Japan's 'Pineapple Pen' YouTube Star Turns Overseas After Bieber Sends Video Viral
- Pikotaro signed with international labels, will release album
- The PPAP YouTube video has racked up over 66 million views
Pikotaro sings during a news conference in Tokyo Friday. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
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Japan’s latest Internet sensation, Pikotaro, is planning to take his viral “Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen,” or PPAP, to the next level with international record labels.
The 45-second video, uploaded to YouTube in late August, shot to fame after Justin Bieber tweeted to his 88 million followers that it was his “favorite video on the Internet” on Sept. 28th. Pikotaro’s hit has racked up over 66 million views on YouTube, ranked No. 1 on 10 music charts and reached the No. 77 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.