In a press con, K-pop icon Psy highlighted what's the difference between his popularity level compared to BLACKPINK and BTS in the US, before and now.

On April 29, legendary singer Psy is finally back with his ninth album, "Psy 9th"!

To commemorate his first release in about five years since 2017's 4X2=8, he held a press listening session at the Fairmont Ambassador Grand Ballroom in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, at 2 p.m. KST on the same day.

Psy Compares Popularity in the US Before to BTS, BLACKPINK's Fame Now

During the conference, Psy particularly expressed his thoughts on his past performance on the U.S. Billboard charts and his current K-pop performance on the Billboard.

In particular, Psy shook the music industry as he became the first K-pop singer to rank second on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks with his megahit track, "Gangnam Style" in 2013. Since then, several K-pop idols have entered the Billboard such as BTS – his initial achievement adding to its meaning.

In this regard, Psy shared his thoughts on this and humbly said:

"The word 'Billboard senior and junior' is actually embarrassing. Even in the days when 'Gangnam Style' was in full swing,
what I said privately is that there are two things in box office success: a song and a person."

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Psy drew attention as he professionally explained:

"When a person rises (in popularity), the song goes for a long time, whether it's good or not. However, when a song pops up, its (popularity) is not guaranteed.

So the reason I was devastated at that time is that I thought it wasn't a healthy hit at the time of "Gangnam Style," even foreigners thought my name was 'Gangnam Style'."

In regards to this, he then used the current popularity of his junior idols such as BTS and BLACKPINK in the US as an example of fame based on knowing the person.

He continued:

"But (my) idol juniors, who are currently famous in North America, such as BTS and BLACKPINK are the opposite of me.

I think they have a long continuity and are going very well. BTS once gave me a big round of applause for achieving my unfinished dream of becoming No. 1 on the Billboard.

If I go as it is, I don't think I'll be doing music for the sake of national prestige, but I think it'll give us a proud moment."

Psy Hints at His Plan to Launch a Program for Underrated Singers in Korea

In the same press conference, the "Gentleman" singer who experienced global popularity expressed his desire to share the limelight with unpopular musicians in Korea who deserve recognition.

Psy especially conveyed that he wants to promote more songs that have not yet been discovered among various Korean pop music collectively referred to as K-pop.

Therefore, he plans to actively use his YouTube channel with nearly 16 million subscribers.

He hinted at his plan, saying:

"If you look at my official account, there are a lot of EXO, BTS, and NCT fans. As there are so many Korean musicians in Korea, I am also planning a program to introduce them. K-pop is represented as a boy band and girl band by overseas fans thanks to the performances of proud idol juniors, but I want to discover legendary people who have not been found abroad and make them a variety of nourishment."

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Written by Eunice Dawson