Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen singer makes shocking claim about how much money the song has earned him

“PPAP” has made Piko Taro famous, but has it made him rich?

In the three months since the release of the infectious song “Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen,” musician Piko Taro, a.k.a. comedian Kosaka Daimaou, has earned many things: over 90 million YouTube views, a Guinness World Record, and the admiration of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s granddaughter. The song’s international success has also made him a bit of a hero in his home country, and he recently appeared on broadcaster Fuji TV’s Nonstop! talk show.

▼ You can add to “PPAP’s” ever-growing view-count here.

Many people are amazed that a ditty with lyrics made up of less than a dozen different words (and that’s counting “uugh!”) has become such a global phenomenon, and you can add Piko Taro himself to that group. “I’m incredibly surprised,” the singer replied when asked how he feels about “PPAP’s” success. “It’s really turned into something incredible.”

As the conversation went on, the program’s host and other guests asked if seemingly everyone having “Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen” in their head has translated into Piko Taro having money in his wallet, to which he responded “I haven’t received a single yen from the song.”

That’s a pretty startling statement. “Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen” reached the top of the Billboard Japan Hot 100 list, and climbed to 77th on the American version of the well-known music ranking. It’s offered as a paid download on iTunes, and if you clicked on the song’s YouTube video above (which, again, has been played over 90 million times), you probably saw a commercial advertisement before you heard the opening beats of Piko Taro’s hit.

In other words, someone is definitely making money off of “PPAP.” However, in his characteristically happy and relaxed way, Piko Taro went on to tell the Nonstop! studio that his lack of financial gain is logical at this point in time. “Remember, PPAP only recently became well-known,” he said.

Some Japanese Internet users have expressed skepticism about the musician’s claim, but right now Piko Taro is standing by his statement that while he has a pen, an apple, and a pineapple, he doesn’t have any “PPAP” money at all.

Source: Yahoo! News Japan/Suponichi Annex via Jin
Top image: YouTube/公式ピコ太郎歌唱ビデオチャンネル -PIKOTARO OFFICIAL CHANNEL-

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