What is Supertone?
Supertone is a Seoul-based voice AI company founded in 2020 by Stanford-trained audio researcher Kyogu Lee. It builds hyper-realistic voice synthesis and conversion technology for entertainment — singing and speaking voices with breath, emotional nuance, and lifelike detail that the company claims are indistinguishable from humans. Supertone drew global attention by recreating deceased Korean artists' voices for broadcast and later powering AI-driven music projects.
Products
Supertone Play is a text-to-speech voice generator for creators with free access. Shift is a real-time voice changer with 100+ characters for streamers and gaming, with a free monthly tier. Clear and Air are studio plugins for de-noising, de-reverb, and dialogue matching used in professional audio post. An API brings the voice stack to enterprises, with clients including Netflix, Disney, Nexon, and Smilegate.
HYBE acquisition
In January 2023, HYBE — the K-pop powerhouse behind BTS — acquired a 56.1% majority stake in Supertone in a deal reported around $32M (45 billion won), and has since used its technology for projects like the AI-powered virtual group SYNDI8 and multilingual releases.