like (and like to do) is endless: Shopping, Gummy jellies, Lilies... and it goes on
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