Singer Tony An, the original creator of the now-famous "Piki Piki Song"—widely recognized as the background music for the Kia Tigers' cheer dance in Korean professional baseball—has disclosed that his copyright earnings have amounted to only about 260,000 KRW(approximately $200 USD).

According to music industry reports on the 23rd, the original song is based on "MY Lecon" by the three-member boy group JTL, which debuted in 2001 and was composed of Jang Woo hyuk, Tony An, and Lee Jaewon. The "Piki Piki Song" is a reworked version of that track, featuring a higher BPM and other modifications arranged by an Indonesian DJ.

The song is played when the Kia Tigers’ pitcher strikes out an opposing batter during defense, prompting the cheerleaders to perform a semi-automated routine—rising from their seats with thumbs raised and moving their arms up and down. 

A video showing cheerleader Lee Jooeun casually performing the routine while fixing her makeup went viral, drawing global attention. One such video, synced with the "Piki Piki Song," has garnered over 93 million views on YouTube. In August last year, the New York Times even highlighted the cheer dance, noting its global appeal.

Despite the song’s massive popularity across various social media platforms and its extensive use in games, Tony An registered the copyright only after the song had already become a sensation. 

On the SBS show "My Little Old Boy," he revealed that he registered the copyright merely three months ago and, so far, has earned only around 260,000 KRW—an amount he joked was just enough to buy a luxury car’s steering wheel.

When asked by fellow artists why he hadn’t registered the copyright at the time of the song’s release, Tony An explained, "It seems my former company simply forgot. I never imagined that a song I wrote 20 years ago would become so popular." 

He added, "In all honesty, the song wasn’t that prominent until recently." He recalled that when he eventually went to the Korea Music Copyright Association to register as the original creator of the "Piki Piki Song," the officials were taken aback, checking the news articles and remarking, "Is that really true?"

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