Full of breath, running on 'Dopamine': Korean beatboxer Wing talks energy of new album

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Full of breath, running on 'Dopamine': Korean beatboxer Wing talks energy of new album

Published: 12 Mar. 2026, 07:00

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Beatboxers Wing, left, and Hiss pose for photos during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at the JoongAng Ilbo Building in western Seoul on March 9. [KWEN HYEK-JAE]

A synth trumpet gives way to a distorted phaser effect, growing louder before dropping into a sidechain that builds into a screech as the entire thing starts all over again, punctuated by a single lyric: "Dopamine."

This isn't a hot EDM track — at least, not your typical ProTools production.

No decks, no loopers and no pad controllers. Every effect was done entirely with breath and vocal cords by Wing, a Korean beatboxer who rose to prominence after uploading “Dopamine,” a YouTube video that has surpassed 45 million views as of March.

His upcoming first full-length album, named after the track that went viral and set for release in May, showcases that technique, with no instruments or background music featured.

Wing, whose real name is Kim Geon-ho, will prerelease another track from the album, “Phenomenon,” on March 17.

Fellow beatboxer Hiss, whose real name is Oh Hyeon-seo, oversaw the production of Wing’s album.

The two beatboxers also perform together in the beatbox group Beatpella House and placed second last year in the tag team division at the Grand Beatbox Battle, one of the world’s largest beatboxing competitions.

While that success is no small feat in the community, the duo has bigger aspirations: to win a Billboard Music Award with its album.

The JoongAng Ilbo sat down with the two beatboxers at the JoongAng Building in western Seoul on Monday and spoke about the upcoming album and the appeal of their musical style.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q. What does a typical day look like for you these days?

A. Wing: I go home around 6 a.m. after working through the night. Then I head to the practice studio around 2 or 3 p.m., warm up my voice and practice. If I have a performance in the morning, I sometimes go on stage with almost no sleep.

What can you tell us about the full-length album you are preparing?

Wing: "Dopamine" is both the name of the album and one of the tracks. All 11 tracks are solo beatbox pieces. I wanted to create music for the moments when I feel a dopamine rush or when someone else wants music that sparks that feeling.

Beatboxers Wing, left, and Hiss pose for a photo during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at the JoongAng Building in western Seoul on March 9. [KWEN HYEK-JAE]

You released Korea’s first solo beatbox full-length album in 2019. What was that experience like?

Hiss: I did that when I was in high school. Of course, it failed. I am also preparing a full-length album now. I want to include every kind of music I can create. Some tracks will combine MIDI with beatboxing, not just beatboxing alone.

When did you two start beatboxing?

Wing: I started in the sixth grade of elementary school after watching my cousin do it. It looked cool. YouTube did not exist then, so I searched for videos on platforms like Pandora TV and practiced in front of a mirror. It took me two months just to make the basic sound.

Hiss: I started in my second year of middle school because a classmate of mine did it. Now, some people teach beatboxing lessons, but back then, we had no choice except to teach ourselves. I practiced with amateur beatboxers I met in online communities and entered competitions. Around that time, I also met Wing.

What drew you to beatboxing?

Wing: Once you feel the thrill of the sound coming out of your mouth, you cannot escape it. Even if Elon Musk offered 5 trillion won ($3.4 billion) to build a machine that could perform "Dopamine," it would not work. AI and robots cannot replace beatboxing. But any average person can create sound if they put in the effort. That is the appeal.

Beatboxers Wing, left, and Hiss pose for a photo during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at the JoongAng Building in western Seoul on March 9. [KWEN HYEK-JAE]

Hiss: The biggest challenges come from reality. Family members often oppose it, and people worry that you cannot make a living from beatboxing.

How did you deal with your parents’ opposition?

Wing: My father said beatboxing could never move someone emotionally. But people feel emotion when they listen to Vivaldi’s "The Four Seasons" (1725) even though it has no lyrics. I once told him, "If the future were so clear, you should have made money from stocks."

Hiss: The bathroom at home is the best place to practice beatboxing. If I stayed there for four hours without coming out, my parents would scold me a lot.

Beatboxers Wing, left, and Hiss pose for a photo during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at the JoongAng Building in western Seoul on March 9. [KWEN HYEK-JAE]

How did you create “Dopamine”?

Wing: One day, I needed to record something in the practice room, but I found myself watching short-form videos for four hours. That moment made me think of the word "dopamine." I describe myself as a "science-minded artist," so it felt like a good theme to express through music. After that, I even bought a separate flip phone for practice so I would not use the internet in the studio.

You performed on many stages last year after "Dopamine" gained popularity. Which ones do you remember most?

Wing: I enjoyed all of them. I did not even feel nervous when I performed in front of tens of thousands of people after G-Dragon from Big Bang invited me as a guest artist to his concert in March last year.

Hiss: We held a solo concert for Beatpella House last July. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to stay onstage longer. For the encore, I played Radiohead’s "Creep" (1992) even though we had not prepared it in advance. Once I started, the other members joined the beat and Wing began to sing.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI MIN-JI [[email protected]]