SEOUL – "Gangnam Style" star Psy was set for a sell-out concert in Seoul on Saturday to unveil the all-important dance and video aimed at moulding his new single "Gentleman" into another global hit.
Park Jae-sang, or Psy, whose Gangnam Style is YouTubes most viewed video ever performs his famous show in Thailand at Gangnam Style Thailand Extra Live as part of Loy Krathong festival celebrations at Muang Thong Thani on Nov 28, 2012. (File Photo by Thiti Wannamontha)
Ignoring soaring military tensions between South and North Korea, some 50,000 fans will pack the city’s World Cup stadium for the event which will also be streamed live on YouTube.
The 35-year-old singer’s long-awaited follow-up to "Gangnam Style" hit online stores Friday in a midnight rolling release across 119 nations.
In a move that surprised some industry experts and frustrated a lot of fans, it was released without the music video which had been the main focus of anticipation and speculation.
It was the video of "Gangnam Style", and in particular Psy’s signature horse-riding dance, that pushed him to global stardom last year after it was posted on YouTube and turned into a viral sensation.
A satire on the luxury lifestyle of Seoul’s upscale Gangnam district, it has become the most-watched YouTube video of all time, registering more than 1.5 billion views since it debuted last July.
The "Gentleman” music video was expected to be posted on YouTube around the same time as Psy unveils the song’s dance moves at Saturday’s concert.
"Gangnam Style” was always going to be a hard act to follow, and "Gentleman” was received with mixed reactions.
In South Korea and other Asian markets like Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia it went straight into the Top Five of their respective iTunes charts, but could only manage 90th spot in the crucial US equivalent.
In Britain, it rose quickly to number 25, but elements of the British music press were scathing in their assessment.
"Like a seven-year-old on a Casio,” was the judgment of the Times newspaper, while the underwhelmed Guardian critic called it "a fairly standard issue, pop-dance single”.
The Independent newspaper said it would reserve judgment until seeing the video.
"Until we know what ‘Gentleman’ looks like, the verdict remains on hold,” it said.
The song – a satire of a self-proclaimed "gentleman” trying to woo women at a party – contains more English lyrics than "Gangnam Style” in a clear nod to the singer’s newfound global audience.
"Let me tell you about myself. I’m such a charmer with guts, vigour and humour,” Psy sings in Korean before launching into the song’s English catch-line: "I’m a mother-father gentleman.”
"Gonna make you sweat. Gonna make you wet. You know who I am? Wet Psy!” he sings in English.
Psy has promised a "Psy style” take on a traditional Korean dance for the new video.
"The dance is one known to all Koreans but new to foreigners. This will be presented in Psy style,” he told a South Korean TV news programme earlier this month.
Already an established artist in South Korea with six albums under his belt, Psy has been building and polishing his own style of quirky, explosive music and flamboyant stage persona since his debut in 2001.
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未经允许不得转载：综合资讯 » Psy to unveil new dance video tonight