DEUX to Release First Full-Length Album in 31 Years on Nov. 21, With Late Kim Sung-jae's Voice Recreated by AI
Legendary '90s hip-hop duo DEUX will release its 4th full-length album on Nov. 21, its first since 1995's 'Force Deux,' with Lee Hyun-do producing and the late Kim Sung-jae's voice recreated using AI, production company WA:ID COMPANY said on Nov. 9 KST.
DEUX, the duo of Lee Hyun-do and Kim Sung-jae that helped bring hip-hop into the Korean mainstream in the early 1990s, is releasing a new full-length album for the first time in 31 years. According to WA:ID COMPANY, the 4th album arrives on Nov. 21, following 'Force Deux' in 1995.
Lee Hyun-do produced the entire album, and Kim Sung-jae's voice was recreated with AI. The album carries the double title tracks 'The Future' and '너에게만,' the latter featuring Dynamic Duo, along with the pre-released 'Rise.' The project was backed by a government program supporting music content made with new technologies.
DEUX debuted in 1993 and became known for hits such as 'Look Back at Me' (나를 돌아봐) and 'In Summer' (여름 안에서). The duo disbanded in 1995, and Kim Sung-jae died suddenly that same year shortly after his solo debut.
Confirmed
- WA:ID COMPANY announced on Nov. 9, 2026 (KST) that DEUX will release its 4th full-length album on Nov. 21, as reported by Yonhap, News1, The Hankyoreh, KBS and YTN.
- It is DEUX's first full-length album in 31 years, following its 3rd album 'Force Deux' in 1995.
- Lee Hyun-do is the album's overall producer, and the late Kim Sung-jae's voice was recreated using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
- The album includes double title tracks 'The Future' and '너에게만,' plus the pre-released song 'Rise.' Dynamic Duo features on '너에게만.'
- The project was selected for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Creative Content Agency's 2026 support program for music content that combines new technologies.
Reported by other outlets
- The Hankyoreh reports that Kim Sung-jae's voice was rebuilt with vocal technology co-developed with voice AI company Sorisori AI, creating new songs rather than reusing his old recordings.
- The Hankyoreh reports that DEUX held a pre-listening party for the album on Nov. 7 in Itaewon, Seoul, and released the audio and music video for 'The Future' at 6 p.m. KST that day.
- News1 reports that 'Rise' came out in November 2025 and '또 하루' in April 2026, and that a structure was set up so part of the related performance-rights distributions goes to Kim Sung-jae's family, reflecting Lee Hyun-do's own wish.
Unconfirmed
- A release time for the album and the full tracklist had not been announced in the reports as of publication.
Analysis
2FC NEWSROOM analysis: Using AI to bring a late artist's voice into brand-new songs, with part of the earnings shared with his family, makes this album an early test case for how K-pop handles AI vocals of artists who have passed away.