21 Years On And Still in Style, Here’s Why We Stan Psy
After a five-year hiatus, Psy is back with Psy 9th (affectionately known as Ssada9). And clearly, Chos (Psy fans; pronounced as Ko) couldn’t have been more pleased about this comeback. Title track, That That, which was released on April 29, already has over 55 million streams on Spotify*.
While the multi-talented singer, songwriter, and producer has collaborated with major artists like Big Bang’s Taeyang and 2NE1’s CL in his 21-year career, Psy 9th is a bumper crop of star-studded collaborations, making this comeback a super exciting one.
While BTS Suga co-wrote, produced, and features on That That, we also get balladeer Sung Si Kyung on You Move Me, Epic High’s Tablo on ForEVER and Mamamoo’s HwaSa on Now. Not to mention P Nation’s (Psy’s own label) artists, Crush, Heize, and Jessi on Happier, Sleepless, and Ganji respectively. That’s not all: rapper Zico co-wrote Celeb, a song that premiered during Psy’s 2019 Summer Swag concert and now gets an official album debut, with singer Suzy Bae making an appearance in the music video too.
Psy: The Artist
But who is Psy?
Psy, also known as Park Jae-sang, made his debut in 2001 with the full-length album, Psy From The Psycho World. The world probably knows him best for the 2012 viral hit, Gangnam Style, which to date has achieved over 325 million streams on Spotify*. However, K-Pop fans may also be well acquainted with his catchy dance tunes like Champion, Father, Daddy, Napal Baji, and New Face.
Fun fact: Psy actually became a singer by chance. He started out writing songs, and his most popular hit was Lee Seung-gi’s Because You’re My Woman. In a Showterview interview with former host Jessi, he shared that before he gave up his songwriting career for good, but decided to sing the songs he wrote. And the rest as they say, is history.
Psy: The CEO
But Psy’s repertoire is more than music. He’s also the CEO of his own label and agency, P Nation, which he set up in 2019. So while he may have been quiet on the music front over the last few years, he’s been busy playing manager to and promoting his stable of artists, like Jessi, Crush, Heize, Hyuna, and Dawn. Psy has been working closely with all of them, giving his input from lyrics to music and even dance choreography, to help them get established on the global stage.
He’s worked with Jessi on her smash hit Nunu Nana and even shared on an episode of variety show, Radio Star, that he personally contacted popular Korean actor Song Joong-ki to appear in Heize’s Happen music video. Here’s a boss who really goes the extra mile for his artists.
Psy: The Next Chapter
Psy 9th appears to be a new chapter for Psy and is a distinct departure from Gangnam Style, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The album is a culmination of his new sound with new friends.
We’re vibing on how each song sounds as if it’s been tailored for the featured artist. Now has an ’80s disco vibe that HwaSa rocks so well, That That is a latin-inspired bop with all the BTS pop feels we need, and Happier is smooth R&B that highlights Crush’s vocals. Psy 9th is a total no-skip album, and we’re here for it.
* As of June 1, 2022
