14 DAY TRIAL // Psy is currently one of the most beloved pop artists to have attained international fame thanks to a viral video, that for “Gangnam Style.” As such, it’s no wonder he’s already issued an apology for a song he performed in 2004 about killing Americans.
The song is called “Dear Americans” and bits of his live performance are included in the video below, embedded at the end of this article.
According to various online reports, the song included offensive lyrics like “Kill those [expletive]-ing Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives” and “Kill those [expletive]-ng Yankees who ordered them to torture/ Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law and fathers/ Kill them all slowly and painfully.”
Celebrity bloggers and US media are outraged by the words to the song and, perhaps partly, for having supported Psy all along when he could have put such sentiments into song only a few years back.
In a statement to MTV News, Psy says performing that song was his right because that’s what freedom of speech is. Nevertheless, he is sorry he got carried away and did not think his gesture through.
The performance was part of a protest concert against American troops in Iraq.
“The song I was featured in – from eight years ago – was part of a deeply emotional reaction to the war in Iraq and the killing of two innocent Korean civilians that was part of the overall antiwar sentiment shared by others around the world at that time,” Psy explains in the statement.
That, in turn, does not make the lyrics of the song right, he goes on to say.
“While I'm grateful for the freedom to express one's self I've learned there are limits to what language is appropriate and I'm deeply sorry for how these lyrics could be interpreted. I will forever be sorry for any pain I have caused anyone by those words,” he says.
“I have been honored to perform in front of American soldiers in recent months — including an appearance on the Jay Leno show specifically for them — and I hope they and all Americans can accept my apology,” Psy goes on to say.
He continues with a promise that, from now on, he will only be using his music to send out positive messages and, this way, possibly make a change for the better.
