''Sung Lee,'' professionally known as ''SungBeats,'' is a

beatboxer Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.

, live looper, and former busker based in NYC. He is best known for winning Amateur Night at the Apollo (2014), and the ''American Beatbox Championships'', Loopstation (2018).

Background

SungBeats was born in South Korea but immigrated to the United States when he was 9 years old. He first discovered the art of beatboxing by watching a video of Tampa's ''beatbox EFFEX'' when he was 13. Despite being discouraged by his peers, he continued to pursue beatboxing and won the annual talent show at

Leonia High School Leonia High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grade from the Borough of Leonia in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Leonia Public Schools. Studen ...

as a freshman. Sung studied Psychology at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and wa ...

and performed at various open mics and social events on campus. Prior to embarking on his music career, he worked as an office manager in Las Vegas.

Professional career

SungBeats quit his job to perform in the subways of NYC when he was 23. A year later, he won '' Amateur Night at the Apollo'' (2014) and ''Kollaboration,'' the premiere Asian American talent contest in the United States. Since, SungBeats has been a vocal advocate for Asian-American representation in mainstream media. In 2015, he shifted his musical focus from solo

beatboxing Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.

to live vocal looping, recognizing that live instrumentation was the future of the art form. The same year, he became the first American to represent at the Grand Beatbox Battle, Loopstation category, placing 8th. In 2016, Sung partnered with Defy Ventures and toured maximum security prisons, including Solano State Prison and

Riker's Island Rikers Island is a island in the East River between Queens and the Bronx that contains New York City's main jail complex. Named after Abraham Rycken, who took possession of the island in 1664, the island was originally under in size, but ...

. In 2017, Sung's work as a busker in the New York City underground was featured in various news outlets. In 2021, SungBeats appeared on several national commercials including Mars Wrigley's M&Ms Mix commercial. He currently tours and performs his combination beatbox and looping show all over the United States.

Musical Style

SungBeats is best known for his live-looping and ability to layer precise vocals to replicate covers. Stylistically, he has embraced music of all genres ranging from hip hop, EDM, and house. Sung has credited some of his early beatbox influences to be

Rahzel Rozell Manely Brown (born October 6, 1964) is an American beatboxer and rapper, formerly a member of the Roots. Rahzel is known for an ability to sing or rap while simultaneously beatboxing, as evidenced in his performances of "Iron Man" and h ...

, ''Kenny Muhammad'', and ''FaithSFX''. In terms of equipment, he uses the

Roland Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...

RC-505 MKI to layer and sample his vocals in real time, and is a frequent user of the

IOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...

app Loopy HD for vocal production.

Competitions

{, class="wikitable" , +Tournaments and Competitions !Year !Competition !Final Result , - , 2011 , American Beatbox Championships, Solo , 2 , - , 2014 , Kollaboration NY , 1 , - , 2014 , Kollaboration Star (Finals) , 1 , - , 2014 , Amateur Night at the Apollo (Season 80) , 1 , - , 2015 , American Beatbox Championships, Loopstation , 4 , - , 2015 , Grand Beatbox Battle, Loopstation , 8 , - , 2018 , American Beatbox Championships, Loopstation , 1 , - , 2021 , Grand Beatbox Battle, Loopstation , Elimination

References

1989 births Living people