One Million Fans of Psy Left Due to his Alcohol and Half Naked Performance?
'World star' Psy held a free concert for his fans at the Seoul City Plaza yesterday. Almost 80,000 fans attended the concert to support Psy. He went on the Guiness records for almost having 60,000 fans dance to "Gangnam Style" with the 'horse-riding' dance.
However, an issue arose when he drank a bottle of Soju (Korean alcohol) on stage. He stated to the audience, "I told my family that I wouldn't drink on stage anymore, but I don't think a day like this will come again. To all my young and underage viewers, please do not drink. It is not healthy for you." With that, he chugged a whole bottle of soju and took off his shirt.
For people that don't know him well or have not gone to many of his concerts may find this action shocking. The problem is, there were young and old, and even foreigners who came out to see Psy. As this was a public show in a public place, drinking alcohol did not seem appropriate. This concert was also broadcasted live online on Youtube and Ustream, and will also be aired again on TV on SBS on October 7.
There are another opinions as well. Fans that have been with Psy since the beginning know that this is a type of 'fan service' that Psy likes to do when he is having fun on stage. While these fans find nothing wrong with this action as it is a part of a performance and not something that reflects himself as a person. He also always asks the permission of the audience if it is ok.
Psy was popular back in 2000 with his hit song, "Bird." His 'bad' image and unique style was his 'Psy' character. During an recent interview, Psy had commented, "As I become more mature as a parent and a husband, I don't want to become mature on stage." YG Entertainment Yang Hyun Suk also commented while Psy was preparing for his comeback album, "He has become too mature and nice. He needs to go back to his usual self."
Psy's alcohol drinking incident creates these questions: Do we want Psy to become mature and nice? Isn't it ok for him to drink some alcohol considering the global success that he has made?
With Psy becoming a world star, more responsibility is put on him. We are not talking about making Psy a 'good' image. Him becoming 'good and him drinking on stage are two different things. What we are worried about are the events that could take place after people have seen his stage performance. Young viewers who view Psy as their idols could delve into situations that are not appropriate. Because he is such a hot trend now, the whole world is watching his every move.
Psy's 'bad' image is not bad. Psy just needs to be aware of where he can be 'bad' and where he can't be, just as he chooses to be 'good' for his wife and children. He is now an icon that the world is looking at, we hope that with his rational and mature decisions, and we will continue to enjoy Psy and his music.