Rapper Psy looking forward to ‘going crazy’ at drenched summer concert

South Korean rapper Psy said Tuesday he is proud of turning his drenched concert series into not a one-time show but “culture” among concertgoers in the summertime and is excited to dazzle his fans once again this summer.

Psy, who rose to international stardom with his viral hit song “Gangnam Style” (2012), launched the “Summer Swag” concert in 2011, which involves spraying water on the audience during the performance.

The idea came to him after observing the massive crowds attending street cheering events during previous World Cup events.

“I wanted to create a mood of being in an entertainment park where people wearing blue T-shirts have fun in the center of the city. Its scale has grown year after year and has become the nation’s representative summer concert, which means a lot to me,” Psy said during an online press conference held to promote “Summer Swag 2022,” Disney+’s concert live film on last year’s show. The film was released on the streaming platform Wednesday.

The concert, which was held for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, sold out 350,000 tickets across nine cities and won the top prize from the 17th Golden Ticket Awards selected by Interpark, the country’s largest online ticket website.

In the clips, fans jump, shout and sing along to his well-known melodies and beats while being showered by water sprays, with a special guest appearance by BTS’ Suga, who collaborated on “That That,” the main track from Psy’s ninth studio album, “Psy 9th.”

Psy said he meticulously prepared details for the stage to perform with a carefree mind and offer a liberating experience for his fans.

“I rehearse a lot. I spend painful time behind the stage to create an environment where I can perform happily,” he said.

The 45-year-old said he feels proud of becoming one of the few established singers who are still active in the K-pop scene dominated by girl and boy bands and can appeal to younger generations.

“Through my 20s, 30s and 40s, the average age of audience at my concerts is around 25. It makes me feel that I’m still on trend,” he said. “If a certain concept continues, it becomes a style. If a certain style continues, it becomes culture. It is very encouraging to see that going to Psy’s Summer Swag has become part of youth culture.”

While enjoying the live performance would provide the best experience, Psy said he decided to create his first official concert film to allow fans to relive the energy and fun and introduce a wide selection of his songs to fans abroad.

“We spent several months in sound mixing and color adjustment to deliver the feel from the concert as realistically as possible,” he said. “As foreign fans are not familiar with my past songs except a few global hits, I thought it would be a good chance to share my hit songs relatively unknown to them.”

This year, Psy plans to hold the summer concert between July and August and announce details in coming weeks.

“I always do my best onstage, exhausting all of my energy by the time the concert is over,” he said. “I will upgrade the upcoming concert to make it a more satisfying concert in many aspects.”