Psy is easing back into the spotlight in the mellowest of ways. The singer who went mega in 2012 with his viral smash “Gangnam Style” announced last week that his first effort in 5 years, Psy 9th, wil drop at the end of this month. Then he teased the first taste of the album with a 20-second animated clip of the ballad “Happier,” which features k-pop singer/songwriter Crush.
The brief clip features cartoon images of a baby growing up through his teenage years as Crush croons, “I wanna be happier,” over dramatic strings and footage of the young man graduating from high school into a confusing, dark adulthood in which joy seems elusive. Psy shows up halfway through to raps a brief verse before the preview winds down.
For last week’s announcement, the 44-year-old K-pop star shared a clip from a 2013 concert, in which he addressed the success of “Gangnam Style” — which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 — and teased when he might put out another hit as good as his signature crossover hit.
“I know a lot of you have high expectations for my next hit song. To be honest, I produced ‘Champion’ in 2002 and it took me exactly 10 years to produce a song that is more sensational than ‘Champion’ with the release of ‘Gangnam Style’ in 2012,” he said in the video. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, perhaps the next time you meet a song like ‘Gangnam Style’ will be in 2022.”
Psy also saw Billboard chart success in 2013 when he released “Gentleman” as a single; the track hit No. 5 on the Hot 100. The K-pop singer’s last full-length album, 4X2=8, was released in 2017 under YG Entertainment. Psy later left the label and established his label P Nation in 2019 and signed Korean-American rapper and singer Jessi, HyunA and former PENTAGON member DAWN to the label’s roster. Psy 9th will dorp on April 29.
Listen to the sneak peek of “Happier” below.
