Realslow

R&B singer, producer and actor Choi Whee-sung – born February 5, 1982, in South Korea – was better known by his stage name Wheesung before he changed it to Realslow in 2017. He began dancing and singing in high school but studied journalism for a brief time in college before dropping out and pursuing a career in entertainment. Initially joining dance troupe Ing in 1997, he began his singing career when he joined K-Pop boy band A4. His time with the group was short and he left A4 before the release of their debut album. He spent a short time fronting rock band Mame before signing with production company M Boat/YG Entertainment and spending several years in vocal training. He released Like a Movie, his R&B-flavored debut solo album, in 2002, which proved to be a commercial and critical success. A year later, he released his sophomore album, It’s Real, which climbed to the top of the Korean Albums chart. Featuring the hit single “With Me”, the album was much more varied than his debut album. His next two full-lengths – For the Moment (2004) and Love… Love…? Love… ! (2005) – reached Number 2 on the albums chart. Wheesung left YG Entertainment in 2006 and signed a lucrative deal with Orange Shock Agency. His next album, Eternal Essence of Music (2007), was not as successful as his previous releases. Wheesung released a Korean-language cover version of Craig David’s “Insomnia”, which was a big hit for him. He then hosted a televised talent contest Pre-Star-1 Show in April 2009 and performed at K-Pop shows in Los Angeles, California before releasing his next album Vocolate in October of that year. At the end of 2011, Wheesung began his 21-month stint in mandatory military service. After his discharge in 2013, he kept a low profile, re-emerging in 2017 with his own label and changed his stage name to Realslow, which is a name he used very early in his career before he came to prominence in the music industry. On March 10, 2025, Wheesung was discovered deceased in his residence located in Seoul. He was 43 years old. It was determined that he died from cardiac arrest.