Psy's "New Album, Breakup with Gangnam Style" Praised by Foreign Media as "Another Hit Song"

Interview with AP: "Overcame All Burdens of Gangnam Style"
"Next Step for K-pop is Metaverse," Forecast

Singer Psy is introducing his new album at the press listening session commemorating the release of his 9th full-length album 'Psyda9' held on the afternoon of the 29th at the Fairmont Ambassador Seoul Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Singer PSY stated in an interview that "the new album signifies a farewell to Gangnam Style."

On the 2nd (local time), PSY mentioned the music video for the title track "That That" from his new album 'SSADA9' in an interview with the Associated Press.

In the "That That" music video, PSY appears wearing the blue suit he wore in the "Gangnam Style" music video. Then, he is slapped by BTS's Suga and starts bleeding from his nose.

PSY explained this scene by saying, "The hidden theme of this song is 'farewell to Gangnam Style,'" adding, "The version of me in the blue suit getting slapped by Suga and then going his own way symbolizes sending off my past self."

Released in 2012, "Gangnam Style" swept the world with its unique horse-riding dance and memorable melody. PSY said, "The success of Gangnam Style was a huge event for me, so it's impossible to completely ignore it forever," but added, "However, a long time has passed, and now I feel very free and comfortable."

He continued, "With the 7th album right after Gangnam Style, I couldn't overcome the success at all, and with the 8th album five years ago, I had overcome it a lot," adding, "Now, I have completely overcome the burden of that success."

Singer Psy co-produced the title track "That That" from his 9th studio album together with Suga of the group BTS, agency P Nation announced on the 26th.
Suga participated in the lyrics, composition, and arrangement of this song. Photo is the album image of Psy's "That That." Photo by P Nation

When asked about the future of K-POP, PSY said, "K-POP will continue to improve in terms of budget scale, effort invested, and trainee standards," and predicted, "The next change will be the metaverse, which will break down the boundaries between stage and audience and bring changes to the K-POP industry."

The title track "That That" from PSY's 9th full-length album 'SSADA9,' released on the 29th of last month, attracted great attention with BTS's Suga participating as producer and featuring artist.

Immediately after its release, "That That" ranked number one on iTunes 'Top Songs' charts in 73 countries including the United States, Japan, and Canada, and its music video recorded 45 million views. Rolling Stone described the collaboration as "PSY, who laid the foundation of K-POP, meeting today's top K-POP star Suga."

The economic magazine Forbes also praised the song, stating, "'That That' from 'SSADA9,' completed by PSY's incredibly wise choice, will be another hit for him," and predicted, "It will almost certainly enter the Billboard HOT 100," continuing the positive reviews from foreign media.