Psy phenomena: World goes Gangnam style

Psy has taken the world by surprise with his global success. Recently the Korean entertainer visited Australia where he is No. 1 in the charts, as he is in more than 30 countries.

When he arrived in Sydney, Australian immigration asked him to dance “Gangnam Style.” He appeared on Australia’s “X Factor” and on morning show “Sunrise” that declared “Psy Day.” Both appearances triggered hype and enthusiasm, drawing large crowds, both locals and Koreans.

Australia’s cheer, normally performed during national sporting and cultural events, was altered by the “Sunrise” crowd to “Aussie Aussie Aussie, Psy Psy Psy,” indicating that the country is embracing the singer.

Journalists and scholars have racked their brains over Psy’s worldwide sensation. Social media such as YouTube and Facebook no doubt play a role but most entertainers now utilize these tools, so this alone does not explain the phenomena.

I have previously explained the success of “hallyu,” or the Korean wave in Australia’s Marketing Magazine (www.marketingmag.com.au) as a result of Korean pop stars being unique in combining absolute perfectionism in terms of their singing, music and dance, and also their appearance and overall entertainment.

But what makes Psy unique in reaching global markets beyond other K-pop stars such as the Wonder Girls and Girls’ Generation, or boy bands Big Bang and Super Junior?

He may not be a sex symbol per se in comparison to other K-pop stars with their youthful beauty. But he is a symbol of passion and energy, peak performing his dance even during warm-ups.

Psy expresses fun when performing and he is original, new and fresh in contrast to other international pop stars. While he has a global hit, his slight imperfections make him congenial; he dislikes long flights because he cannot have a cigarette, he drinks soju on stage. All in all, Psy makes Westerners curious about Korea, and as such he makes Koreans proud of their country’s global impact.

Korean Confucian dynamism is reflected in Psy’s positive attitude to performing, striving for perfectionism, his aspirations, literally having fun while onstage. At the same time he remains modest. He performs in style and has good manners, being a family man that has become a global pop star but without having turned arrogant.

He captures the audiences’ emotions, not only with his catchy tune, infectious and fun horse-riding dance, and “cheesy” costumes but also through his comments. Psy is talented in understanding consumers’ emotions and responding accordingly.

During interviews the singer comes across as humble and modest, with a healthy sense of humor ― he is “good fun” and likeable.

Psy’s background performers dress in well-coordinated costumes, dancing the horse-riding moves while adding a female touch. Koreans believe in yin and yang where both genders complement each other in harmony and this is reflected onstage when Psy and his colleagues perform.

“Gangnam Style” has over 530 million YouTube views, the most in history. He has also entered the Guinness World Records with the most liked video on YouTube.

If past performances predict the future, then Psy is no one-hit wonder but has realistic potential for sustainable global success.

While the singer is new to the world stage, he has performed in Korea for the past 12 years with six albums and as such is not an overnight success.

He has also signed with Island Records, the same label managing Justin Bieber, adding the marketing expertise to avoid becoming a “Macarena-type” one-hit wonder.

The difficulties in understanding and forecasting the Psy phenomena reflect the complexity of Korean culture and economic miracle. Korea and its culture may be among the most misunderstood because of the two seemingly opposite extremes (yin and yang): a fascinating blend of traditional Confucianism and modern dynamism.

While Korea nurtured Confucian traditions, the Korean government pursued a series of five-year economic plans to grow their economy.

Specific areas were developed, initially heavy industries such as shipbuilding, then exports (cars, consumer electronics), then research and development (education, science, medicine), and more recently high-tech sectors (microelectronics, chemicals, bioengineering).

In addition, the Korean government is supporting hallyu, promoting culture (music, dramas, movies, entertainment shows, food).

The first Korean wave (1995-2005) promoted Korea to the world, while the second wave (2006 to present) was an overall expansion.

A new milestone has been reached with the Psy phenomena, in line with top designed Hyundai and Kia cars, award-winning services such as Asiana and Korean Air, or Korean education with leading schools and universities.

Korea has entered the third wave where “Koreanism” is now going mainstream: Westerners and Asians alike are dancing “Gangnam Style,” watching Korean movies and dramas, driving Korean cars, flying on Korean airlines, enjoying Korean food, and studying at Korean schools and universities.

After rapid industrialization and exports of products, economic modernization has transformed Korea into a leading 21st century high-tech, information technology and service economy.

Psy’s credo is to keep smiling and performing even when tired, and that could be summarized as a three “P” approach of passion, performance and perfection, reflecting Korea’s success.

Dr. Chris Baumann is a senior lecturer at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. His research includes customer loyalty, competitiveness in education and society, ethnic marketing, and East Asia (China and Korea). He is a visiting professor at Seoul National University in Korea and at Aarhus University in Denmark. Contact him at chris.baumann@mq.edu.au. <The Korea Times/Chris Baumann>