The New York TimesThe New York Times

'Gangnam Style' brought K-Pop to the world, but haunted its creator

By Jin Yu Young and Victoria Kim

25 Nov 2022 · 6 min read

Editor's Note

In global terms, Psy, the artist behind the massive K-pop hit, could be considered the definition of a one-hit wonder. But in South Korea, he’s still adored. The New York Times has a profile.

SEOUL, South Korea — He may not look it, in a spiffy double-breasted suit and a coiffure secured with enough hair gel to reflect the ceiling lights, but the 45-year-old music executive confides a secret as he rubs his temples: He’s hung over.

But he doesn’t mind nursing this headache, at well past 2 p.m. on a Thursday in Seoul. Some of his best songwriting ideas come to him, he said, in the malaise that follows a night of hard drinking.

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