Psy's 'Gangnam Style' Reaches Incredible YouTube Milestone, Crushes Justin Bieber's Record

South Korean pop star Psy introduced us to 'Gangnam Style' back in July 2012. His invisible horse dance (and whatever else he's doing in that video) instantly captured the attention of millions of people.

The video went viral on YouTube and - good, bad, or indifferent - the song was stuck in everyone's head for months. A lot of naysayers thought it was just a fad and that the song would fizzle out quickly.

In fact, back in September 2012, E! Online declared that 'Gangnam Style' was "officially over," and the video only had 220 million views at that point. Well, there are now about 1,782,522,204 reasons that declaration might have been a bit premature.

That's right, 'Gangnam Style' has just reached an unprecedented 2 billion views on YouTube. Yep, BILLION with a "b."

Justin Bieber's 'Baby' is the only vid that had ever even gone into billion territory on YouTube and Psy has doubled the video view record formerly held by the Biebs.

With the renewed focus on 'Gangnam Style,' we had to watch it again and for some weird reason, it's mesmerizing. It's annoying, sure, but it's one of those things you just love to hate. To save you the trouble of searching for it again (cause you know you were going to), we've included it below.

Fun Fact: If you DO go to YouTube to watch, click the little Psy guy dancing next to the video view number and you'll get a cool surprise.


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Justin Bieber, Macklemore dominate YouTube nominees

Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, One Direction, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Miley Cyrus and One Direction will tussle for top honors at the first-ever YouTube Music Awards show, which plays out Nov. 3 on the video-sharing site.

Avicii, M.I.A., Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler the Creator and Walk Off the Earth have been added to the lineup, joining previously announced performers Eminem, Lady Gaga and Arcade Fire.

Nominees are drawn from YouTube's most watched, shared, liked and subscribed-to artists of the past 12 months. Winners will be chosen by fan voting, which opens today at youtube.com/musicawards.

The nominees are:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney, Epic Rap Battles of History

Demi Lovato, Heart Attack

Girls' Generation, I Got A Boy

Justin Bieber (featuring Nicki Minaj), Beauty and A Beat

Lady Gaga, Applause

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (featuring Mary Lambert), Same Love

Miley Cyrus, We Can't Stop

One Direction, Best Song Ever

Psy, Gentleman

Selena Gomez, Come & Get It

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Eminem

ERB

Justin Bieber

Katy Perry

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Nicki Minaj

One Direction

Psy

Rihanna

Taylor Swift

RESPONSE OF THE YEAR

Boyce Avenue (featuring Fifth Harmony), Mirrors

Jayesslee, Gangnam Style

Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix, Radioactive

The Piano Guys, Titanium/Pavane

Walk Off the Earth (featuring KRNFX), I Knew You Were Trouble

YouTUBE PHENOMENON

Diamonds

Gangnam Style

Harlem Shake

I Knew You Were Trouble

Thrift Shop

YouTUBE BREAKTHROUGH

Kendrick Lamar

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Naughty Boy

Passenger

Rudimental

INNOVATION OF THE YEAR

Anamanaguchi, Endless Fantasy

Atoms for Peace, Ingenue

Bat for Lashes, Lilies

DeStorm, See Me Standing

Toro Y Moi, Say That

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2013 Billboard Music Awards Nominations Announced!

The nominations for the 2013 Billboard Music Awards are in and there is a three way tie between Taylor Swift, Maroon 5, and fun. for the most noms!

The three artists are all nominated in a whopping 11 categories, with Taylor and Maroon 5 also nominated for the coveted Top Artist of the Year award.

Rihanna, Carly Rae Jepsen, and One Direction are up for 10, nine and eight trophies, respectively.

The nominees in the Top Artist category are Taylor, Maroon 5, One Direction, Rihanna, and Justin Bieber. Check back soon for a complete list of nominees, but in the meantime, check Billboard.com for all the details!

WHAT DO YOU THINK of the nominees for the 2013 Billboard Music Awards?

2013 Billboard Music Awards Nominations

Top Artist
Justin Bieber
Maroon 5
One Direction
Rihanna
Taylor Swift

Top New Artist
Gotye
Carly Rae Jepsen
The Lumineers
One Direction
PSY

Top Male Artist
Jason Aldean
Justin Bieber
Drake
Flo Rida
Bruno Mars

Top Female Artist
Adele
Carly Rae Jepsen
Nicki Minaj
Rihanna
Taylor Swift

Top Duo/Group
Coldplay
Fun.
Maroon 5
Mumford & Sons
One Direction

Top Hot 100 Artist
Flo Rida
Fun.
Maroon 5
Rihanna
Taylor Swift

Top Billboard 200 Artist
Adele
Justin Bieber
Mumford & Sons
One Direction
Taylor Swift

Top Pop Artist
Adele
Justin Bieber
Maroon 5
Bruno Mars
One Direction

Top R&B Artist
Chris Brown
Alicia Keys
Ne-Yo
Rihanna
Usher

Top Rap Artist
Drake
Flo Rida
Nicki Minaj
Pitbull
PSY

Top Country Artist
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Hunter Hayes
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Top Rock Artist
Coldplay
Fun.
Gotye
Mumford & Sons
Bruce Springsteen

Top Pop Album
“21,” Adele
“Overexposed,” Maroon 5
“Take Me Home,” One Direction
“Up All Night,” One Direction
“Believe,” Justin Bieber

Top R&B Album
“Fortune,” Chris Brown
“Girl on Fire,” Alicia Keys
“Channel Orange,” Frank Ocean
“Unapologetic,” Rihanna
“Looking 4 Myself,” Usher

Top Rap Album
“Based on a T.R.U. Story,” 2 Chainz
“Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City,” Kendrick Lamar
“The Heist,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
“Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded,” Nicki Minaj
“God Forgives, I Don’t,” Rick Ross

Top Country Album
“Night Train,” Jason Aldean
“Tailgates & Tanlines,” Luke Bryan
“Tuskegee,” Lionel Richie
“Red,” Taylor Swift
“Blown Away,” Carrie Underwood

Top Rock Album
“Some Nights,” Fun.
“The Lumineers,” The Lumineers
“Babel,” Mumford & Sons
“My Head is an Animal,” Of Monsters and Men
“The World From The Side of the Moon,” Phillip Phillips

Top Pop Song
“Lights,” Ellie Goulding
“Call Me Maybe,” Carly Rae Jepsen
“One More Night,” Maroon 5
“Payphone,” Maroon 5
“Locked Out of Heaven,” Bruno Mars

Top R&B Song
“Girl on Fire,” Alicia Keys feat. Nicki Minaj
“Adorn,” Miguel
“Thinkin Bout You,” Frank Ocean
“Diamonds,” Rihanna
“Heart Attack,” Trey Songz

Top Rap Song
“Wild Ones,” Flo Rida feat. Sia
“Whistle,” Flo Rida
“Mercy,” Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T, 2 Chainz
“Thrift Shop,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz
“Gangnam Style,” PSY

Top Country Song
“Drunk on You,” Luke Bryan
“Springsteen,” Eric Church
“Cruise,” Florida Georgia Line
“Wanted,” Hunter Hayes
“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” Taylor Swift

Top Dance Song
“Titanium,” David Guetta feat. Sia
“Harlem Shake,” Baauer
“Starships,” Nicki Minaj
“Gangnam Style,” PSY
“Where Have You Been,” Rihanna

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TOP PICK: Obama to attend 'Gangnam Style' rapper concert despite protests

US President Barack Obama will reportedly attend a charity concert where South Korean rapper PSY is scheduled to perform, who had participated in anti-American protests several years ago.

A spokesman said that the Obama family will attend the December 21 Christmas in Washington concert, as is custom, The Telegraph reports.

According to the paper, news reports cite two instances of the 34-year-old "Gangnam Style" rapper participating in concerts protesting the US military presence in South Korea during the early stages of the war in Iraq.

In a 2004 concert, PSY performs another act's song about killing "Yankees" who have been torturing Iraqi captives and their families "slowly and painfully,” the paper said.

PSY, whose real name is Park Jae-sang, had, however, apologized and said the protests were part of a "deeply emotional" reaction to the war and the killing of two Korean school girls, it added.

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MTV EMA 2012 Complete Winners List

Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber brought home the gold Sunday (November 11) at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Frankfurt, Germany.

Upon hearing three gong crashes, signifying her three big wins, Swift practiced her German while humbly exclaiming, "Drei? Drei? I can't believe you gave me three awards!" Swift, who looked stunning walking down the red carpet in a beaded J. Mendel gown, cleaned up at the awards show, winning Best Female, Best Live and Best Look.

Bieber, who was not in attendance but made plenty of headlines over the weekend due to his reported breakup with Selena Gomez, won Best Male, Best Pop and Best World Stage. Bieber's pal Carly Rae Jepson, who was the first artist signed to his Schoolboy Records, took home two trophies: Best Song for her hit "Call Me Maybe" and Best PUSH. She celebrated by crowd-surfing during her electrifying performance.

No Doubt, PSY, Pitbull, the Killers and Swift each graced the Frankfurt stage with performances of their hits. The late Whitney Houston, who passed away last February, was honored as a Global Icon and is the third artist to receive the honor after Bon Jovi and Queen.

Full list of winners from MTV EMA 2012:

Best Female
Taylor Swift

Best Male
Justin Bieber

Best New Act
One Direction

Best Song
"Call Me Maybe," Carly Rae Jepsen

Best World Stage
Justin Bieber

Best Video
"Gangnam Style," PSY

Best Rock
Linkin Park

Best Pop
Justin Bieber

Best Look
Taylor Swift

Best Alternative
Lana Del Rey

Best Hip Hop
Nicki Minaj

Best Live
Taylor Swift

Biggest Fans
One Direction

Best PUSH
Carly Rae Jepsen

Global Icon
Whitney Houston

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TOP PICK: PSY Takes Over EMA 2012 With Army Of 'Gangnam Style' Clones

Oppa Frankfurt style! PSY brought his double-platinum hit "Gangnam Style" to the international MTV Europe Music Awards 2012 stage on Sunday (November 11).

The South Korean singer lived up to his reputation for whimsy and eccentricity with a crazy performance featuring a David Hasselhoff appearance (on a toilet!) and a background with thousands of dancing cartoon PSYs that soon turned into a real-life crew of backup dancing PSY look-alikes. PSY and his slew of backup dancers had the crowd going wild throughout the entire performance. Following the mesmerizing show, PSY asked his fans for their opinions regarding the performance, tweeting, "How was it!? Am I #EMAzingPSY!!???" We'd say so.

PSY's outrageous and viral music video for "Gangnam Style" isn't just the most-watched K-pop video on YouTube; the Korean wonder also crushed Bieber and LMFAO on Thursday, earning a Guinness World Record title for "Gangnam Style," which is now the most "liked" clip ever on the video-sharing site.

In September, PSY shared his thought process for the "Gangnam Style" video with MTV News. "With this video and director we kept on focusing on to be ridiculous as possible, that was our point," PSY said. "So we were so serious thinking to be ridiculous."

If we had to guess, we'd say the singer probably had similar intentions for his ridiculous EMA performance.

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