PSY: First Asian Artist To Receive YouTube Diamond Play Button, Korean Rapper Hits 10M Subscribers On YouTube
PSY, the cross-over Korean rapper, has been awarded the Diamond Play Button for his YouTube channel, “officialpsy,” reaching a massive 10 million subscribers. PSY unveiled the gorgeous Diamond Play Button in a video posted on Sunday, as per Mashable. The Diamond Play Button is a highly coveted award that is given to select YouTubers who have hit a 10 million subscriber milestone. PSY has smashed the record for the most viewed YouTube video in history with his breakout hit, “Gangnam Style.”
The Kpop stars’ song,”Gangnam Style,” won global recognition and also holds the title for the most viewed YouTube video with over 2 billion views. PSY is the first Asian solo artist to have reached the milestone. On Monday, the K-pop singer received the Diamond Creator award from YouTube. The award is given to YouTubers once they reach 10 million subscribers.
Upon receiving the Diamond Play Button, PSY uploaded a video on YouTube to share his thoughts with fans. The global star promised to be more active on YouTube.
“I would like to thank the 10 million subscribers, who are following Official PSY account and also thank YouTube for connecting me to the 10 million fans and sending me this ‘Diamond Play button,’ Thank you very much!”
PSY thanked the platform for being the “bridge” that has extended his decade-long singing career and stated, “Actually, YouTube to me has been an excellent platform and a ‘bridge,’ which has allowed me to extend my decade-long singing career to foreign countries as well.”
Before setting his latest record, PSY set a previous YouTube record with “Gangnam Style” on November 24, 2012. At the time, the music video drew over 800 million views, becoming the most-viewed video on the worldwide video sharing platform.
Meanwhile, PSY has recently made a successful comeback after he returned to the music scene after an 18-month hiatus and released his eighth full-length album on May 10, 2017, with the double title tracks “I LUV IT” and “New Face.”As of 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, both of his new songs “I Luv It” and “New Face” have attracted a massive 35 million views on YouTube.
The Diamond Play Button is a part of YouTube Creator Rewards which recognizes the most popular channels. In the video, PSY unboxes the diamond play button.
YouTube Creator Awards has three levels of awarding channels for reaching milestones in subscribers. When a YouTube channel reaches 100,000 subscribers, it is awarded the Silver Play Button. The Gold Play Button is awarded to YouTube channels that have reached 1 million subscribers. The Diamond Play Button is awarded to YouTube channels that have reached the 10 million subscriber mark.
The Silver Play Button and Gold Play Button are presented on a plaque, while the Diamond Play Button is made of silver plated metal taking the shape of the YouTube logo. There is a large piece of crystal placed in the middle of the play button. PSY holds the silver plated award, which has his official account name engraved below.
The Kpop artist graciously thanked YouTube for giving him the platform to expand his music to international countries.
In regards to milestones, PewDiePie received a Ruby Play Button on reaching 50 million subscribers. Although not listed in the YouTube Creators Award, PewDiePie received this award which was shaped in the logo of his official channel, a Bro Fist. The Ruby Play Button is the first in history, and it is unknown how YouTube would awards channels on reaching milestones above the 10 million mark in the future.
In a recent interview ahead of his long-awaited comeback, the crossover star talked about BTS’s international reach and recognition, according to Soompi.
“I saw that BTS is very famous overseas. I’m very proud of them and think they are very worthy of that attention.”
Psy got a diamond YouTube Play Button for reaching 10 million subscribers https://t.co/uL87XmzX5E pic.twitter.com/CTp80bZ7sy
— Mashable (@mashable) May 29, 2017
PSY has experienced a significant amount of fame and recognition from fans internationally.
“I’m a very unique example of success and so is BTS. In a way, it seems like the artists that people don’t expect these kinds of results from are the ones who experience that sort of unprecedented success.”
The Kpop artist complimented the group and said, “I remember seeing [BTS] at music programs a few times at the time of their debut. Seeing them work so hard made me proud. I think BTS will continue to grow into an even more recognized group moving forward.”
Finally, PSY shared some advice for BTS and said, “I want to tell them, that regardless of how long they promote overseas, to not feel burdened. They’ve already established that they are artists worthy of recognition in Asia.”
[Featured Image by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images]
