The child performer featured in YouTube's most-viewed video of all time, known as Baby Shark Boy in Korea, is set to make his K-pop debut on Aug. 20, according to The Pinkfong Company.
The global family entertainment company behind Pinkfong and Baby Shark announced Monday that "Baby Shark Boy" will release his first digital single, WAVE, a Korean-language track with lyrics he co-wrote himself, featuring Joohoney of K-pop group Monsta X.
Baby Shark Boy, whose real name is Park Geon-roung, 17, first appeared in Baby Shark Dance in 2016. The video has since surpassed 17.2 billion views and held YouTube's global No.1 spot for 69 consecutive months. Geon-roung made a surprise return last year in short-form videos marking the song's 10th anniversary, which together drew 22 million views.
"I've always been grateful that people still remember a video I appeared in as a kid," he said in a statement.
"Ten years ago I was dancing next to Baby Shark. Now, I wanted to share my own voice and a story I wrote myself. I'm happy to start something new with the people who've remembered me all this time, and I want to keep showing how I grow from here," he added.
"Baby Shark Boy grew up alongside Baby Shark and built a special connection with fans around the world. This isn't just about bringing back the boy from the video. It's about him telling his own story, and we want to carry that new beginning forward authentically," a company representative said.
The move signals Kosdaq-listed The Pinkfong Company's ambition to extend the Baby Shark brand beyond children's content and into the broader K-pop market, where idol debuts routinely generate international attention.
However, the company told The Korea Herald this is not a typical K-pop idol debut but a one-off project, and that decisions on his future activities will be made after the single’s release. - The Korea Herald/ANN
