PSY is proud of BTS' success and said their songs are doing what he had originally wished for his 2012 hit, "Gangnam Style."
NME reports the rapper spoke at a recent press conference promoting his new track "That That," which features BTS' Suga, and said the septet achieved the "unfulfilled dreams" he had for his breakthrough track. Looking back at his sudden rise to fame nearly a decade ago, PSY explained, "It was so exhausting at the time of its success [because] the song got popular so it wasn’t a 'healthy hit.'"
"There are cases where the song increases in popularity and cases when the [artist] increases in popularity, and longevity is that much longer in the latter," he noted, saying his song's popularity overshadowed him.
"There were even people who thought my name was 'Gangnam Style,'" added PSY of when the viral hit broke into Western radio. "Some people overseas who would say 'Hi, Gangnam Style.'"
The rapper noted BTS and K-pop sensations BLACKPINK are experiencing the "opposite" of what he had. He said both groups have achieved "permanence and persistence."
PSY noted that he helped pave the way for more Korean acts to follow because, "The wall of American radio is very high because the songs are in a foreign language... Our biggest weapon is YouTube."
"Gangnam Style" has been viewed nearly 4.5 billion times since it was uploaded in July 2012. PSY's follow-up single, "Gentleman," has been viewed over 1.4 billion times.
"I feel very proud that I had a role in being that trigger," PSY added. "BTS have thanked me for that part several times, so I’m proud of it." PSY also noted, "I think they’re giving [Korea] a lot of proud moments."
PSY released his new studio album, PSY 9th, on Friday.