PSY's life after Gangnam Style: he's now a K-pop mentor to BTS!

Currently, the 'Gangnam Style' hitmaker is on his famed 'Summer Swag' tour across South Korea. Although 'Gangnam Style' was twelve years ago, PSY is still active in the Korean music scene as a producer, even taking up roles as mentor to members of the hit boyband, BTS!

It was the global success of 2012 and came from South Korea. 'Gangnam Style', by Korean rapper PSY, was a true phenomenon and its music video became, at the time, the most viewed video in history.

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The incredibly catchy rhythm and the choreography that everyone ended up learning made the artist Park Jae-sang a global star at 35 years old.

After 'Gangnam Style', PSY appeared in advertisements and was interviewed all over the world. Famous artists (like Britney Spears) did the song's dance while others, like Madonna, wanted to share the stage with him... PSY even performed the song in front of former President Barack Obama.

In 2014, PSY recorded the single 'Hangover' with Snoop Dog, and in 2015, he released the song 'Daddy' featuring singer CL from the band '2NE1'.

However, his successful path ended, and the artist took a dangerous route nobody could expect from him. What happened to PSY?

At the peak of his success, Park Jae-sang started to experience stress. The weight of fame was too much for PSY, who was struggling to handle his new situation.

The high levels of stress pushed the singer to alcoholism. As a result, the South Korean artist's life and career have been severely affected for a long time.

As he revealed in an interview with The Sunday Times in 2013, his addiction was severe: "If I'm happy, I'm drinking, if I'm sad, I'm drinking, if it's raining, I'm drinking, if it's hot, I'm drinking, if it's cold, I'm drinking…"

The success of 'Gangnam Style' turned his happy feelings into frustration. The Korean artist thought he wouldn't be able to create something as successful as the hit song again.

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In the same interview, he explained: "After 'Gangnam Style' I was happy, but I wasn't feeling like that all the time because I knew that was the most important song of my life and that I would never be on the top again."

"Things were heavier and harder because... every time I had to have that kind of strong song," said in an interview with AFP in 2022.

PSY was right. None of the singles he has released since the famous song registered as many YouTube views as 'Gangam Style'.

His professional problems affected his personal life - even his relationship with his wife, Yoo Hye-jeon, who he'd married in 2006.

On top of that, in 2019, PSY was scrutinized by the Korean media for his alleged involvement in some shady business related to the K-Pop world.

The artist, who was even interrogated by the South Korean police about some scandals surrounding the K-Pop industry, was never charged or accused of anything.

Nowadays, the Korean rapper has completely shifted his life. The artist has been out of public life and has adopted a quieter and low-profile lifestyle. But that doesn't mean he has stopped making music and singing.

In fact, since 'Gangnam Style', PSY has released three studio albums: 'Chijip Psy-da' (2015), '4x2=8' (2017), and 'Psy 9th' (2022). He is also in charge of his own production company, 'P Nation', which he created in 2018. Big names like Jessi, Hyuna, and TNX have already signed with it.

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In the 2022 interview with AFP, Park Jae-sang said: "I had a huge dependency (on) the song... But you know, it's 10 years ago, so right now I'm really free."

Thankfully, we can still enjoy 'Gangnam Style' on YouTube —which has now more than 4,500 million views— and can also keep track of PSY's new projects via his Instagram account (@42psy42). Hopefully, someday, the artist will come up with a new global hit.

He recreated a new global hit when he collaborated with BTS's Suga to release 'That That' in 2022! According to Soompi, the music video for the song received over 500 million views in January 2024, around two years after its release!

Image: P Nation

PSY's cooperation with Suga led to his becoming a K-pop mentor. According to Ok Magazine, the collaboration not only allowed him to build a deep bond with Suga, but it also let him connect with V, whom he helped mentor on how to deal with the weight of international fame.

Image: P Nation

While the K-pop world awaits yet another new hit from PSY, the star is now in the middle of his 'Summer Swag 2024' tour in South Korea. There's still more to enjoy of PSY in the meantime with his classic hits!

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