On December 21, 2012, his music video for "Gangnam Style" exceeded one billion views on YouTube, becoming the first video to do so in the website's history. Psy was subsequently recognized by the media as the King of YouTube. As of May 2023, it is the eleventh most viewed video on YouTube, with over 4.7 billion views.
In December 2012, MTV noted Psy's rise from being little known outside South Korea, to being hailed as the "Viral Star of 2012". On December 31, 2012, Psy performed in a globally televised New Year's Eve celebration with American rapper MC Hammer on-stage in front of a live audience of over a million people in Times Square, New York City. Following his departure from YG Entertainment in 2018, he founded his own company, P Nation, in 2019.
Park Jae-sang was born on December 31, 1977, to an affluent family in the Gangnam District of Seoul, South Korea.[10] His father, Park Won-Ho, is the executive chairman of DI Corporation, a manufacturer of semiconductor manufacturing equipment listed on the Korea Exchange. His mother, Kim Young-hee, owns several restaurants in Gangnam.
Park attended Banpo (반포) Elementary and Middle Schools and Sehwa (세화) High School. He disliked school and was known as the class clown. In an interview on South Korea's Seoul Broadcasting System, a former teacher of Park said: "I remember Psy making a lot of sexual jokes during class. He had such a big influence that he would drive the entire class to his jokes. I disliked him at the time, but looking back, I see that he added a great energy to the class."
Park told CNN's Alina Cho that when he was 15 years old, he watched a Korean TV programme that introduced foreign pop music. One particular episode showed a concert at Wembley Stadium held by the British rock band Queen where they performed their 1975 hit single "Bohemian Rhapsody". Park said it was this concert footage that sparked his love for music.
In January 2001, Psy debuted his full-length album Psy from the Psycho World!, for which he was fined by South Korean government authorities due to his album's "inappropriate content". Psy was a rookie hip-hop singer that stirred up the Korean pop music scene with very blunt lyrics, peculiar dance moves and an unconventional appearance that earned him the nickname "The Bizarre Singer(엽기가수)".
His second album Sa 2 also created controversy upon its release in 2002, earning complaints from civil groups due to the potentially negative influence his album would have on children and teenagers. Since then, Psy has been thought of as a controversial artist, and Sa 2 was banned in 2002 from being sold to the under-19 set. In September of the same year, Psy released his third album 3 Psy. The album's title song, "Champion", saw great success partly due to the hype from the World Cup games held in Seoul. Despite the significant amount of controversy surrounding his music, Psy was awarded songwriting accolades at the annual Seoul Music Awards, marking his breakthrough in the South Korean music industry.
Dear Me
Psy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
오늘의 나는
내일의 나는
그리고 나는
어제의 나는
오늘의 나는
내일의 나는 그리고 나는
꿈이라는 건 절대 손에 닿지 않아 멀어
우린 현실이라는 벽 앞에 늘 두려워서 떨어
그래, 나 혹시나는 역시나 늘 기대를 저버려
그래, 나 장고 끝에 악수 두다 하루해가 져 버려
선택은 늘 끔찍해, 그에 책임은 큼직해
결과로만 말하는 세상의 틀에 길들여진 내게
부디 강해져, 과감해져, 약해지지 말고 악해져
(어제도 오늘도 이러고 있구나)
우린 모두 처음 살아봐서 설레고 두려워
정답이 없어 (정답이 없어)
빌어먹을 정답이 없어 (정답이 없어)
내일의 나에게
오늘보다 좋은 사람이길 바래
어제보다 오늘이 낫듯이-이-이 (이-이-이)
내일의 나에게
고개 들어 파란 하늘 바라보며
지금처럼 웃고 있기를 바래 ooh
적을 만드는 어른
편을 만드는 어른어린아이보다 겁이 많은 건 죄가 많기 때문
여든까지가 내 버릇
이 정도가 내 그릇
위선보다 위악이 나쁜 걸 모르기 때문
약해지지 말라 해서 강해지려 애를 써
스스로 강하다 믿고 센 척하며 떼를 써
너무 강하면 부러져, 너무 약하면 무너져
정답을 절대 찾지 못해 오답에 무뎌져
우린 모두 처음 살아봐서 설레고 두려워
정답이 없어 (정답이 없어)
빌어먹을 정답이 없어 (정답이 없어)
내일의 나에게
오늘보다 좋은 사람이길 바래
어제보다 오늘이 낫듯이-이-이 (이-이-이)
내일의 나에게
고개 들어 파란 하늘 바라보며
지금처럼 웃고 있기를 바래 ooh
어제의 나는
오늘의 나는
내일의 나는
그리고 나는
어제의 나는
오늘의 나는
내일의 나는
그리고 나는
내일의 나에게
오늘보다 좋은 사람이길 바래
어제보다 오늘이 낫듯이-이-이 (이-이-이)
내일의 나에게
고개 들어 파란 하늘 바라보며
지금처럼 웃고 있기를 바래 ooh
The lyrics to Psy's "Dear Me" express the struggle of self-improvement and the uncertainty that comes with it. The singer reflects on their past, present, and future selves, acknowledging the fear and anxiety that comes with facing the unknown. They compare the unreachable nature of dreams to the all-too-real fear of facing a wall of reality. The lyrics encourage the listener to become stronger, more daring, and unafraid of becoming worse in order to become better. The idea of "right" and "wrong" is emphasized as something that cannot always be determined, reminding the listener that there may not always be a clear path to self-improvement. Ultimately, the singer hopes to become a better person than they were yesterday, and they encourage their future self to do the same.
The repetition of the phrase "어제의 나는, 오늘의 나는, 내일의 나는, 그리고 나는" ("Yesterday's me, today's me, tomorrow's me, and myself") emphasizes the idea of self-reflection and growth. The lyrics also play with the idea of "정답이 없어" ("there is no right answer"), which can refer to both the idea of self-improvement as well as the general uncertainties of life.
Overall, "Dear Me" is a reflection on the fear and struggle that comes with self-improvement, as well as a hopeful message encouraging listeners to become their best selves.
Line by Line Meaning
어제의 나는
Yesterday's me
오늘의 나는
Today's me
내일의 나는
Tomorrow's me
그리고 나는
And I am me
꿈이라는 건 절대 손에 닿지 않아 멀어
Dreams are never within reach, always distant
우린 현실이라는 벽 앞에 늘 두려워서 떨어
We always quiver at the wall of reality in front of us
그래, 나 혹시나는 역시나 늘 기대를 저버려
Yeah, I always let go of my expectations, just in case
그래, 나 장고 끝에 악수 두다 하루해가 져 버려
Yeah, I shake hands at the end of the movie and another day ends
선택은 늘 끔찍해, 그에 책임은 큼직해
Choices are always dreadful, the responsibility that comes with them is huge
결과로만 말하는 세상의 틀에 길들여진 내게
I'm trapped in the world that only talks about results
부디 강해져, 과감해져, 약해지지 말고 악해져
Please be strong, be brave, don't weaken, become evil
(어제도 오늘도 이러고 있구나)
(I'm still like this yesterday and today)
우린 모두 처음 살아봐서 설레고 두려워
We're all nervous and scared because we're living for the first time
정답이 없어 (정답이 없어)
There's no answer (there's no answer)
빌어먹을 정답이 없어 (정답이 없어)
There's no damn answer (there's no answer)
내일의 나에게
To tomorrow's me
오늘보다 좋은 사람이길 바래
I hope you'll be a better person than today
어제보다 오늘이 낫듯이-이-이 (이-이-이)
Like today is better than yesterday-ay-ay (ay-ay-ay)
고개 들어 파란 하늘 바라보며
Looking up and seeing the blue sky
지금처럼 웃고 있기를 바래 ooh
I hope you'll keep smiling like now, ooh
적을 만드는 어른
Adults who create enemies
편을 만드는 어른
Adults who take sides
어린아이보다 겁이 많은 건 죄가 많기 때문
Being more afraid than a child is because of having more sins
여든까지가 내 버릇
Even that's my habit
이 정도가 내 그릇
This is my level
위선보다 위악이 나쁜 걸 모르기 때문
Not knowing that hypocrisy is worse than wickedness
약해지지 말라 해서 강해지려 애를 써
Saying 'don't weaken' and trying to be strong
스스로 강하다 믿고 센 척하며 떼를 써
Acting tough, believing in one's own strength
너무 강하면 부러져, 너무 약하면 무너져
If you're too strong, you'll break, if you're too weak, you'll crumble
정답을 절대 찾지 못해 오답에 무뎌져
Never finding the answer and becoming numb to the wrong answer
Lyrics © CONSALAD CO., Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jai Sang Park, Ji Sun Kim, Han Seo Kwon, Hyun Jung Cha
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind