Entertainment

Psy unveils Gangnam Style's successor, Gentleman

K-Pop star Psy unveiled the anticipated follow-up to his record-setting viral video hit Gangnam Style on Thursday, with New Zealanders the first to bob their heads to his new track Gentleman.
Psy will perform Gentleman live for the first time at a concert in Seoul on Saturday.

K-Pop star Psy unveiled the anticipated follow-up to his record-setting viral video hit Gangnam Style on Thursday, with New Zealanders the first to bob their heads to his new track Gentleman.

Packed with similarly infectious electronic blips and driving techno beats as its predecessor, the new single also echoes Gangnam Style in that its largely Korean-language lyrics are peppered with occasionally saucy English phrases. The new elements include a digital vuvuzela-sounding riff.

In the new song's chorus, the 35-year-old performer declares "I'm a mother-father gentleman!" — seemingly taking a naughty cue from pop predecessors like Cee Lo Green and his tune Forget You (the clean, radio-friendly version of his original profanity-laced hit).

Psy will give his first live performance of the song Saturday at a promotional concert for 50,000 fans in Seoul. A music video is also forthcoming. Speaking recently to Korea's MBC News, he revealed that Gentleman will be accompanied by his personal take on a traditional dance.

"Most Koreans already know what it is, but it's going to be something new to the rest of the world," he said in the TV interview.

"I'm pretty sure that people across the globe will love the K-Pop genre more and more," he predicted, adding that his spring includes appearances in North America in April, Europe in May and Asia in June.

Psy, whose real name is Park Jae-sang, studied at Boston's Berklee College of Music and has been in the music business for a decade.

He vaulted to worldwide fame in 2012 with his satirical song Gangnam Style, a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the materialism of the wealthy Seoul suburb, and its over-the-top music video — complete with his odd but much-mimicked horse-riding dance.

A viral video sensation, Gangnam Style spawned countless parody videosbecame the most-watched video of all time on YouTube and racked up digital sales of nearly four million in North America alone.