Psy

One of the unlikeliest musical phenomena of all time, Psy introduced the world to Korean pop in 2012 and had everyone from Britney Spears to Ban Ki-Moon, the General Secretary of the UN, performing the "Gangnam Style" dance. Born in Seoul, South Korea, on December 31, 1977, Park Jae-Sang (aka Psy) was inspired to create music after seeing concert footage of Queen playing at Wembley Stadium as a 15-year-old. He later moved to America to study at Berklee College of Music. Returning home in 2000, his charisma, enthusiastic attempts at rapping, and catchy dance tracks made him a star, even while albums PSY from the PSYcho World! (2001), Sa 2 (2002) and PSY Five (2010) caused their fair share of controversy in a culturally conservative country. He topped the charts six times in Korea, but it was the "Gangnam Style" video that made Psy a viral success and worldwide sensation. Released in 2012, the single became the most viewed of all time on YouTube and the first to receive over a billion hits, topping the charts in the UK and 20 other countries. It also appeared on the EP Psy 6 (Six Rules), Part 1, which reached number 1 in South Korea. 2013's "Gentleman," 2014's "Hangover," and 2015's "Daddy" were all number 1 hits on the World Digital Song Sales chart, a spot Psy revisited once again with 2022's "That That." Featuring Suga from the K-pop band BTS, "That That" appeared on the studio album Psy 9th that same year.