'Gangnam Style' is a worldwide hit and due to its popularity, Psy, the man behind the catchy dance tune is making a name for himself. Psy is doing a lot of traveling lately as he does talk shows in America and around the world to discuss 'Gangnam Style' and his wild horse dance.
Psy, whose real name is Jae-Sang Park, has been rapping and singing in Korea for over a decade, but it wasn't until his song "Gangnam Style" hit Youtube in July, that his fame exploded. The video has over 200 million views. Now his song is on the radio in America and its starting to climb the Billboard hot 100 chart.
Psy recently spoke with the Chicago Tribune to discuss his travel experiences.
Psy's song is about Korea's Gangnam area, which Psy related to the Korean version of Beverly Hills and says it has a lot of similarities to Manhattan as there are lots of stores, hotels and nightclubs.
Psy has done a lot of traveling around the United States recently to perform and talk about his hit song. He calls the US his favorite travel destination. He first visited the country when he was a kid as he has family in California and New Jersey.
Psy also hopes to visit Boston soon, where he attended Boston University and the Berklee College of Music.
"It's hard to find the time right now though. It's so close to New York, but still about four hours by car. So if I ever get a proper holiday, I'm going to go visit Boston again. I miss it a lot," Psy tells the Chicago Tribune.
Some are surprised to hear that Psy speaks fluent English during his interviews. He explained that he learned English before he came to the U.S. for school. He started teaching himself English through watching wrestling and NBA games and through listening to U.S. pop songs.
In addition to creating music, Psy loves listening to music, so his carry-on bag always contains his iPod so he can be entertained during his long flights.
While Psy seems to enjoy traveling, it has its downsides as well. He says that jetlag used to bother him a lot as he is constantly on a plane.
"From Korea to Los Angeles, it's 10 hours. From Korea to New York, it's 15 hours," Psy says. "So I have to deal with totally different daytimes and nighttimes within three to four days and then head back home. It is tiring."
Yet Psy doesn't mind the jetlag as much as his travel has become a fun experience as he is able to promote his music in different parts of the world. It "is a fabulous thing. I'm so happy to do it," he says.
Despite getting to travel so much, Psy is feeling a bit homesick and he's missing his home country. He also misses the food. "Let me say, for real, I think Korean food is the best. It's definitely my favorite," he said.
"I'm missing Korea so much already. I have all my friends and family there. My whole life is there," Psy tells the Tribune.
It looks like Psy won't be spending too much time at home though. As his song becomes bigger in other parts of the world, he will be doing even more traveling to promote it.
"My management company has plans for me and tells me that this song is getting viral in some parts of Europe and South America. So, I think I've got to travel a lot more this year," he told the Tribune.
"But I'm happy to do it. This is my lifetime opportunity, so I want to make something instead of nothing."
To see Psy's hit video "Gangnam Style" and some parodies that were made, Click Here.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
