The Korea Herald

지나쌤

Psy snags three WMA nominations

By 윤민식

Published : Dec. 7, 2012 - 16:56

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South Korea's pop sensation Psy will vie for three gongs at the 2012 World Music Awards (WMA) for his smash hit "Gangnam Style."

The 34-year-old singer-rapper was nominated for best song, best video and best male artist, according to the WMA's official Web site on Friday.

The music video for "Oppa You're My Style," a sequel to "Gangnam Style," was also listed as a candidate for the best video award.

Psy, whose real name is Park Jae-sang, was rocketed to global fame due to the Internet popularity of the "Gangnam Style" video featuring his signature horse-riding dance. The video is now the most-viewed item ever posted on YouTube with more than 900 million views to date.

Yet Psy was not the only Korean nominated this year. South Korea's audition program star Lee Hi and singer Ailee are nominees for the best song category while Big Bang, Girls' Generation, Super Junior and Wonder Girls have been selected for the best group category.

HyunA, a member of K-pop girl group 4minute who appeared in Psy's "Gangnam Style" video series, was nominated for best female artist.

Founded in 1989, the WMA is an international awards show that annually honors recording artists based on worldwide sales figures provided by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and a poll by Internet users. This year's show is scheduled to be held in Miami, Florida, on Dec. 20 (U.S. Eastern Standard Time) and broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of around 1 billion viewers in more than 160 countries. (Yonhap News)