Legendary duo Deux is preparing to return with new music after 30 years. On August 16 (KST), Lee Hyun Do revealed that he is using artificial intelligence technology to restore the voice of late member Kim Sung Jae for the group’s highly anticipated fourth studio album.
According to Lee Hyun Do, the project could begin as early as the end of this year with the release of a new single, followed by a full-length album. “I want to create music that even those who don’t know Deux can listen to and say, ‘I don’t know who this is, but it’s cool,’” he explained. To achieve this, he has extracted and trained Kim’s voice from past recordings to complete new tracks, with accompanying video productions also planned. Marking the 30th anniversary of Kim Sung Jae, Lee Hyun Do emphasized that he wishes to highlight “his shining presence on stage rather than the tragedy of his death.”
Founded in 1993, Deux holds a foundational place in Korean popular music. At a time when “rap dance” was viewed as a fleeting trend without clear identity, the duo introduced hip-hop and new jack swing to the Korean mainstream, pioneering the genre’s local adaptation. Songs such as ‘Turn Around and Look at Me’ and ‘In Summer’ not only became enduring hits but also laid the blueprint for the rhythm, rap, and choreography that later defined K-pop idol groups.
Critics have often noted that Lee Hyun Do’s artistry can be understood in two dimensions: ‘Lee Hyun Do hip-hop’ and ‘Lee Hyun Do ballads.’ His hip-hop was not a simple imitation of American styles but an interpretation filtered through Korean sensibility and social context, while his ballads merged traditional Korean song structures with R&B harmonies and sophistication. These two modes demonstrated a balance of authenticity and refinement that remains central to K-pop’s creative DNA.
What distinguished Lee Hyun Do was his commitment to experimentation over flawless execution. Rather than attempting perfect replication of foreign music, he trusted instinct and cultural resonance, securing originality that resonated with fans as raw charisma, often described as “Ganji.” For later generations of producers and musicians, his work became both inspiration and reference material.
The impact of Deux reverberates through today’s K-pop industry. Many individuals who grew up listening to them in the 1990s later became producers, creative directors, and A&R executives, embedding elements of Deux’s sound, styling, and performance into modern idol music. If Seo Taiji represented the “complete artist,” then Lee Hyun Do embodied the path of continuous learning and experimentation, leaving behind a trajectory that succeeding artists and producers could study and follow.
In essence, Deux was more than a musical act: they established the starting point for Korean hip-hop and dance music, introduced dual creative frameworks of hip-hop and balladry that endure in K-pop, and prioritized experimentation as a path to originality. Their influence remains embedded in the structure of Korean pop today. With AI technology now reviving the voice of Kim Sung Jae, the upcoming album is not simply a comeback, but a continuation of a legacy that has defined three decades of Korean music history.
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