Which singer holds the
Guinness World Record for most YouTube views? If you’re betting
it’s Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, or teen-icon Justin Bieber, think again.
With 1.8 billion views as of December 2013 (and growing steadily, no
doubt) the record holder is none other than K-Pop sensation Psy,
thanks to his ubiquitous hit “Gangnam Style.” Indeed, Gangnam
Style was one of the biggest pop songs of 2012, peaking and staying
at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks
and selling 4.5 million copies.
Of course, K-Pop has
long had a foothold in neighboring Asian countries, and it was only
time before it exploded into the North American mainstream. Long
before Psy danced his way to pop superstardom, acts like Wonder Girls
and Super Junior were already setting teenage hearts aflame in the
East. K-Pop’s popularity can be attributed to its upbeat and
contemporary sound reminiscent of other genres like dance, electro,
and trance. Yet its coup de grace is perhaps the catchy choruses
whose simple melodies allow them to easily be memorized even by
people who don’t speak Korean.
It’s not just music
that people are loving, however. People also emulate the wardrobes of
their favorite K-Pop singers, much the same way that people style
themselves after their favorite Western pop stars. What’s more, the
rise of online K-Pop fashion stores make this look even more
accessible to the masses.
