We just entered the era of ‘tech-tertainment.’
Lee Hyun, a singer from South Korea, made his debut again as Midnatt in the new song ‘Masquerade,’ which can be listened to in six different languages.
Midnatt is not your typical K-artist, as it is described as an alter ego that was made with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). It made its debut under the ‘Project L’ of Hybe, which was kickstarted to see the potential of K-pop. However, Midnatt is not a virtual singer, as it is the reflection of Lee Hyun’s alter ego. The South Korean singer used to be the main vocalist of the group 8Eight.
The song ‘Masquerade’ was made by Hybe’s label, Big Hit Music, and Hybe IM.
According to a report, Bang Si-hyuk, the person who founded the company Hybe, had already introduced the said project in a past interview. He said that this project will combine technology and music and will bring fans of Korean pop music to a different level. At the same time, the project will provide people with hands-on experience.
AI became a huge factor in the development of the project. Through this, Lee Hyun’s voice was incorporated into a female voice in the song ‘Masquerade.’ This became possible with the use of ‘Supertone,’ the sound artificial intelligence that was used in the song.
Hybe has also acquired the Supertone system. Early this year, Hybe became the largest shareholder of Supertone, in which the company has a total share of 56.1 percent, according to a report. Supertone is known for its voice restoration feature and how it can create artificial voices.
The label was able to put out the song in different versions and languages, namely Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, English, and Vietnamese. The report added that for the music video of the song, they worked with the company ‘Giantstep,’ which specializes in visual content and effects.
‘Midnatt’ is the first in terms of artists that made their debut through Hybe’s project. With the merging of AI and K-pop, the future stage for music and arts may become more unpredictable than ever.
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