Japanese comedian hopes to sing PPAP with Girls’ Generation

Japanese comedian hopes to sing PPAP with Girls’ Generation. November. 28, 2016 07:12. by Hyung-Seok Seo skytree08@donga.com. “It is an honor to see that people compare my song with “Gangnam Style” But my song PPAP is completely different from “Gangnam Style,” starting from structures.”

In an interview with the Dong-A Ilbo, Japanese comedian Pikotaro (Daimaou Kosaka, aged 45) drew a line when he was asked to give an opinion on people comparing him with Psy. He became well-known across the globe for his music video (Pen Pineapple Apple Pen·PPAP) on YouTube.

He visited Korea for the first time on Saturday to attend WebTVAsia Awards 2006, which Malaysian Multi-Channel Network (MCN) provider WebTVAsia hosted in Kintex in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province. PPAP, 45 second music video he made by investing his own money of 100,000 yen (about 1 million won), was released in August 2016 and has since become a viral video. As of Sunday, the official video has been viewed over 91 million times and recorded about 500 million views worldwide including users’ sharing.

PPAP ranked 77th in the Billboard Hot 100 last month and was recognized by Guinness World Records as the Shortest song to enter the Billboard at the same time. It was because of that addictive melodies of PPAP went viral in social media (SNS) and was favorably reviewed by many celebrities all over the world. For instance, Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber gave a favorable comment and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s granddaughter sang the song as well.

“PPAP was loved by many. I think it’s a miracle. I hope that the song can contribute to world peace, love and affection among family members," the Japanese comedian said. "It’s a wonderful thing to find out that people are smiling to see Pikotaro.”