Jo Hyun-chul (Korean: 조현철; born April 23, 1984), also known professionally as Deez (디즈; 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's 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. Although he initially aspired to become a diplomat and keep music as a hobby, he shifted his focus toward a professional musical career when his family's financial situation worsened. Deez began actively pursuing music around his second year of middle school, taking an interest in music production. He initially created music using only a guitar and a keyboard, before purchasing the necessary MIDI equipment at the Nakwon Musical Instrument Arcade with money saved from working manual jobs. He was self-taught through practical application and subsequently developed an interest in singing. He said that "music sustained [him] through [his] adolescence" and that he "might have gone down the wrong path" without it.
While attending high school in Bucheon, Deez affiliated with various entertainment companies to gain connections in the music industry, collaborating with the record producer Yoo Gun-hyung, among others, and training at a major entertainment agency to join an idol group. 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. Although he frequently considered quitting music before his first release, teaching students gave him the determination to keep pursuing his passion. Deez featured on the track "We" from BMK's debut studio album, No More Music, in 2003. He began gaining recognition in 2008 for his songwriting contributions to Rain's sixth studio album, Rainism, having composed the tracks "Only You" and "You". 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, Rain liked the demo and invited him to collaborate, leading Deez to sign as a songwriter with Sony/ATV Music Publishing.
2009–2011: Envy Me and Get Real
Deez independently released his debut extended play (EP), Envy Me, on March 27, 2009, supported by the singles "My Light" and "Go!", the latter featuring the rapper Verbal Jint. He self-funded and produced the EP over nearly a year, writing around 50 songs before selecting the final tracks with the help of fellow musicians like Kaystah. After repeatedly postponing its release, he decided that if he was going to quit music, he might as well release Envy Me as it was. The EP achieved little commercial success but earned critical acclaim, with The Hankyoreh and Rhythmer stating that Envy Me showcased a high level of musical skill rarely seen in a newcomer. 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. After listening to Envy Me, representatives at Sony/ATV were surprised by its contrast to the tracks that he had written for Rainism but liked the record, ultimately prompting the company to finance his next release.
Deez enlisted to fulfill his mandatory military service on April 27, 2010, ahead of the release of his first studio album, Get Real, scheduled for the following May. Initially intended as a single, the project evolved into an extended play at the suggestion of Sony/ATV representatives upon hearing the demo, before eventually becoming a full-length studio album. Deez completed the arrangement, recording, session work, mixing, and mastering within a month and a half by working around 22 hours a day, which led to a severe deterioration of his health. He decided to include the tracks "My Light", "Devil's Candy", and "I Just Need You" from Envy Me on the new record due to the time constraints. He had initially planned to hold the album's release until after his military service, but Sony/ATV and his peers persuaded him to proceed earlier. In early May, Sony/ATV exclusively partnered with Rhythmer to release a preview of the track "Soul Tree". 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
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. In a 2010 interview with Music Y, he had also expressed a desire to help elevate the mainstream Korean music scene. One of his earliest collaborations with a major entertainment company came in 2012 with JYP Entertainment, when he contributed to Jang Wooyoung's first EP, 23, Male, Single, and Miss A's second EP, Independent Women Part III. That same year, he featured on the track "High End Girl" from Primary's debut studio album, Primary and the Messengers, which reached number 96 on the Gaon Music Chart. By 2015, he served as chief producer at Stardom Entertainment.
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's 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.
Musical style and influences
While Envy Me blended neo soul in its first half with a more mainstream R&B sound in the latter sections, Get Real marked Deez's full transition into the neo soul genre. The critic Kim Young-dae described Get Real as an album that "only the generation that grew up listening to the soul and hip-hop of the mid-to-late 1990s, unaffected by so-called 'K-pop', [could]…