Gangnam Style

"Gangnam Style" is a song by the South Korean musician Psy, released on July 15, 2012 through YG Entertainment. It appears on Psy's sixth studio album, PsY 6 (Six Rules), Part 1. The track was written and composed by Psy alongside Yoo Gun Hyung. Musically, it is a high-energy blend of K-pop and electronic dance music that satirizes the materialistic aspirations tied to Seoul's posh Gangnam district. Its driving beat, catchy hook, and comic exuberance became instantly recognizable worldwide.

The music video, directed by Cho Soo-hyun, features Psy performing an absurd horse-riding dance in a series of humorous vignettes: a horse stable, a parking lot, a subway station. Released on YouTube the same day as the single, it became the first video to hit one billion views on December 21, 2012, and later surpassed two billion by May 2014. At its peak, it was the most-viewed video on the platform. The dance became a global meme, imitated by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, world leaders, and sports teams alike.

Chart performance was historic. On the Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at number two, the first K-pop song to reach the top tier in the United States, and spent 31 weeks on the chart. In the UK, it hit number one on the Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for 42 weeks. It topped charts in over 30 countries including Australia, Canada, Germany, and France. The RIAA certified it 5x Platinum, and the BPI gave it 3x Platinum. The song won Best Video at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards and Song of the Year at the 2013 Melon Music Awards, and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

"Gangnam Style" broke cultural barriers for K-pop, paving the way for later acts like BTS and BLACKPINK to gain mainstream Western attention. Its horse-riding dance sparked countless parodies, flash mobs, and cover versions worldwide. The song remains a defining moment in internet-driven global pop culture, a perfect storm of catchy music, absurd humor, and viral sharing that changed how the world sees Korean music.[edit]