Irrepressible PSY breaks another YouTube record

Associated Press
South Korean rapper PSY smiles during a news conference for his concert "Happening" in Seoul, South Korea Saturday, April 13, 2013. PSY is unveiling the music video and choreography for his new single "Gentleman" at the Seoul concert. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

NEW YORK (AP) — South Korean pop star PSY has broken another Justin Bieber record on YouTube, this time with new single "Gentleman."

The "Gangnam Style" rapper recorded 18.9 million views Saturday between the video's 5 a.m. release and midnight, besting Bieber's previous first-day record of 8 million views for "Beauty and the Beat."

YouTube can measure only daily usage, so it's unclear how many views the video had in its first full 24 hours. The short film "KONY 2012" holds the overall record for views in single day at 30 million.

PSY knocked off Bieber's "Baby" in overall views last year when "Gangnam Style" surpassed 1 billion views. As of Monday morning, the video had been watched more than 1.5 billion times, nearly doubling "Baby" at 848 million.