'Baby Shark' star and now K-pop singer: 'I hope to keep showing different sides of myself through music'

SEOUL - The child star of the "Baby Shark Dance" video, the most-watched video in YouTube history, released his first K-pop digital single on Thursday, a decade after he first found fame.

Park Geonroung, who starred in the video when he was 7 years old, will make his solo K-pop debut under the name "Baby Shark Boy" and is backed by Pinkfong Company 403850.KQ which owns the copyright for Baby Shark.

"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," he said.

The catchy song, which is about a family of sharks, was released in 2016 and the video has since surpassed 17.2 billion views. It has been played at the White House and praised by U.S. President Donald Trump, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and celebrities, while prompting parodies and a dance craze.

In the years since the video, Park has starred in Pinkfong's other shows. He said his new digital single, titled "WAVE", opens with the familiar Baby Shark melody before shifting into an electropop sound, to which he contributed lyrics.

Park added that he views the single as the start of a longer musical journey. "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,” he said.

-Reporting by Minwoo Park; Writing by Brenda Goh; Editing by Kate Mayberry/Reuters