If you have ever listened to the radio, then you will not have missed the one soundtrack that seemed to take ahold of the world in 2012 – ‘Gangnam Style’. This upbeat pop track, was performed by South Korean megastar Psy. But not even he could have imagined its international success.
The music video made for the track was the first YouTube video to exceed 1 billion views. Today the video has reached over 2.4 billion views.
But despite his global fame, he is also a beloved figure back at home. So much so, that the district of Seoul for which the song is named after, will soon feature a statue of Psy.
Gangnam is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city with a host of designer stores and opulent offices. The pop track is a actually a satirical commentary on this district, implying that the outward appearances of the people in this area are not genuine and often mask a less glamorous reality.
“Thanks to the music video, Gangnam became known throughout the world. We hope this will become a landmark for our district,” Gangnam Tourism Director Park Hee-Soo informed AFP.
The statue will be placed outside of COEX, a luxurious shopping center where parts of the ‘Gangnam Style’ music video were filmed.
The district has reserved a budget of $350,000 to construct the statue. It will be built from metal and feature a sculpture of two hands crossed in the famous “horse riding” dance move. The statue will also use sensors to trigger the track, which will play when someone approaches.
Psy also recently announced that he will follow up his last success with a new album planned to be released in December 2015.