Pop-culture enthusiasts in Korea and beyond are doing a double take: the ’90s hip-hop duo DEUX, which dissolved its partnership tallies ago, has returned – and they’re using AI to bring back the voice of their late member Kim Sung‑Jae.
The return, which was announced earlier this week, is not just stoking nostalgia for fans of the program, but also taking technology in music to new places.
The return will be on November 27, as DEUX is due to make a comeback with their new single “Rise,” which has gained attention for being their first new track in 28 years.
This song has reportedly used artificial intelligence to reconstruct the voice of Kim Sung-Jae as well as collaboration with surviving member, Lee Hyun‑Do.
The story gets even richer : this isn’t just a re-release of old recordings. The band allegedly were able to get an AI vocal model, trained on the original tracks of Kim Sung-Jae, and then added new production elements to make a new updated track.
And surely, the implications of such a move become much larger than even music: There are logistical and ethical concerns about reproducing a dead artist’s voice; there’s the line between tribute-paying and technology-driven resurrection; and then there is also how listeners react when a voice that they have loved feels “revived” by machine.
It is a combination of excitement and wonder, mixed with some sense of unease. If done respectfully and transparently, I think this might open up new avenues for legacy artists. But if not done well, it might come off simply as imitation rather than homage.
From a grassroot’s standpoint here in the Philippines/SEA region, these are not just small things.
Now picture indie musicians performing with AI-resurrected vocals of renowned regional singers – tricky ground.
On the one hand, this is a gutsy way to maintain culture. On the other, it risks upstaging living artists who are still making work.
So one takeaway: The technology is creating impressive possibilities – but our values, permissions and storytelling still have to outpace them.
In sum: DEUX’s comeback isn’t fan service alone. This is a milestone in the convergence of AI and music, upping the volume on what’s possible – and forcing us to ask: At what point does an artist’s voice cease to be theirs, and become something more?