Remembering LeeZu: The Legacy of DJMAX Composer Lee Jun-young and His Final Farewell
Daniel Kim Views
Lee Jun‑young, the composer who made a lasting impact on rhythm-game music under the stage name LeeZu, has died at 42. The news, first shared on social media by a fellow composer, shocked fans across music and gaming communities.
The initial announcement came from composer Wang Jeong‑hyun (stage name XeoN). On X (formerly Twitter), he wrote, “My friend and the DJMAX composer we all love, LeeZu, has gone on a long, solitary journey.” He asked fans to remember Lee’s many songs and to pay tribute so his final path would not be lonely.
Wang and Lee collaborated on the DJMAX series and were longtime figures in the rhythm-game music scene. After the news spread, tributes quickly appeared across gaming forums and social channels.
Last public upload on YouTube about a week before his death
About a week before his death, on April 25, Lee posted a video titled “Goodbye” to his YouTube channel, Wandering Unemployed. The video description contained a single line: “Thank you to everyone, and I’m sorry.”
The song “Goodbye,” included in the video, was entirely Lee’s work: he wrote the lyrics and music, arranged the track, performed, recorded, mixed and mastered it himself. He also posted the full lyrics. The upload became his final creative statement.
When the video first appeared, some fans were unsettled, but details were scarce. Only after his death did viewers reexamine the video’s significance.
The name LeeZu that rhythm-game fans remember
Lee used several aliases — including LeeZu, DEVA, P. Remi and P’sycho-Remi — but he gained broad recognition through tracks on the rhythm game DJMAX TECHNIKA 2.
Tracks like “The Guilty” and “Burn It Down” remain widely discussed among rhythm-game fans. The DJMAX series is considered South Korea’s flagship rhythm-game franchise; the quality of its soundtrack often defines the series’ identity. Critics and fans have said Lee’s work carved out a distinct musical voice within that catalog.
He also contributed guitar to “Love is Beautiful,” demonstrating his talents as a performer as well as a composer. Beyond game soundtracks, his work included music for short films and broadcast signals.
Solo albums, a rural-relocation vlog, divorce — a life shared publicly
Lee stayed in steady contact with the public through solo albums and his YouTube channel. After marrying, he and his wife left Seoul for the countryside and launched a channel called “A Seoul Couple’s Rural Relocation Diary” to document their daily life.
In January 2023, he announced on YouTube that he and his wife had divorced, saying only that they had chosen to go their separate ways. He continued to create on the Wandering Unemployed channel, sharing the ups and downs of his life openly with his audience.
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