The 23-year-old Korean Han Hee-jun, who was one of the top ten participants of American Idol Season 11, is poised to make his debut in the U.S. music market.

Han made the top 9 of American Idol last year, which was a first in the show’s history for an Asian. Han has made a contract with Korean agency Polaris Entertainment, and is ready to release his first single in the U.S. It has been reported that Han is going to work with famous agent Max Gousse, who used to manage many big stars such as Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, and Usher, making the possibility of Han’s success in the U.S. stronger.

According to the Korean daily newspaper Chosun Ilbo, Han was contacted by at least 100 agents after the show, but he decided to choose a Korean agent because he wanted to stick to his Korean background.

When Han participated in American Idol last year, he was one of the most popular contestants in terms of Internet voting score. He said, “I think using a chest voice made me popular because that was little bit unique compared to other participants who were using either a head voice or a nasal sound.”

Han participated in American Idol to raise awareness about the disabled at a missionary organization in New York, where he is working as a volunteer.

“I used to suffer from severe depression. I was getting vocal training from some agency in Korea for two years to become a professional singer from 2010, but it didn’t work well. I also participated in a Korean singing competition show, but I didn’t make it. These failures put me a depressing situation,” Han told the Chosun Ilbo.

Han added, “I happened to visit a missionary organization in New York and meet about 200 disabled people there. I saw them happy by singing and playing music instruments together. It opened my eyes and made me decide to participate in American Idol because once I make it up to 24 people, I will have a chance to talk about my personal life story, and I thought if I can let people know about these disabled people’s story, they can get more help from here and there.”

His goal has been achieved. After getting exposure on national television, the missionary organization and the disabled received many donations from across the U.S.

Han has an English name, “Dante.” However, he always goes with his Korean name “Hee-jun.” That is because Han’s goal is to be a famous singer in the U.S. as a Korean, just like Psy.

Image Courtesy : Heejun Han Fan Page

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The year 2012 is already behind us, but for many, some events will leave lasting imprints – both in the positive and negative ways. So what happened in 2012?

The world is not ending at least for now and let the new 2013 be full of more happiness, joy, and good news.

Image Courtesy : KOREA.NET – Official page of the Republic of Korea

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For a Korean singer, Psy’s single “Gangnam Style” has gone viral and YouTube is flooded with his videos, especially in Korea. However, despite the invasion of videos of Psy, there is one video which takes a stand firm, attracting about 550,000 viewers, since it was uploaded on September 30. The video is about Greg Priester, an American citizen living in Korea, singing a Korean ballad song at the singing contest JeonGook NoRaeJaRang, which can be translated into the National Singing Contest.

The singing contest, which was first on air in 1908, is one of the well-known TV show in Korea, and it held special contest for expats to celebrate Korean Thanks Giving Day, Chuseok. Greg Priester was one of the contestants.

At the contest, Greg sang the ballad “For you” by Korean singer Lim Jae-bum with his exquisite voice, impressing lots of Korean people. He became the runner up in the contest.

After the show, his video has been spreading quickly among YouTube viewers and blog users, and many people have started to question, “who is this guy?”

Toonari Post recently had the opportunity to sit down for an interview with Greg Priester in Korea.

Toonari Post (TP): Tell us about your background; why do you want to be a singer?

Greg Priester (GP): My name is Greg Priester and I was born in Aiken, South Carolina, USA. I attended college in Indiana. After graduating I followed my dream and starting teaching high school English in Indiana. I realized from doing community service work in high school that I had a passion for teaching, then eventually ventured on another dream, teaching abroad. In the past few years here, I’ve discovered I have a similar love for singing. I enjoy the feeling, and I especially love sharing that with an audience.

TP: Your video from the singing contest is drawing public attention these days. How does it feel? What do you think about it?

GP: It’s quite shocking but it feels fantastic! I didn’t expect the video to be posted at all, but it was online the next day after airing on TV. There were hundreds of positive comments and thousands of views within the first day. After reading many of the comments, I found that many people I didn’t know were watching and really loved my voice. It is an amazing feeling to get that sort of feedback from around the world and especially from Korean viewers. It really gives me hope that I have a chance to be a popular singer if I continue to give it my best effort.

TP: As an American citizen, it would be easier for you to pursue your dream in the U.S. instead of Korea. What brought you here?

GP: Honestly, I came to South Korea to experience a new culture and teach in a new environment. I never planned to pursue singing. It definitely wasn’t my reason for coming to South Korea! My desire to sing started from a trip to a karaoke with friends. I was a bit reluctant to sing and sat quietly, but my friends pushed me to sing a song. Afterward, they were really shocked and loved my voice, so they pushed me to sing more. From that point, I was asked to sing at a friend’s wedding then many other local events and concerts. With each performance my confidence grew and made me feel a real love for singing!  But pursuing a singing career in Korea is not easy, especially with my limited speaking ability. I take it as part of the challenge to achieve my dream but overall I don’t care where or what I sing, I simply want to do it wholeheartedly!

TP: Tell us about your music experience or achievement so far.

GP: I’ve performed at more than 50 weddings in South Korea in the last two years. I sang on TBSeFM for the show, KPopular, which is hosted by “As One.”  Also I joined a few small singing competitions this year like: Global Super Idol, Siheung Migrants’ Singing Competition (1st place), Changwon Migrants’ Arirang (3rd place), and KBS national singing contest (2nd place).

TP: How is your life in Korea? What are the difficulties, and what things do you enjoy?

GP: My life in South Korea is quite simple. I stay very busy with teaching and singing. I guess my main difficulty is being so far away from my family and friends in the US.  There are sometimes cultural differences which are a bit difficult and also language barriers that come up on occasion but nothing life-threatening. I really enjoy Korean culture in most regards and absolutely love the food! Healthy and tasty is an unbeatable combination for me. I’ve actually lost over 20kg since coming to Korea.

TP: What do you think about K-Pop and Psy?

GP: I have a great appreciation for K-Pop because it’s SO energetic. Although my personal singing style is more focused on vocals, I really like the effort that Korean artists are putting into their artistry and all the elements of their performances. The passion is evident in each show and Korean audiences definitely seem to feed off of that! As for Psy, what can I say? He’s created the biggest song/dance craze of this generation. It’s amazing that people around the world can join in on the fun that this song brings! I think he’s taken a huge step for South Korea that will help other Korean artists crossover to foreign markets and also raise international interest about South Korea. Congratulations, Psy!  I’m jealous, and hope to one day have an international hit song like you!

TP: What is your future goal?

GP: My short-term goal is to continue building my song repertoire and perform at all the events and weddings I can handle without burning out. Another goal is to continue learning and practicing Korean as often as I can. The big short-term goal is to join a large singing audition program within the next year, whether it be in South Korea or America. The long-term goals are to become an internationally known singer, continue to push for better education around the world, and live a happy life. I want to be known as an effective, powerful vocalist but also a fun and approachable performer. It will always be my ultimate goal for the audience to have strong feelings during my singing but also to leave the show with a fulfilled feeling. Also I want my fans to know me as a person, not just as a CD seller.

TP: Please say something for people who love your music and voice.

GP: Thank you so much for your kindness and support. The reason I love singing is because of you! You’ve strengthened my joy and desire for singing by the love you’ve shown me. I can only ask that you all continue to be there for me during this journey and I’ll do my best to give you the greatest singing I can.

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The Formula One Korean Grand Prix (F1) race is ready to meet its six hundred million fans worldwide as its third edition kicks off on October 12 at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province, a southern area of Korea.

Two practice runs will be held this Friday, and the third one will start on Saturday, followed by the qualifying race. The final race is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

The winner of F1 will be determined after drivers get through 20 races. The Korean Grand Prix is the 16th among the races in the ongoing F1 season.

Drivers will do 55 laps on the 5.615-kilometer Korea International Circuit. Sebastian Vettel of Germany was the winner of last year’s race, and he won the title in 1 hour, 38 minutes and 1.994 seconds.

The race champion is awarded 25 points, the runner-up earns 18 points, 15 points for the third-place and so forth. Last year, Vettel had 122 points in the final drivers’ standings.

Fernando Alonso of Spain, the 2010 Korean Grand Prix winner, is in the top position so far, garnering 194 points. Vettel is following him closely with 190 points. Kimi Raikkonen is 33 points behind Vettel in third, so it seems that this year’s battle for the top could be between Vettel and Alonso.

The competition is not only for each driver but also for teams. For the constructor’s championship, twelve teams also compete. Red Bull-Renault is on top with 324 points gained by Vettel and Mark Webber, followed by McLaren-Mercedes with 283. Ferrari is third with 263.

Meanwhile, Korean pop sensation Psy, who is the promotional ambassador for the Korean Grand Prix, will perform his hit song “Gangnam Style” after the final race.

People with a three-day pass or the one-day ticket for the final on Sunday will be able to attend the Psy’s performance regardless of their seating zone. Since Psy’s “Gangnam Style” has gone viral worldwide, organizers of the race are expecting that his performance will attract more people to visit to Yeongam to see the race.

Even one of the F1 drivers is excited to see Psy’s performance. Nico Rosberg, a driver of Mercedes and winner of this year’s Chinese Grand Prix, said “I enjoy the circuit a lot, and I am excited to get to Korea after following the new Gangnam craze on the Internet in the last few months. When I have some time away from the car and engineering meetings, I’m definitely looking forward to his performance this weekend.

Image Courtesy of  CHEN WS / Shutterstock.com

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On October 4, tens of thousands of citizens gathered in Seoul Plaza, Korea, to enjoy Korean singer Psy’s concert.

The chubby 34-year-old rapper, who recently became a global sensation with his song ‘Gangnam Style,’ held the concert for free in return for fans’ support.

According to Korean police authorities, about 80,000 citizens gathered, and it was the first time that the massive plaza was packed with this many people. His concert was also aired on YouTube, but many people had trouble with watching it because of too many simultaneous log-ins.

17-year-old student Huh Seung-ah said, “Usually, the concert ticket for a famous singer is really expensive. But, today, Psy is holding the concert for free! I didn’t want to miss this chance.”

Not only teenagers, but also middle-aged citizens attended Psy’s concert. 43-year-old house wife Kim Ji-hee said, “I see Psy’s news on TV every day. I wanted to see how fun his concert is.”

Foreign fans were also spotted. 24-year-old Valentina from Chile said, “I came to Korea to enjoy the Korean singer’s music, and today I’m so happy that I can enjoy Psy’s concert for free.”

The concert, which started around 10 pm, kicked off with Psy’s song “Right Now,” and reached the climax when Psy sang “Gangnam Style.”

Around 11:30 pm, Psy showed up with a bottle of soju, saying, “I promised that I will not drink on the stage, but, today, I’m so happy that I feel like I should drink.” He emptied the bottle after shouting, “Korea! Hooray!”

When 11:40 pm came, he took off his shirt and danced topless to “Gangnam Style.” He once said he would dance topless if he tops the Billboard Hot 100. Even though his song remains on second place of the chart as of October 5, he performed topless as he promised.

Because of the concert, the traffic of Seoul was controlled and guided by the police authorities from 6pm to midnight. Hotels and stores located around Seoul Plaza benefited from Psy’s concert.

Seoul Plaza Hotel, which is standing right next to Seoul Plaza, was all booked by people who wanted to watch Psy’s concert in the hotel. According to the hotel, some customers asked the hotel to change their room to higher floor to enjoy the concert.”

Convenience stores around the plaza also witnessed their sales volume increase. A part-time worker at Seven Eleven said, “Thanks to Psy’s concert, the number of customers was doubled.”

Image Courtesy of  KOREA.NET – Official page of the Republic of Korea

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Korean pop singer, Psy, who recently became a global sensation with his song ‘Gangnam Style’, has mentioned plans to release a new song or an album in the U.S.

At a news conference held in Seoul, Korea on September 25 (local time), Psy said, “I heard the sales volume of music album is increasing around Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. My agency asked me to release a new song or album by upcoming November. However, as you know, it is impossible to write new song in a short period, so I’m thinking to use songs I wrote before.”

He added, “Thankfully, my agency (Universal Republic Records) suggested me to release a new song or album in Korean language. I appreciate that people think my Korean rap sounds catchy, but I am now putting on my thinking cap before I start work. I think my first single song will be released around November, and a second single will be made in English.”

To spice up the climb of Gangnam Style on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Psy has bet that he will perform Gangnam Style shirtless in front of as many audiences as possible if his song tops the legendary chart, saying, “I have seen some reports or news articles by music experts about the possibility that Gangnam Style’s topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart. I’m sure the song will place its name in top 10.”

At the end of the news conference, he made his exit with the “dancing horse” dance, making reporters laugh out loud.

Seventy foreign reporters and about 200 reporters from Korean media were gathered at the news conference, showing Psy’s soaring popularity.

Psy, who flew back to Korea on September 25, is planning to stay in Korea for three weeks. Psy is going to manage a tight schedule.

He is scheduled to perform at the universities’ festival, and about ten universities are waiting for Psy to visit their campuses. On October 2, he will perform at the “CY×PSY concert, Let’s Play with Psy” with an audience of about 10,000, and the concert will be offered for free. He will perform at the Pusan International Film Festival and a national athletic meet on October 6, and 11 respectively.

Since he is one of the judges of Korean singer audition show “Super Star K,” he will attend the show as a judge during his visit to Korea.

The schedules of filming commercials are also lining up for Psy. At least five advertisers are waiting for Psy to work with them, according to Psy’s Korean agency YG Family. The agency said, “As the popularity of Gangnam Style increases, Psy is dated up with many domestic and foreign schedules.”

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A gun battle broke out on September 21 between armed gangsters in Thailand because of the song “Gangnam Style.”

Gangnam Style is the popular song by Korean pop singer Psy. This song is currently being appreciated by many people worldwide with its catchy melody and funny dance.

According to the Bangkok Post, two gangster groups, which have been rivaling with one another for years, fired off their guns at least 50 times at each other in downtown Bangkok on Friday.

The newspaper reported that two gangsters hold a ‘Gangnam Style’ dance contest. However, as the contest got along and the participants got excited, gang members started provoking and mocking each other, causing a volatile situation that broke into gun battle.

It is reported that some cars were damaged, but no people were injured.

Thailand has the second largest number of viewers of the Gangnam Style music video in the world, followed by the U.S., according to YouTube.

In Thailand, not only the original version of Gangnam style is enjoying popularity but also the parody versions are winning attention.

As of September 22, a parody video made by Thai YouTube user ‘tigercrychannel’ has attracted over 7,000,000 viewers, and another parody video, ‘Gangnam Style Bie The Ska’ has gotten over 3,600,000 viewers.

Meanwhile, The music video of Gangnam style has surpassed two million views on YouTube so far. The video ranked 30th in the number of viewers ranking of YouTube. It took only 70 days for Psy’s music video to land this spot.

It is expected that the music video of Psy’s Gangnam Style would attract over 500 million viewers by upcoming November at this pace, according to Korea’s newspaper etnews.

The music video of Gangnam Style attracted one hundred million viewers on YouTube only within 52 days, while it took 56 days for Justin Biber’s “Baby,” and 114 days for Beyonce’s “Single Lady.”

If the video of Gangnam Style reaches the number of 300 million viewers, it will be ranked in top 20, and when it attracts 500 million viewers, it will place its name in top 5.

Justin Biber’s “Baby” is currently on the first place of this ranking with having 780 million viewers.

Psy has just started his move in the U.S, promoting himself by being on many American shows and performing in concerts, it is expected that he would garner more viewers on YouTube and drag more people’s attention.

Gangnam Style is on the 11th spot on the Billboard and the 1st spot on iTunes Charts as of September 22.

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As the popularity of Korean singer Psy’s Gangnam Style increases, the supporting cast of his music video is getting attention as well. Among these, the most popular one is the smiling guy who dances when the door of the elevator opens, while Psy lies on the floor inside of the elevator, singing. The man is dancing to Psy’s song in a suggestive way, thrusting his pelvis. People have found his moves both funny and perverted and the guy is generally knowns as “Elevator Guy.”

The scene lasts for about seven seconds, which is short compared to other scenes of the music video. However, “Elevator Guy” has become somewhat of a phenomenon on his own as a lot of people find him hilarious and started to wonder who the guy really is.

Even Psy said via twitter, “People keep asking me about the elevator guy these days.”

The pelvis-thrusting guy in the video is actually a famous comedian and show host in South Korea. His name is No Hong-chul. He was born March 31, 1979.

No debuted as a show host on Korea’s music cable channel ‘Mnet’ in 2004. He quickly became popular with his witty words and distinct personality, and now is one of the most influential celebrities in Korea, appearing in many TV and radio programs.

He has shown a lot of talent in many fields so far. No was designated as a professional bobsleigh athlete from the Korea Sports Council, and as a dance sports player in 2007 and 2009 respectively. He used to run an online shopping mall selling grotesque clothes, and also controlled a tourism company. In 2010, he became a professor at Seoul Art College, teaching Fashion Art.

Korea’s newspaper, Nocut News, reported on September 13 that some American shows asked No to be on their show as a guest, but he rejected the offer because of the language barrier.

Gangnam Style has given No a lot of opportunity to get professional exposure, but actually he was not on the list of cast members at first. It is reported that No was on the music video as the “Elevator guy” by chance. No visited Psy when Psy was shooting the music video, and Psy asked him to be in one of the scenes. Psy is close friends with No.

The most popular show that No is current on is “Muhandojun,” which can be translated in English “infinite challenge,” or “reckless challenge.” Muhandojun was first on air back to 2006 from MBC, one of Korea’s biggest TV stations, and it is widely loved by Korean people. A total of seven members are hosting this show and No is one of them. The show is mainly about the hosts; they are given various missions and have to do those missions on camera. Since this show is super popular in Korea, when people are talking about No, they automatically connect this show to No.

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PSY’s Gangnam Style has jumped to the 64th spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, now the best-selling record among Korean pop singers.

In 2009, the Korean girl band “Wonder Girls” reached the 76th spot of this chart with their song “Nobody,” and was at the time the highest grossing record any Korean singer had had in the U.S. market.

With his appearance on U.S. television and radio programs, on top of several promotion events with his new agent Scooter Braun, it is expected that his popularity will keep gaining momentum. Braun is also responsible for making Justin Bieber a super star. The number of YouTube views of PSY’s music video is still increasing, having reached 160 million views and holding great promise for his future success in the U.S.

PSY’s Gangnam Style is doing a great on the iTunes Music Chart as well. According to the single chart of iTunes, ‘Top Songs,’ Gangnam Style is staying at 6th place as of September 13.

PSY was invited to the MTV awards to celebrate 100 million YouTube views of his music video, making many American shows interested in inviting him to their show. He was on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on September 11, teaching his “Horse dance” to Ellen and the other guest Britney Spears. It is reported that the show got its highest viewer ratings since 2003. PSY will be on the show again in the near future as a guest and will talk about himself with Ellen. It is reported that NBC’s Today Show is also planning to invite him as a guest.

The number of parody videos of the Gangnam Style music video is increasing. Currently, videos of the Obama version of Gangnam Style and the Romney version are gaining popularity online. In the Obama version, clips of Obama’s speeches are used to make up the song, and it looks like Obama is singing the Gangnam Style song. Meanwhile, NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno aired a parody video by using computer graphic that made Romney dance to Gangnam Style.

ABC news reported on Night Line that Gangnam Style’s humor, sarcasm and addictive beat are the key of PSY’s success.

The 36-year-old hip-hop singer who graduated Berklee college of music in Boston, debuted in 2001 in Korea, winning huge popularity with his single ‘Bird’. More information of Psy is available here.

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South Korea’s famous K-Pop star Psy, or Park Jae-sang, is grabbing the most attention in the U.S. with his latest song ‘Gangnam Style.’

His music video for “Gangnam Style” has already attracted about 59 million YouTube views, and stays at the number one spot on not only Billboard’s K-Pop charts, but also other Korean local music charts. The music video was introduced to viewers worldwide by global media such as CNN, ABC, LA TIMES, and the Wall Street Journal.

Psy recently visited the U.S., was on the U.S. TV show ‘Big Morning Buzz Live,’ on August 22, introducing his song to American viewers.

“Gangnam is an affluent area just like Beverly Hills in the state. But the funny part of my song is that a funny-looking guy like me is talking about Gangnam style in the song, because I don’t look like a guy from Gangnam,” said Psy on the show.

Psy taught his dance, the so-called horse dance, to the show hosts, making them laugh and excited.

The 36-year-old hip-hop singer, who graduated Berkelee college of music in Boston, debuted in 2001, winning huge popularity with his single ‘Bird’.

However, it did not take long for him to lose his fame and stand point.

His life has been just like a roller coaster over the past 12 years. He was convicted of smoking marijuana in the early 2000s. He was even accused of not properly fulfilling his alternative military service (In South Korea, men over the age of 18, need to fulfill their mandatory military service for two years), having the biggest crisis in his career and life in 2007.

Following several months of investigation by the prosecution, it turned out that Psy was neglecting his military duty, and he was ordered to serve the full two-year national service again in July 2007.

Because of all of these unfavorable factors for Psy, it seems that he has been gradually forgotten from the public’s memory. However, nothing could eliminate his passion toward music. He continues his music career by writing songs for other singers in Korea and holding concerts for his fans. His success with his latest song is not surprising.

It is reported that Psy has earned about ten billion won (about eight million dollars) so far with the song ‘Gangnam Style.’ He even was contacted by Justin Biber’s agency and flew to the U.S. to meet with him, implying that he might start his music career in the U.S. in the near future.

Image Courtesy of   PSY

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