South Korean singer Psy performs his
hit ''Gangnam Style'' during a morning television appearance in central Sydney
on October 17, 2012. - Reuterspic
KUALA LUMPUR:
South Korean rapper Psy's quirky viral hit "Gangnam Style" took the
prize for top song on Wednesday at the 27th annual Golden Disk Awards, a Korean
pop event dubbed the Korean Grammys.
The two-day
celebration of all things K-pop, including performances by superstars such as
the boy band Super Junior, was held in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur
before hordes of screaming fans, a testimony to the soaring popularity of Korean
pop music around the world.
Nowhere has that been more apparent than with
"Gangnam Style," an infectious hit that made history last month when
it became the first ever video on YouTube to reach 1 billion views, the latest
record on the song's surge into mainstream pop.
The tune won
the Song of the Year award, the final prize.
The awards were
only the latest accolades for Psy, 35, in what has been a whirlwind year for
the chubby rapper, the first K-pop artist to achieve mainstream success in the
United States as a result of Gangnam Style.
Decked out in a
bow tie and suit jackets varying from pink to baby blue, and only a towel for
one sequence set in a sauna, Psy raps in Korean and busts funky moves based on
horse-riding in venues ranging from playgrounds to subways.
The song,
released in July, was meant as a commentary on the rampant materialism of
today's South Korea - particularly in relation to the Gangnam section of the
city, which Psy has termed Seoul's Beverly Hills.
"My goal
in this music video was to look uncool until the end. I achieved it," Psy
told Reuters in August.
The popularity
of the song, which has prompted many copycat and parody videos, has added fuel
to growing international interest in Asian pop music, especially the K-pop
industry, which now aims to follow Psy into mainstream Western pop music.
Thanks to their
youth, glowing image and the style of their songs and dances, K-pop fans have
grown rapidly in Southeast Asia, formerly dominated by stars from the West as
well as Hong Kong and Taiwan.
A Malaysian fan
who queued for three days to get into the first night of the awards ceremony
said she loved how the K-pop stars strived for perfection.
"K-pop
stars have been working very hard, even before they make their first debut.
They spend a lot of time practicing to become a perfect artist," said the
20-something Tay Ching Ee.
"This is
what other artists should learn from them."
The Golden Disk
Awards began in 1986, with winners chosen based on album sales and digital
downloads.
The ceremony first ventured overseas in 2012, when it was held in
Japan.
On Tuesday, the
first night, Super Junior again won the best album award with their album Sexy, Free & Single.
Boy band Shinee
scooped the Most Popular Star prize. - Reuters
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