Psy's 'Gangnam Style' hits 6.1 billion YouTube views
Psy marked 6.1 billion YouTube views for 'Gangnam Style'—the first video ever to hit 1B and 2B—with a simple thank-you to fans.
6.1 billion and counting
Gangnam Style just crossed 6.1 billion views on YouTube. Psy posted a brief message: "오랜만에… THX always" (Long time no see… THX always). That was it.
The 2012 single peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed for 31 weeks. In the UK, it hit #1 and charted for 52 consecutive weeks. US digital downloads alone: 3.59 million. The music video became the first single video on YouTube to cross both 1 billion and 2 billion views—a record that earned it a Guinness World Records entry.
What came after
GENTLEMAN landed at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the UK Official Singles Chart. His ninth studio album 싸다9 (Ssada9) included That That and Celeb, both produced and featuring SUGA. The album hit #1 on music broadcasts and won multiple awards. That That reached #80 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #60 on the UK chart.
Psy debuted in 2001 with Psy From The Psycho World!
K-pop's past, present, future—from the guy who lived it
On October 15, Psy spoke at the 2026 World Public Broadcasting Seoul General Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. His English-language lecture covered "Past, Present, and Future of K-pop," centering on fierce competition and originality as drivers of K-content's global reach. He stressed the importance of music and performance, pointing to his own experience performing on world stages while keeping Korean-language lyrics intact.
(Six-point-one billion views. In Korean. The argument kind of makes itself.)
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