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PSY’s New Album, Video Turn Corner from ‘Gangnam Style’

South Korean singer Psy speaks during a press conference to promote his ninth album "PSY 9th," at a hotel in Seoul on April 29, 2022. (AFP)
South Korean singer Psy speaks during a press conference to promote his ninth album "PSY 9th," at a hotel in Seoul on April 29, 2022. (AFP)
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PSY’s New Album, Video Turn Corner from ‘Gangnam Style’

South Korean singer Psy speaks during a press conference to promote his ninth album "PSY 9th," at a hotel in Seoul on April 29, 2022. (AFP)
South Korean singer Psy speaks during a press conference to promote his ninth album "PSY 9th," at a hotel in Seoul on April 29, 2022. (AFP)

South Korean superstar PSY said his new album marks a "farewell to ‘Gangnam Style’" - the hit song that propelled him to superstardom exactly a decade ago.

Indeed, the music video for the lead single - "That That" featuring Suga from BTS - shows PSY in the famous blue suit he wore in the "Gangnam Style" video.

"So, a guy in a blue tuxedo comes out and gets a slap from Suga and goes on his way," alluding to his old self walking away from the past, PSY told The Associated Press during an interview before the album's release. His latest album "PSY 9th," released Friday, has 12 songs, including one featuring Korean-Canadian rapper Tablo.

PSY, whose real name is Park Jae-sang, swept the world with "Gangnam Style" in 2012. The song, with its addictive horse-riding dance and catchy melodies, made a global splash and currently has over 4.4 billion views on YouTube.

In an interview, PSY discussed the long gap in recordings, whether he’s still pressured by the global success of "Gangnam Style," and what he envisions for himself and the Korean pop industry.

Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.
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AP: "PSY 9th" took five years. What took so long?

PSY: One can’t satisfy everyone. People’s taste is subjective. But if I let someone listen to my music and even if that person isn’t from the industry, if that person says, "This is not that great," I make a change. There are 40 to 50 people I play my music to when it’s ready. Until they collectively say, "This is the best it can get," I search for the song. So... I also make a lot of changes. Our artists find this difficult when working with me, and I want to change the habit, but it’s hard to correct it. When I make music, I listen to it on a cellphone speaker, on a big speaker, and do my best to try to find a fault... I kill many songs, and I’ve been in that process for a long time.

AP: Who are those 40-50 people?

PSY: Every artist in my company and some of our label employees. There are young and old people including my parents... The most random person is my best friend - someone my age living everyday life who has been continuously monitoring my songs ever since my first album.

AP: It’s been 10 years since "Gangnam Style." Are you still conscious of "Gangnam Style?" Do you feel pressure?

PSY: The hidden theme of this music video is "Farewell to Gangnam Style." So, a guy in a blue tuxedo comes out and gets a slap from Suga and goes on his way. There is a hidden theme in the song of me and Suga in new outfits sending old PSY off. It’s not a serious video but there is such a scene. But personally, and work wise, the success of "Gangnam Style" was a very big event so it’s impossible to not be conscious of it permanently. But at the same time, it’s been a long time, and right now I feel very free and easy. So instead of being conscious of it, I think of it as the biggest trophy on my shelf, nothing more or less. Right now, I’m just mesmerized by doing new music with new friends.

AP: So how long did it take you to get over "Gangnam Style?"

PSY: I couldn’t get over it at all for the 7th album. I was largely over it five years ago when I released my 8th album. Now, I am completely over it.

AP: What’s your favorite song in your music career?

PSY: There is a song called "It’s Art" in my 5th album. Whatever I write, it’d probably be difficult to beat that song.

AP: Why?

PSY: Even though I’ve been doing music for a long time, there are some of my own songs that still make me proud. That’s the song. It’s emotional and has nice beats and messages, and the audience loves the song. I’d never promoted the song, but it went viral and became the song that I sing after "Champion" and "Gangnam Style" during concerts.

AP: If there were to be the biggest change in the Korean pop industry in the near future, what would that be?

PSY: K-pop will continuously level up in terms of the size of budget and efforts going in, and the standard of trainees... I think the next change will be metaverse... Metaverse will bring changes to the K-pop industry by getting rid of boundaries for stage and audience.

AP: Are you preparing any NFT or metaverse-related project?

PSY: It’s my first time revealing this. I am preparing a character of myself that sings and dances. Thankfully, people are used to an illustration of me because I’ve been using it as my album cover ever since my debut... But PSY as a singer should remain active offline for a long time. I am not known for a muscular body or well-trained dance moves. The audience gets thrilled by my vibe and atmosphere on stage, so an audience-free concert won’t be an option for me. But I am working closely with artists in my label to prepare for the metaverse world.

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Entertainment

Summer Movies: 11 Breakout Actors to Watch

This image released by Disney shows the character Stitch, left, and Maia Kealoha, as Lilo, in a scene from "Lilo & Stitch." (Disney via AP)
This image released by Disney shows the character Stitch, left, and Maia Kealoha, as Lilo, in a scene from "Lilo & Stitch." (Disney via AP)
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Summer Movies: 11 Breakout Actors to Watch

This image released by Disney shows the character Stitch, left, and Maia Kealoha, as Lilo, in a scene from "Lilo & Stitch." (Disney via AP)
This image released by Disney shows the character Stitch, left, and Maia Kealoha, as Lilo, in a scene from "Lilo & Stitch." (Disney via AP)

Many of the big movies this summer might come from familiar places - whether they're franchises, sequels or hybrid adaptations of beloved animated classics. But look closer and there are quite a few fresh faces making a splash with memorable characters new and old.

The Associated Press spoke to 10 of the actors about the roles.

Maia Kealoha was 6 years old when she saw an advertisement for an open casting call for the new hybrid "Lilo & Stich" movie and promptly told her parents that's what she wanted to do. Now, 8, Kealoha, who was born on Hawaii's Big Island, is making her film debut as the spirited Lilo in Disney's new live-action adaptation, hitting theaters on May 23.

"It was so amazing," Kealoha said. "I was really proud of myself."

Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, who plays Lilo's older sister and caregiver Nani praised her young co-star.

"It was amazing building a world with her," Agudong, 24, said. "It's a lot of CGI and we're working with aliens and such and she was full of imagination and creativity."

A Kaua'I native, Agudong also came to the role from an open casting call. Being part of the film has been a special experience as a lifelong fan of the animated version and a proud Hawaii resident.

"Hawaii's very much like tough love and soft heart," Agudong said. "We truly created a family and hopefully people can see that."

Happy Gilmore is a dad in the sequel coming to Netflix July 25. The Gilmore boys, played by Ethan Cutkosky ("Shameless"), Conor Sherry ("Shake Shack"), Maxwell Jacob Friedman (a pro-wrestler) and newcomer Philip Schneider, "are just goons," Schneider said.

All came to the project strangers, though intimately familiar with a film they'd all grown up with. And everyone but Friedman, 29, had to prove they had a little skill on the ice.

"I looked like a goon so they just assumed I'd be fine on the rink," Friedman laughed.

The four actors quickly found their rhythm together on set in Jersey City playing the rambunctious, troublemaking Gilmore spawn during the four-month shoot.

"The fast pace of stupidity that we got to and what made us family was such an amazing thing," Cutkosky, 25, said. "It's really hard to come by."

Friedman added: "In between scenes, we could like look at each other and know what we were thinking and make each other laugh without talking."

Schneider, 24, attributed the atmosphere to their on-screen dad Adam Sandler, who made the whole set feel like a family. His genius, Schneider said, "is that he gets people he wants to work with and just sees what happens. He trusts the chemistry."

For Sherry, it was helpful so early in his career to get to see how Sandler could be both a giant in the industry and so humble.

"That's the dream, right? To balance both," Sherry, 24, said.

One of the breakout films from Sundance was "Sorry, Baby," a poignant drama that's both funny and shattering about the aftermath of a traumatic event. It's the feature debut of triple threat Eva Victor who wrote, directed and stars as Agnes, a graduate student at a New England school.

"I wanted to make a film that was about feeling stuck when everyone around you keeps moving that really didn't center any violence," said Victor, 31.

Victor, who had a recurring role on "Billions," was making short comedy videos online and writing for the satirical website Reductress when Oscar-winning "Moonlight" filmmaker Barry Jenkins messaged them and asked if they had any scripts. Now, that script is going to be in theaters on June 27, through A24.

"I hope the film finds people when they need it," Victor said.

Ben Wang didn't know he was up against some 10,000 people vying to play the new Karate Kid.

The 25-year-old actor, best known for his role on the Disney+ series "American Born Chinese," learned that after the fact. But it was a stressful month of not sleeping very well while waiting to hear if he got it, he said.

"Karate Kid: Legends" (out May 30) brings together Jackie Chan's Mr. Han and Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso for this new entry, about teenager at a new school, Wang's Li, who has to learn from both.

"It's a fun one to play," Wang said. "And I get to try to kick Jackie Chan which is new and exciting for me."

Nico Parker grew up with both the "How to Train Your Dragon" books and movies, so it was a dream come true when she got the chance to play Astrid in the new live-action adaptation (June 13).

"It's a difficult thing when there's already such a brilliant version of Astrid out there," Parker, 20, said. "The main thing that I really wanted to be prevalent in everything was how driven she is and how it doesn't come easy. It takes effort and skill and determination."

Parker, the daughter of actor Thandiwe Newton and director Ol Parker, has been on sets her whole life. She was only 11 when she filmed Tim Burton's "Dumbo." But this feels different, she said, because she really understands the scale and scope of being in a major franchise.

"To be older I feel as if I'm acknowledging way more what it means and doesn't mean," she said. "And I get much more stressed about it."

You can't blame filmmaker Mike Flanagan for assuming Benjamin Pajak was a skilled dancer. Pajak made his Broadway debut as Winthrop in "The Music Man" with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. But ask Pakaj, now 14, and he demurs that dancing is not exactly his strong suit.

But you would never guess to see him waltzing and sambaing across the floor (thanks to Mandy Moore's choreography) in "The Life of Chuck" (out June 6).

"Film is so different from theater," Pajak said. "But there were just so many people kind of lifting me up and helping me throughout the process."

One of those was Mark Hamill, who plays his grandfather. Perhaps even more exciting than being in the movies? Sharing scenes with Luke Skywalker.

Superman's very good boy Krypto might be a computer-generated creation, but the inspiration was a very real dog: Filmmaker James Gunn's rescue Ozu. It was difficult transition to life in a home -- Ozu destroyed shoes, furniture and even his laptop. Gunn, who was at work writing "Superman," thought, "How difficult would it be if Ozu had superpowers?"

That was how Krypto came to be part of the newest "Superman" (out July 11) changing the story and the script. The white pup features prominently in the film's trailer. At the Puppy Bowl earlier this year Gunn said that Krypto is lovable and mischievous and has all of the powers of Superman - and, yes, he can fly too.