Kevin Winter, Getty Images Thanks to his viral "Gangnam Style" music video, which has garnered
131.7 million views on YouTube since it was uploaded less than two months ago (July 15), South Korean rapper PSY is taking the U.S. my storm.
Already a star in his native country, the 34-year-old K-pop singer is set to launch his career stateside with the help of his new manager, Scooter Braun -- the man responsible for transforming fellow YouTube sensation Justin Bieber into, well, Justin Bieber.
"I spent all the time last night at the VMAs making interviews, so I thought like, 'Wow, I'm a rookie in 12 years.' I'm really feeling good about that," PSY told AMP Radio following his appearance at last week's (Sept. 6) MTV VMAs. "You know, people usually can feel the rookie feeling once in a lifetime, right? But this is twice in a lifetime, so this is amazing," he added.
In fact, PSY, real name Park Jae-Sang, has been in the game for years now. "Gangnam Style" is actually a song from his sixth studio album, and PSY has appeared in TV shows and movies, and has many accolades to his name in South Korea.
"The thing is, if I walk on the streets in the U.S., like no one recognizes me yet," PSY said of his ability to still go unrecognized in the States. "Especially without sunglasses, they never recognize me at all! I got to wear sunglasses in the airport, at night, or everywhere. It's too dark, you know? Should I dance everywhere?"
Of course, mega-manager Braun will soon be changing that. "They said, 'Hey, Scooter Braun wants you,'" PSY said, recounting his reaction to the news from his now-manager. "'Who's Scooter Braun? Who's Scooter Braun?' You know, scooter has different meaning, right? Scooter like the motorbike. Scooter? Is he a guy named Scooter? I'm Korean, so, Scooter? Is it [a] name? Is it [a] motorbike or something?"
