Psy’s 'Gangnam Style' was the first global 'viral' hit of the social media age. Released in July 2012, the song's humorous music video and 'horse dance' choreography made it an overnight sensation. On December 21, 2012, it became the first video in history to reach one billion views on YouTube. Its popularity was so immense that YouTube’s engineers had to upgrade their view counter from a 32-bit integer to a 64-bit integer because the video surpassed the previous limit of 2.1 billion views. The song reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest position ever for a K-pop artist at the time. Psy’s success is credited with introducing Western audiences to the K-pop genre, paving the way for future global stars like BTS and Blackpink. It remains a cultural landmark that proved language is no barrier to a global hit.