Table of Biography
Early Life
Born as Park Jae Sang, better known by his stage name PSY, was born on December 31, 1977, in Seoul, South Korea. Currently, he is 46 years old as of 2023 and has a zodiac sign of Capricorn. He holds South Korean nationality and belongs to the Asian ethnicity.
In addition, he is the son of ParkWon-Ho (father) and Kim Young-hee (mother). He was born into a quite wealthy family and lived a comfortable childhood life. By profession, his father is the executive chairman of DI Corporation, a manufacturer of semiconductor manufacturing equipment listed on the Korea Exchange. In addition, his mother owns several restaurants in Gangnam.
Caption: PSY’s childhood photo (Source: Невседома)
He was influenced by foreign pop music when he was 15 years old. Moreover, he saw a concert at Wembley Stadium held by the British rock band Queen where they performed their 1975 hit single “Bohemian Rhapsody.” According to PSY, it was this concert footage that sparked his love for music.
PSY – Education
He went to Banpo Elementary and Middle Schools and Sehwa High School. During his school year, he was known as the class clown and he did not dislike school. Meanwhile, his father him to study business administration at Boston University, which he did for a brief period.
Professional Career
In 2001, PSY released his debut album “PSY from a Psycho World.” The album was fined by the Korean government due to ‘inappropriate content.’ The following year, he released two albums called “Sa 2” and “3 PSY.”
His songs were criticized for being overly explicit and ‘not a positive influence’ on Korean youth, but that didn’t stop PSY from winning awards at the Seoul Music Awards. It was marked as his breakthrough in the South Korean music industry.
He completed the required military training, which was needed for all South Korean men in 2003, and was immediately released owing to his work profile as a software engineer. Moreover, he made a comeback in 2006 with his next studio album, “Ssajib,” which was both critically and financially successful. The album won awards at the SBS and Asian Music Awards.
He was redrafted to continue his military duty in 2007 owing to job concerns, and he remained in the military for two years straight before being released in July 2009.
Continuing his musical journey
YG Entertainment, Korea’s biggest entertainment label, signed him in 2010, and his fifth studio album, “PSY 5,” was released the same year. However, his problems did not go away, and a song from the album named ‘Right Now’ was partially banned in South Korea owing to the obscenity on display.
A Japanese network ‘Mezamashi TV’ telecast his concert in Japan, which turned out to be his first taste of international fame. His dancing movements imitating Beyonce and Lady Gaga were popular in Japan, and he gained a new fan following there.
Gangnam Style
He released his sixth studio album named “PSY 6 Part 1” in July 2012, and the album’s single “Gangnam Style” started to play on TV and radio. It quickly got popular, and as time passed, the song became one of the most viewed music videos in internet history. The song peaked at number one on the iTunes list in August of that year.
Caption: PSY performing in front of a huge crowd (Source: The Korea Times)
Additionally, he was the first South Korean artist to do so. Following the popularity of the song and album, he began travelling and spent most of the year doing performances across the world.
Recent Years
After the hit single ‘Gangnam Style’ he released another single “Gentleman” which was well received but never became as successful as ‘Gangnam Style.’ He also collaborated with Snoop Dogg on a song named “Hangover.”
Moreover, he released two ‘tongue in cheek’ style videos titled “Daddy” and “Napal Baji” off his upcoming studio album, titled “PSY seventh album,” in December 2015. In addition, he released his eighth studio album.” He then released his eighth studio album, “4X2=8” in May 2017, with lead singles “I Luv it” and “New Face.” In addition, he officially left YG Entertainment after eight years on the 15th of May 2018.
He established his label ‘P Nation’ in 2019. Moreover, he has signed artists such as Jessi, Hyuna, Dawn, Crush, and Heize. He released his ninth studio album “Psy 9th” in April 2022, with its lead single ‘That That.’ Moreover, he revealed the official SNS afternoon tour itinerary of ‘Psy Soak Show SUMMER SWAG 2022’ on June 10, 2022, a domestic tour of 7 cities in the country till August 20.
PSY – Awards
In his successful musical career, he has won a total of 45 awards and 89 nominations. He has won the American Music Awards (2012), Capricho Awards (2012), CICI Korea Awards (2015), Cyworld Digital Music Awards (2012), and Gaon Chart Music Awards (2012, 2013, 2015, and 2017).
Caption: PSY giving his speech after winning the MAMA award (Source: K-Pop Concerts)
Some of his other awards are Hall of Game Awards (2013), Korean Music Awards (2013), MAMA Awards (2005, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2022), Melon Music Awards (2010, 2012, 2013) and many others. He is also listed in Guinness World Records for the First video to be viewed 1 billion times on YouTube. And, the most viewed and liked video online in 2012.
Net Worth
As per online websites, PSY’s net worth is estimated around $70 million. However, he has not mentioned any information regarding his annual salary. The popular celebrity has been able to make huge money through his hit albums, singles, contracts, concerts, and endorsements.
Relationship Status
Caption: PSY’s wedding photo (Source: Facebook)
On 14th October 2006, PSY married his wife Yoo Hye-Yeon. The couple first met each other at Yonsei University. He also shared a passion for music as a cello major. Before getting married, the couple dated for almost 4 years. With the marriage, the couple is blessed with twin daughters whose names are unknown.
Controversy
The South Korean pop icon has been involved in a couple of controversies such as anti-American performances and subsequent apologies, a Malaysian political rally. and the ‘Assarabia’ revision. In addition, he was in jail for 25 days in 2001 when he was booked for consuming marijuana
Body Measurements
Caption: PSY attending an award program (Source: Facebook)
The energetic singer stands 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs around 82 kg. Moreover, he has a pair of dark brown eyes with black hair colour while his other body measurements are unknown.
Social Media
On his Instagram page ‘@42psy42’ there are over 4.1 million followers. Likewise, there are over 4.2 million followers on his Twitter page ‘@psy_oppa’. Likewise, there are over 9.8 million followers on his official Facebook page.
He has a self-titled YouTube channel and there are over 18.4 million subscribers on it as of writing this content. He released his latest song and music videos on it.