Baby Shark star Park Geonroung releases debut K-pop single WAVE at age 17

Solo debut and musical direction

Park Geonroung, who danced in the 2016 "Baby Shark Dance" video at age seven, launched his solo K-pop career on 20 August 2026 with the release of his digital single titled "WAVE". Performing under the stage name "Baby Shark Boy", the 17-year-old artist is backed by the South Korean firm Pinkfong Company, which holds the copyright to the original production. The track opens with the familiar melody of the children's song before transitioning into an electropop arrangement that incorporates trap elements and standard K-pop choreography. Park co-wrote the lyrics for the release, which features guest vocals from South Korean rapper Joohoney, a member of the boy band Monsta X. Alongside the single, Pinkfong announced plans to release a documentary detailing the production of the project.

Park reflected on returning to music after a decade away from public performance.

Baby Shark Dance brought joy to people around the world, and I'm very grateful that so many people still remember me from 10 years ago. That made me want to come back and connect with people through music again.

Growth of the viral franchise

The original video has accumulated more than 17.2 billion views on YouTube, maintaining the global number-one position on the platform for 69 consecutive months after overtaking "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. After an initial quiet period following its 2016 release, the song gained international momentum in 2017 through the #BabySharkChallenge in Indonesia and subsequent television performances by K-pop groups including Blackpink, Twice, and Girls' Generation. The wider franchise grew to include the Nickelodeon animated series Baby Shark's Big Show, mobile applications, merchandise, and local versions in 25 languages. By 2019, the track entered international music charts, climbing to number six on the UK singles chart and number 32 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The commercial success also prompted a 2019 copyright lawsuit from American performer Johnny Only, born Jonathan Wright, which a Seoul court dismissed in 2021 after finding the melody was based on a traditional chant.

Transition to a vocal career

Although Park was the visual performer in the viral dance video, the original vocals were recorded by Korean-American child singer Hope Segoine. Park maintained a standard routine at school during his childhood, where classmates were aware of the clip but treated him normally. With "WAVE", Park aims to establish his identity as a vocalist rather than solely a dancer. The artist structured the track to reflect his personal development over the decade, using the marine motif of an expanding wave to connect his childhood role with his current musical work.

He described the release as the starting point for ongoing creative projects.

WAVE feels more like a new beginning than a one-off project. I hope to keep showing different sides of myself through music as well as other kinds of content.

Pinkfong plans to continue supporting Park across future music releases and multimedia content as he expands his solo catalogue.