South Korean indie singer Hari’s “Gwiyomi” song, which started the “Kiyomi” Dance Craze and a viral trend of memes on YouTube, has taken Asia by storm and killed Harlem Shake’s popularity.
'Gwiyomi' singer Hari |
Unlike “Harlem Shake” and the phenominal Psy hit “Gangnam Style,” there’s no official music video for “Gwiyomi” since it was released as a digital single.
Jung Il Hoon of of the KPop male group BTOB was the first to perform it on television.
The following video, uploaded by YouTube user “nss9280nss9280” on March 27, 2013, is the most popular among hundreds of memes, garnering over 1.3 million hits in just a week.
In the Philippines, the “Gwiyomi” song began to go viral when actor and television host Vice Ganda introduced the “Kiyomi” Dance Craze on ABS-CBN’s noontime variety show “It’s Showtime” on April 4.
Since then, Filipinos have started to create and share their own memes online and are expected to catch up with the number of uploads by other Asians.
Vice Ganda’s version became so popular it caught the attention of Dara (Sandara Park), member of the South Korean girl group 2NE1.
The “Kiyomi” Dance Craze has overtaken the widely criticized “Harlem Shake.”