Rise as God is the eighth Korean studio album (sixteenth overall) by South Korean pop duo TVXQ. It was released on July 20, 2015 by S.M. Entertainment . Released as a special album, it is the duo's last musical release before taking their two-year hiatus to complete their mandatory military service.

Unlike TVXQ's previous albums, Rise as God received little promotion. Nonetheless, the album received positive reviews from music critics, and debuted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart, selling 150,000 copies by the end of 2015.

In November 2013, S.M. Entertainment announced that TVXQ had recorded over twenty songs for their new album. The duo contemplated about releasing their new record in two parts. On January 6, 2014, TVXQ released their special tenth anniversary album Tense, which included 12 songs. In late 2014, rumors began circulating among fansites that TVXQ were planning to release a special mini-album in the summer of 2015, but those rumors were never materialized.

In April 2015, S.M. confirmed that U-Know Yunho would be enlisting in the Republic of Korea Armed Forces as part of the mandatory military service imposed on all South Korean men aged 18 to 35. In July, S.M. announced that Max Changmin was accepted into a special unit for conscripted policemen, and will be enlisting at the end of the year. Due to their mandatory draft, TVXQ announced that they would be on hiatus for the next two years. At the Tistory: Special Live Tour encore shows held on June 13 and 14, the duo said they have recorded some new material and would release it sometime during their hiatus.

Rise as God was announced on July 15, one week before its release date. According to S.M.'s press release, the title of the album is inspired by TVXQ's Hanja name Dong Bang Shin Ki (Hanja: 東方神起), which roughly translates to "rising gods of the east." Its two lead singles were announced to be "Rise as One", an EDM song sung by Changmin; and "Champagne", a pop dance track performed by Yunho. "Champagne" was first revealed at the Tistory encore concerts that were held a month earlier, when Yunho performed "Champagne" during his solo segment. While "Rise as One" was described as a song that represented Yunho and Changmin's journey through the years, "Champagne" was described as a fun party song. Yunho chose "Champagne" as his last single before enlistment because he wanted to leave the fans with a happy note. Yunho was drafted as an active duty soldier on July 21, the day after the album's release.

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