May 3: Psy at Rockefeller Center for Today Show
Press conference before departure: “ranked #5 on Bilboard thanks to YouTube… will be focusing on the specific factor for promotion”
“‘Gentleman’ isn’t meant to be healthy from the start, but it’s really not for kids to watch.”
“I do believe that YouTube is the greatest contributor to me ranking No.5 on Billboard. I am going to the States for another round of promotion for my latest music video, and it takes a very long time to schedule to be on television shows or radio. I will be working in the States for at least a month. I will do everything I can.”
Said Psy, the now global star, who has left for New York on April 25 for the promotion of his latest song. He spread out his five fingers and said “thank you” to everyone who was there. On the day, Psy delivered great news of him ranking No.5 on Billboard’s HOT 100, which climbed up 7 ranks in just one week.”
In the morning at Incheon International Airport, he held a press conference. He told the press, “Today I ranked 5th on Billboard. But my rank may go down next week, because my ranking on iTunes is slowing down.” His judgments for his own song were very calm and logical.
He added, “but I do expect the rank to go up because I will be promoting through different media like television and radio. I think I will have to wait for about 2 to 3 weeks for the promotion to really show any effects. It is my hope to bring you good news.”
Psy, with the help of online streaming, ranked 5th on Billboard’s HOT 100, but his low participation in television and radio acts as an obstacle.
On April 26, right after his arrival in New York, he will be receiving Tribeca Disruption Innovation Award at the Tribeca Film Festival. He kicks off his promotion as soon as he arrives. On May 3, he is scheduled to appear on NBC’s Today Show, which will be held at the Rockefeller Center in New York.
Psy recalls that “when I first appeared in Today Show last year, it helped ‘Gangnam Style’ go up the ranks on iTunes the next day. And now I have the opportunity to perform both ‘Gentleman’ and ‘Gangnam Style’ on the same show. I have a lot to show you at the Rockefeller Center.”
He added, “’Gentleman’ is actually doing a lot better than I expected. I really didn’t think it would go this well. Considering different factors, I felt like I should have been in the ‘defense’ position, but ‘Gentleman’ is doing extremely well in its ‘offense’ position. I am very satisfied with the results.”
Many expected ‘Gentleman’ would not be as popular as ‘Gangnam Style’ in the U.S. To that, he said, “it is true that things take longer to settle down in the U.S., so the promotion will take longer there than it did in Korea. By the time ‘Gangnam Style’ was viral in the States, it was really old in Korea. And I am pretty sure ‘Gentleman’ will be the same, because I am scheduled to conduct promotion until July, so that means I have to be performing it for at least three to four months.”
He expressed his special gratitude to the musicians Cho Yong-pil and Bae Chul-soo, who gave him praises for his achievement.
He said, “I am grateful for all the attention I am getting overseas, but the fact that amazing artists like Cho and Bae have praised me is even more meaningful. As a Korean artist, nothing is a bigger compliment than getting positive words from these two amazing artists.”
About meeting with Ryu Hyun-jin in the U.S., who is a Korean baseballer in LA Dodgers, said, “when he takes the mound as the starting pitcher, I actually want to go see him play but I don’t want to put any pressure on him. So I will ask him first and then decide.”
He also told the press about his opinions on the review that ‘Gentleman’ objectifies women.
“’Gentleman’ is creating a lot of issues, and I think that means that expectations for me is going higher. I wasn’t a ‘classy’ artist to start with.”
He added, “my motto for making music videos and writings songs are ‘make it sound but not so healthy’, and I guess ‘Gentleman’ wasn’t so ‘sound’ after all.
“I realized that ‘Gangnam Style’ attracted a lot of children fans, and I admit that ‘Gentleman’ is inappropriate for kids to watch. For children fans, I promise I will make something more suitable.”
Finally, he thanked the audience saying, “thank you for being with me from ‘Gangnam Style’ to ‘Gentleman.’ I am going to do my best in the U.S. and will deliver you great news.”
