Heeyeon Kim (김희연)
Also Known As: Fingerstylish (뚱치땅치)
Origin: Seoul, South Korea
Role: Guitarist (Classical, Fingerstyle, Electric), Songwriter
Genres: Pop Rock, Modern Rock, Classical Guitar, Fingerstyle Acoustic
Biography
Heeyeon Kim is a South Korean classical and fingerstyle guitarist, content creator, and rock musician. Formally trained in classical performance, she studied at Yewon School, Seoul Arts High School, and the prestigious Korea National University of Arts (K-Arts), earning top honors in multiple national and international classical competitions (including the Asia International Guitar Festival).
Widely recognized online by her moniker Fingerstylish (뚱치땅치), she built a devoted following arranging intricate fingerstyle acoustic adaptations, technical guitar lessons, and classical repertoire. In 2025, she transitioned into the rock band landscape by joining the all-female South Korean pop-rock band LATENCY under Oddinary Records as lead guitarist and sub-vocalist, bringing virtuosic phrasing and clean acoustic/electric crossover dynamics to their full ensemble sound.
Band Affiliation & Lineup (LATENCY)
All-female rock quartet formed under Oddinary Records:
- Heeyeon (Kim Hee-yeon) – Lead Guitar, Sub-Vocals
- Soobin – Bass
- Seoryhn – Drums
- Yujin – Lead Vocals
*Note: Earlier iterations and debut lineups included Hyunjin, Haeun, Jeewon, and SemiHeeyeon Kim is a guitarist who doesn't fit neatly into one box – and she's never tried to.
Trained in classical guitar all the way through a master's degree, she built a following on YouTube as Ddungchi, covering fingerstyle and acoustic playing before taking on something entirely new: lead guitarist of Korean girl band Latency. Each chapter demanded something different from her hands, her ears, and her instincts.
That range shows up in her strings too. For classical, she relies on D'Addario XT Normal Tension. For acoustic, XS Phosphor Bronze 11 gauge. For electric, XS 0942 – coated strings that don't colour the sound or fight the genre. Lighter gauges across the board, a choice she's made since injuring her hands young and never looked back from.
In this episode of Artist Knows, Heeyeon talks about the leap from solo playing to band life, what it means to express emotion inside a strict tempo, and why she thinks of the guitar as a translator for everything she can't put into words.
Source credit: Music Bank, Koreanet, Mnet-K-POP, KBS Kpop, The Artist Canvas, ALL THE K-POP
Heeyeon Kim Knows: XS & XT by D'Addario