Park Geonroung, the South Korean boy who danced in the viral “Baby Shark Dance” video, released his first K-pop single on Thursday. The 17-year-old is debuting under the stage name Baby Shark Boy.
DR reports that Park is returning to the spotlight a decade after the children’s video first spread online. His debut single is called “Wave,” and the story was first reported by the news agency Reuters.
Park was seven years old when “Baby Shark Dance” was published. He did not sing on the original track, so the release marks the first time the public hears his voice. According to DR, he says the video brought joy to people around the world, and that many still remember him.
Reuters reports that “Wave” opens with the familiar Baby Shark melody before shifting into an electropop sound. Park is credited with contributing to the lyrics. The debut is backed by The Pinkfong Company, which owns the Baby Shark copyright and produced the original clip.
Forbes adds that the track features Joohoney, a rapper from the K-pop group Monsta X. Some outlets write his name as Jooheon, but all reports refer to the same member.
The song is older than the video
The Guardian notes that the “Baby Shark” song is far older than the clip. Most accounts trace it to North American summer camps in the 1970s, where it was sung with hand movements. That was long before Park was born.
The video circulated for about a year before taking off in 2017, helped by the #BabySharkChallenge in Indonesia, according to the same reporting. It gained further momentum when several K-pop stars performed the choreography on television. ABC News reports that the video has now amassed around 17.2 billion views, making it the most-watched clip in YouTube history.
Per Forbes, Pinkfong announced on August 10 that “Wave” would be released on August 20, 2026, at 12 p.m. Korean time, on streaming platforms in Korea and internationally. The company has also planned a documentary titled “WAVE: A Boy’s Record” about Park’s path from the original shoot to his debut.
A teaser posted on Baby Shark’s official social media promoted the release as “Baby Shark Boy: A Comeback After 10 Years,” according to Times of India. It described his move from a supporting role in the children’s video to leading his own music project.
Park has said he wants to be known for more than a childhood video and to gradually find his own style as an artist. As reported by The Guardian, he does not see being the Baby Shark boy as a past he wants to leave behind. Reuters notes that he views “Wave” as the start of a longer musical journey.
