It was the single that spawned a worldwide dance craze, countless parodies and a lot of radio airtime.
Now South Korean pop star Psy, whose breakthrough hit Gangnam Style gave embarrassing fathers everywhere an excuse to get on the dancefloor, is looking to recreate the magic with his follow-up track, Gentleman.
Dressed in a dogtooth-print jacket and low-slung trousers, the singer – real name Park Jae-sang – performed the song live for the first time in front of 50,000 fans in the South Korean capital Seoul yesterday.
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It begins with a side-to-side hip shake with both arms folded, before one arm is raised to the mouth as if the dancer is in deep concentration.
It is then followed by a series of increasingly energetic forward and backwards hip thrusts, with both arms raised up by the ears and bent at the elbows.
Next up is a gallop to the right and then to the left, which is similar to the Gangnam-Style dance, but this time with the arms raised and bent.
Finally wannabe Gentlemen should perform an energetic side shuffle to the left and then the right.
Within hours of its release yesterday, the single – with its catchy chorus of ‘I’m a mother, father, Gentleman’ – looked set to mirror the success of its predecessor, after clocking up more than 1.2 million hits on YouTube.
However, it still has some way to go – since its release last year, Gangnam Style has become the most watched clip of all time on the video-sharing website, with an incredible 1.5 billion views.
The song has also spawned hundreds of parodies, including one by a group of Eton College pupils, in which they dance in their school uniform of tailcoat and white tie, lampooning their school’s privileged image.
The Eton pupils’ lyrics included
the phrase, ‘We don’t know why we wear these clothes’, while the video
was filmed in the school’s gym, swimming pool area and chapel.
Psy’s famous dance has also been imitated by millions, including UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon and London Mayor Boris Johnson, who revealed at last year’s Tory Party conference that he and David Cameron had performed it after a lunch at Chequers.
The video to Gentleman, also released yesterday, features Psy performing a series of ungentlemanly acts, which include holding a chair out for a woman before pulling it from under her, and spraying another with a shaken can of beer. Ahead of the performance at Seoul’s World Cup stadium, the 35-year-old pop star admitted yesterday that he felt under pressure to match the success of Gangnam.
‘Of course I feel more burden than before, because lots of people are watching,’ he said. ‘Today’s show is a performance of thanks for the Gangnam Style success.’
Now South Korean pop star Psy, whose breakthrough hit Gangnam Style gave embarrassing fathers everywhere an excuse to get on the dancefloor, is looking to recreate the magic with his follow-up track, Gentleman.
Dressed in a dogtooth-print jacket and low-slung trousers, the singer – real name Park Jae-sang – performed the song live for the first time in front of 50,000 fans in the South Korean capital Seoul yesterday.
Scroll down for video
Gentleman style: Psy does his latest energetic dance, which include hip thrusts and side shuffles
VIDEO See a clip of PSY's new 'arrogant dance' at his Seoul concert
And just like Gangnam Style, Gentleman, which features a combination of Korean and English lyrics over a fast-paced techno beat, also comes complete with an addictive dance routine.
It begins with a side-to-side hip shake with both arms folded, before one arm is raised to the mouth as if the dancer is in deep concentration.
It is then followed by a series of increasingly energetic forward and backwards hip thrusts, with both arms raised up by the ears and bent at the elbows.
Next up is a gallop to the right and then to the left, which is similar to the Gangnam-Style dance, but this time with the arms raised and bent.
South Korean rapper Psy performs during his concert Happening in Seoul for the first time on Saturday at a concert
Within hours of its release yesterday, the single – with its catchy chorus of ‘I’m a mother, father, Gentleman’ – looked set to mirror the success of its predecessor, after clocking up more than 1.2 million hits on YouTube.
However, it still has some way to go – since its release last year, Gangnam Style has become the most watched clip of all time on the video-sharing website, with an incredible 1.5 billion views.
The song has also spawned hundreds of parodies, including one by a group of Eton College pupils, in which they dance in their school uniform of tailcoat and white tie, lampooning their school’s privileged image.
Psy released his new single and is hoping to repeat the success of 'Gangnam Style'
Psy’s famous dance has also been imitated by millions, including UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon and London Mayor Boris Johnson, who revealed at last year’s Tory Party conference that he and David Cameron had performed it after a lunch at Chequers.
The video to Gentleman, also released yesterday, features Psy performing a series of ungentlemanly acts, which include holding a chair out for a woman before pulling it from under her, and spraying another with a shaken can of beer. Ahead of the performance at Seoul’s World Cup stadium, the 35-year-old pop star admitted yesterday that he felt under pressure to match the success of Gangnam.
‘Of course I feel more burden than before, because lots of people are watching,’ he said. ‘Today’s show is a performance of thanks for the Gangnam Style success.’