Park Jae-Sang -- better known by his stage name Psy -- is one of the most popular and influential K-pop acts in Hallyu today. Probably one of the few K-pop acts from Hallyu's first generation who is still active, he has released eight studio albums, one live album, 23 single albums, and 25 music videos. Out of all his accolades, what Psy is best known for is "Gangnam Style," a song that suddenly thrust him into international fame thanks mostly to YouTube.
Now five years later after "Gangnam Style," Psy has received another honor from YouTube. He was awarded the Diamond Play Button for having 10 Million subscribers.
Psy is the first Asian artist on YouTube to earn 10 million subscribers!
Psy made it known he received the Diamond Play Button Award by YouTube about one day ago on his official YouTube channel. In the short video, he talks about his achievement and gives thanks to all the people who have helped him reach the goal. He also revealed that he is the first "individual" to earn over 10 million subscribers too. However, he might mean he is the first Asian individual to earn over 10 million subscribers.
Being the first Asian individual to earn over 10 million subscribers is just the latest accolade Psy has earned from YouTube. Starting with "Gangnam Style," he has earned numerous accolades on the social video platform.
He is even the holder of five
He is even the holder of five Guinness World Records too.
- "Gangnam Style" is the most-viewed video online.
- "Gangnam Style" is the most liked video online.
- "Gangnam Style" is the first video to be viewed more than one billion times on YouTube.
- "Gentleman" is the most viewed video online within its first 24 hours.
- "Gentleman" is the first video to be viewed more than two billion times on YouTube.
To be fair, it would have been possible for other K-pop acts such as Girls' Generation, Super Junior, Big Bang, 2NE1, BTS or Twice to have earned YouTube accolades with the popularity of their music videos.
Unfortunately, most of them don't have their own YouTube channels and are presented under the umbrella of their respective label or agencies' channels or they got their own channels too late. For example, BTS' music videos are uploaded on the channel of their agency Big Hit Entertainment.
What is Psy doing right now in his career?
Psy remains to be humble and driven despite all the accolades he has earned. He continues to perform as a K-pop soloist. Just recently, he released his eighth studio album "4X2=8." It features two songs.
The first song is titled "I Luv It." It is co-written by singer-songwriter Zico who is well-known for being a member of K-pop boy band Block B. In the music video, Lee Byung Hun, and Daimaou Kosaka -- better known as Pikotaro -- made a special guest appearance. It topped the "Billboard + Twitter Trending 140" chart after its release. The second song, "New Face" featuring Naeun of Apink, took second place.
Most recently, Psy was a guest on the Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) K-variety show "Fantastic Duo 2." He performed the duet "What Would Have Been" with IU.
