Boy from world's most-viewed YouTube video makes his singing debut

The boy who danced in "Pinkfong Baby Shark," the most-watched video in YouTube history, is making his debut as a singer.

The Pinkfong Company announced Monday that the boy, performing under the name Baby Shark Boy, will release his first digital single, "WAVE," at noon on Aug. 20.

"Pinkfong Baby Shark" was uploaded in 2016 and has held the No. 1 spot on YouTube for 69 consecutive months, accumulating 17.2 billion views. When derivative videos of the same content are included, the total reaches 20 billion views — a wide margin ahead of the No. 2 video, the Latin dance hit "Despacito," which has 9 billion views. The clip features Baby Shark Boy and a girl dancing to the English version of the popular children's song "Baby Shark," known for its signature "Baby Shark, doo doo doo" refrain.

Baby Shark Boy co-wrote the lyrics for "WAVE," channeling the excitement of returning to the public eye after a decade and his resolve to take on a new challenge. Jooheon of K-pop group Monsta X features on the track.

The release marks the first project under The Pinkfong Company's artist initiative, which aims to connect its global intellectual property with the real-life stories of the people who appeared in its content. The company also plans to release a behind-the-scenes documentary, "WAVE: A Boy's Record," tracing his journey growing up alongside Baby Shark.

"I have always been grateful that people still remember the video I appeared in as a child," Baby Shark Boy said. "Ten years ago I danced beside Baby Shark — now I wanted to share my own voice and the stories I wrote myself. I am so happy to be starting something new together with everyone who has remembered me all this time."