Where Is Psy Now? All About the ‘Gangnam Style’ Singer’s Life 13 Years Later

Psy is still making music and performing his signature high-energy concerts.

The South Korean artist (whose real name is Park Jae-Sang) launched into worldwide virality with his 2012 hit, “Gangnam Style,” accompanied by a music video that was the first YouTube video to reach a billion views that year. The song brought Psy widespread fame and is credited with launching the worldwide popularity of the K-pop genre.

Though in the years since “Gangnam Style,” Psy has not held the same fame that he once did in the United States, he remains a popular artist in South Korea — mentoring new K-pop artists under his label, P Nation, releasing new music and hosting his annual “Summer Swag” concert series.

“Interacting with audiences [and] sharing that experience is something I can’t even describe. I feel incredibly proud and content in that moment,” Psy told CNN in 2022.

He continued, “To make fun music, fun dances and bring joy to my fans … that’s my hope. I was of the same mind 10 years ago and I think I’ll feel the same way 20 years from now as well.”

So where is Psy now? Here’s everything to know about the “Gangnam Style” singer’s life 13 years after his song went viral.

Who is Psy?

Psy is a South Korean singer best known for his viral 2012 hit “Gangnam Style,” which brought the already-popular star to worldwide acclaim.

The artist released his debut album, Psy from the Psycho World!, in 2001, and it was an instant hit. Psy was recognized for his candid lyrics, high-energy performance style and comedic music videos.

While his lyrics were often censored in South Korea, per The New York Times, Psy continued to top the charts and sell out tours. He also became a regular personality on TV variety shows. However, Psy didn’t achieve success in the U.S. until the release of “Gangnam Style.”

When the song’s music video dropped in July 2012, it became the first video to hit a billion views on YouTube by the end of that year, launching the song into virality and a No. 2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Psy’s signature galloping dance moves in the clip were replicated by many and sparked conversations from celebrities and politicians, from Britney Spears to President Barack Obama.

The South Korean Culture Ministry even credited Psy with “increasing the world’s interest in Korea,” per the Toronto Sun, and helping globalize K-pop — starting “Hallyu,” or the “Korean wave” of music that has since become celebrated across the world.

Bands like K-pop boy band BTS have often thanked Psy for helping popularize the genre. “He paved the way for K-pop in the US, which allowed [us] to follow that path more comfortably,” Suga of BTS said, per CNN.

How did Psy feel about the success of “Gangnam Style”?

“Gangnam Style” launched Psy to global fame almost overnight, sparking the kind of widespread recognition that K-pop artists had not yet experienced.

After the song went viral, Psy signed with Scooter Braun, Justin Bieber’s manager at the time, and his record label Schoolboy Records. Psy moved to Los Angeles to continue his career, but replicating the success of “Gangnam Style” proved difficult, he told The New York Times.

“The songs are written by the same person, the dance moves are by the same person and they’re performed by the same person. Everything’s the same, but what was so special about that one song?” Psy said to the outlet in 2022. “I still don’t know, to this day.”

After a few years, Psy returned to South Korea, where he continued to release music and started his own record label.

Has Psy made new music since “Gangnam Style”?

Psy has kept creating music and touring throughout South Korea in the following years.

Since 2012, he has released three full-length albums, including his 2017 album 4X2=8 and his most recent, Psy 9th, in 2022, the latter of which he released after a five year hiatus.

The album included the song “That That,” on which he collaborated with BTS’ Suga, accompanied by  a “Gangnam Style”-esque music video featuring Psy’s signature dancing and humor.

While he is still making music, Psy told The New York Times in 2022 that he is not trying to chase the same level of success that his viral hit achieved.

“If another good song comes along and if that thing happens again, great. If not, so be it,” he told the publication. “For now, I’ll do what I do in my rightful place.”

Is Psy still performing?

Psy’s popularity in Korea has continued, with the singer frequently performing concerts at universities and hosting his annual festival series, “Summer Swag.”

In 2012, he launched his high-energy annual Summer Swag festival, which stops in major cities across South Korea and features special guests. Attendees are encouraged to wear waterproof clothing because of the water cannons used, which usually soak crowds.

Most recently, the festival ran from June 2025 through August 2025 with 16 shows in 9 cities. The opening show included an appearance from BLACKPINK’s ROSÉ, who joined Psy to sing her hit “APT,” with Psy subbing in ROSÉ’s original collaborator on the song, Bruno Mars, per Billboard. Later shows featured K-pop star G-Dragon and others.

“I feel happy when I see other people being happy, and to see others being happy through my music is something that cannot compare to anything else in this world,” Psy told Korea JoongAng Daily in 2023.

He continued, “That is the reason I sing, dance and produce my Summer Swag concerts. It is all for the secondhand happiness I get through seeing others enjoy themselves.”

Where is Psy now?

Psy is still making music, performing and mentoring younger artists.

In 2019, Psy launched his own record label, P Nation, and signed artists like Jessi, who starred in the recent Apple TV series K-Pop Idols, and groups TNX and Baby Don’t Cry.

Psy told The New York Times in 2022 that he feels even more pressure mentoring and stewarding the careers of other artists — particularly in the industry’s unpredictability — than he did when he was focusing only on his own success.

“One of the things I love most about this job is that it’s unpredictable. We say among ourselves we’re in the ‘lid business’ — because you don’t know what you’ve got until you open it,” Psy told The New York Times in 2022. “You don’t know which cloud will bring the rain.”

In August 2025, Apple TV+ released a new reality TV competition show KPOPPED, hosted by Psy and Meghan Thee Stallion. In the eight-part series, Western artists work with K-pop bands to reinvent their popular songs with a K-pop twist. Artists include Patti LaBelle, the Spice Girls’ Mel B and Emma Bunton, Vanilla Ice, Kesha and J Balvin, among others.

When he’s not performing or on TV, Psy spends time with his wife and their twin daughters in Seoul, per The New York Times.