John Park feels pressured as McDonald's rap video hits 9 million views

Singer John Park expressed mixed emotions on the 2nd after his McDonald's order rap video surpassed 9 million views, a figure at least 45 times higher than his summer single promotion video which reached less than 200,000 views.

Singer John Park has expressed a mix of joy, pressure, and complicated emotions following the unexpected explosive popularity of his McDonald's order rap video. He shared his honest thoughts on the gap between his professional music content and this lighthearted rap challenge, which has recorded overwhelming view counts compared to his carefully produced music promotion videos. In a video titled "John Park McDonald's Situation Emergency Meeting" released on the YouTube channel "John or Park" on the 2nd, John Park discussed the reactions to the viral McDonald's rap video with the production team. John Park stated that he did not expect such a response, saying he felt dazed, pressured, and even felt that "something was wrong." Furthermore, despite the explosive reaction to the video, he maintained a humble attitude regarding his rap skills. He revealed that he has only written two verses in his life and both have already been released, adding that requests from those around him to show new rap skills are actually a burden. He explained that the McDonald's rap was the result of listening back to recordings and refining his pronunciation and sound after practicing the order more than 100 times in a single day. He confessed that his true skill is "at rock bottom" and that he is scared, adding that while he is grateful for the support, it is truly overwhelming. He urged fans not to expect too much, saying he challenges himself because he loves hip-hop, and asked them to "expect a moderate amount and be moderately disappointed."

Surpassing 9 million views and the extreme gap with his profession

What flustered John Park most was the raw number of views. During the filming, he confirmed the Shorts content had exceeded 8 million views, expressing surprise, and by the 2nd, it had finally surpassed 9 million views. Upon confirming this, John Park confessed that while it would be a great situation if he were a comedian, as a musician, he is actually experiencing "reality hits" (hyeontagye). In particular, he could not hide his bitterness while directly mentioning the performance gap with his professional music content. John Park gave a hollow laugh, noting that his summer single promotion video did not even reach 200,000 views despite how hard he worked on it. In terms of simple view counts, there is a difference of at least 45 times between the McDonald's rap video and the summer single promotion video. Amidst the unexpected response, he briefly contemplated whether he should incorporate rap into his main profession, asking, "Should I really do rap? Should I release music mixed with rap?" However, he immediately drew a line to avoid the "devil's temptation," joking that doing so would be a "shortcut to ruin." He added to the laughter by initially asking the production team if he could stop challenging himself after the McDonald's rap, only to change his stance to saying he should do it once he anticipated high views for a follow-up video.

Background of the McDonald's rap and actual commercial release

John Park's unexpected rap challenge has extended beyond simple YouTube content to the release of actual brand products. After learning rap from rapper Loco with singer Kwak Jin-eon, John Park visited an actual McDonald's store to attempt ordering via rap. The resulting McDonald's order rap video captured public attention with its hot response online. As the video became a major topic, McDonald's went as far as producing an official advertisement actively utilizing the rap. Furthermore, the popularity was felt through the introduction of the so-called "John Park Set," which bundles the menus featured in the video. John Park expressed pride that his prepared YouTube content led to an actual corporate product launch and official advertisement. However, amidst the sudden surge in public expectation and interest, he remains cautious. John Park emphasized that "if you rise too easily and too quickly, the bubble bursts terrifyingly," reitering that his true skills will soon be revealed.

Comparison of content performance and future activity plans

John Park organized his complicated feelings by facing the performance gap between the McDonald's order rap video, which surpassed 9 million views, and the summer single promotion video, which did not exceed 200,000 views. Driven by the explosive success of the rap content, McDonald's proceeded with official advertisement production and the release of the "John Park Set," through which John Park continues to communicate with the public. While this challenge, started out of his affection for hip-hop, received a larger response than expected, he made it clear that he will not be easily shaken from his path as a professional musician. Attention is focused on John Park's steps to maintain his own musical identity despite the "reality hits" caused by the sudden rap popularity.

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