Deez

Jo Hyun-chul (; born April 23, 1984), also known professionally as Deez (; stylized in all caps), is a South Korean singer-songwriter and record producer. Considered a pioneer of the South Korean neo soul scene, his discography primarily encompasses R&B and soul.

Deez developed an interest in music production at a young age and spent his high school years networking within entertainment agencies. He first gained recognition in 2008 for his songwriting contributions to Rain's sixth studio album, Rainism, leading him to sign with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. His debut extended play, Envy Me (2009), and first studio album, Get Real (2010), achieved little commercial success but earned critical acclaim, with Get Real lead single, "Sugar", winning the Korean Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Song.

After fulfilling his mandatory military service, Deez shifted his focus to producing for other artists, signing with Ekko Music Rights and forming the music production team Soultriii. He became a prominent songwriter for major K-pop acts such as Shinee, Exo, Red Velvet, and NCT.

Life and career 1984–2008: Early life and career beginnings Born on April 23, 1984, Deez took piano lessons from a young age but did not particularly enjoy them, preferring to play along with songs by ear without sheet music. His passion for R&B music was inspired by listening to his mother's record collection, which included American artists such as Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, and Prince among others. taking an interest in music production. However, he became disillusioned by the controlling environment and left the company, choosing to pursue his interest in R&B independently and becoming a vocal and composition teacher. One of Rain's record producers had heard Deez working on his own tracks and invited him to submit a demo for the artist. Having been looking for a new partner well-versed in R&B,

2009–2011: Envy Me and Get Real Deez independently released his debut extended play (EP), Envy Me, on March 27, 2009, It earned two nominations at the 7th Korean Music Awards and was named as the Best R&B Album of the Year by Rhythmer. Reflecting on the release, Deez said that he did not expect the EP to attract such attention and that he was not fully satisfied with how its second half had turned out. Get Real was released on May 13 to critical acclaim, with several critics describing it as an album that could rival American R&B and neo soul productions. The lead single, "Sugar", topped the Cyworld real-time chart and won the Korean Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Song, with the selection committee member Park Young-woong calling the song "a masterpiece" and praising the phonetic rhymes and Deez's vocal performance.

2012–present: Transition to K-pop production Deez co-wrote the singles "Cherry Bomb" (2017), "Touch" (2018), and "Kick It" (2020) for NCT 127 (pictured). After being discharged in February 2012, Deez set up his own recording studio and stated that he planned to release a second studio album with songs that he had written during his military service, as well as new tracks. However, inspired by the figure of Quincy Jones and desiring to focus on studying music, he instead began accepting songwriting requests from numerous record labels.

Deez later signed with Ekko Music Rights, formed the music production team Soultriii, and gained further recognition as a songwriter and vocal director for prominent K-pop artists, particularly SM Entertainment's acts such as Shinee, Exo, Red Velvet, Taemin, Jonghyun, and NCT. One of the singles he co-wrote for NCT 127, "Cherry Bomb" (2017), earned a nomination for Best Pop Song at the Korean Music Awards and was featured on Melon and the Seoul Shinmun list of the top 100 K-pop songs of all time. Deez has also closely collaborated with the former EvoL member Saay and the NCT member Haechan over the course of their solo careers. credited with being one of the first artists to introduce the genre to the country. Kim Young-dae questioned whether the album constituted a mere reinterpretation of R&B and soul in Deez's signature style, or if it marked the first step toward a distinct, Korean-style evolution of the genres.

Discography Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected details Title Details Get Real Released: May 13, 2010 Labels: Sony/ATV, Universal Music Hidden|Track listing Released: March 27, 2009 Labels: , Mirrorball Music

Awards and nominations +List of awards and nominations, with name of the award, year of ceremony, recipient, category, and result of the nomination Award Year Recipient Category Result Gwangju Youth Music Festival 2007 Deez Silver Award for Producing "Devil's Candy" Best R&B/Soul Song 2011 Get Real Best R&B/Soul Album "Sugar" Best R&B/Soul Song Yepp Music Tuning Awards 2007 Deez Big Hit Award