Most famously generally known as Suga from BTS — but additionally by the solo moniker Agust D, in addition to start identify Min Yoongi — the artist who works as a rapper, singer, producer, dancer, style muse and NBA ambassador desires to remind listeners that, above all, he’s a human.
At present, April 7, marks the return of Agust D, the identify Suga makes use of when releasing solo initiatives away from BTS, with the brand new single “Individuals Pt.2” that includes Okay-pop famous person IU. Not solely does it mark the duo’s newest collaboration after teaming for the No. 1 hit on Billboard‘s World Digital Tune Gross sales chart “Eight” from Might 2020, it additionally acts as an extension from “Individuals,” a fan-favorite minimize from Agust D’s D-2 mixtape launched that very same month. Whereas the unique “Individuals” noticed Suga reflecting on himself and meditating on how others choose and alter, Half 2 longs for reference to others.
As multifaceted as Suga’s world is, loneliness is a everlasting supply of inspiration and intrigue for the 30-year-old. Hours earlier than “Individuals Pt.2” drops worldwide, his name with Billboard happens alongside a number of worldwide groups who work across the clock for Suga and BIGHIT MUSIC artists. Some are beside him bodily, others through Zoom connection nearly — however loneliness stays a muse for the star, helping him in looking out inside and chatting with listeners in bigger, common methods.
Since its debut, BTS’ musical attraction has reached globally largely by means of the septet’s prolonged metaphors and imagery, translating into accessible storytelling alongside boundary-pushing compositions and choreography. Suga’s vary of fabric is huge, after producing on primarily each BTS album, to not point out scoring high-profile collaborations with everybody from Halsey and Juice WRLD to Epik Excessive and Japan’s ØMI. However now, he’s emphasizing the matters that transfer him personally — and guaranteeing he’s correctly heard.
Regardless of an already packed spring and summer season with album promo, his solo world tour, ambassadorship duties and a YouTube collection, Suga cheekily closes out our chat (“Yeah, it’s f–king busy,” he says with a wink) since he has no time to waste. Learn on as he narrows in on the discharge of “Individuals Pt.2” and all that’s led as much as this reflective pop/hip-hop collaboration.
We’re hours away from the discharge of “Individuals Pt.2,” your official return as Agust D to your D-Day album. Is there a unique mindset whenever you put together music as Agust D versus solo or as SUGA alongside BTS?
SUGA: They’re all music made by the individual referred to as Min Yoongi. So, I don’t even have a really totally different mindset for every moniker — however I’d say that the needs might be considerably totally different. Finally, the objective of releasing this music is for as many individuals to take heed to my music as doable. So, “Individuals Pt.2” was made excited about how individuals will obtain Agust D’s music, which is why we additionally featured IU. It’s form of a trial to launch this music underneath the identify Agust D. I’m truly a bit bit apprehensive.
“Individuals Pt.2” (that includes IU) after all follows up “Individuals” from the D-2 mixtape. What was essential about persevering with this story with IU?
This can be a story that you simply’ll personally love: The title wasn’t initially “Individuals Pt.2.” Really, “Individuals” from D-2 is personally my favourite tune — and we truly labored on “Individuals Pt.2” three years in the past. Once I was releasing my pictorial [Photo-Folio Wholly or Whole Me] photograph shoot, the corporate truly revealed the information [demo] model and gave a glimpse of it to the general public. However anyway, it was already completed once we have been engaged on D-2 so I used to be considering, “Oh, I ought to launch this, I ought to launch this.” However we needed to get on with “Butter” and “Dynamite” so we didn’t get the possibility.
Initially, the title was “Sara (사라),” with out the “M (ㅁ)” consonant in Korean — as a result of that’s, like, one consonant lower than the phrase “saram (사람),” which is Korean for “individuals.” Relying on whichever consonant you set on the finish of the phrase sara (사라), it could possibly grow to be “saram (사람)” and “individuals,” or it could possibly grow to be “sarang 사랑,” or “love” in Korean. So, it’s the listener’s option to put which consonant you need on the finish of “sara” (사라). However I had my buddy take heed to this son and other people heard it as “sal-ah (살아)” which form of means “dwell” in Korean and I used to be like, “This isn’t going to work.” So, we finalized the title to be “Individuals” in the long run.
And a few individuals name me August D, some individuals name me Ah-gust D, however I’m truly Agust D. So, , individuals take my identify in a different way and we needed to sync the individual SUGA and Agust D. This can be a tune that form of matches that sync. We’d like that bridge and sync between my mixtape and this official solo album. With the intention to put that sync collectively, I needed to make this a really pop tune. We didn’t attempt to make the music video that intense — and, in that sense, IU actually performed an essential position in doing that. I additionally suppose this can be a style that I can do finest, this pop-focused tune.
There’s this sync between songs, however the themes and lyrics are very totally different, proper? “Individuals” was self-reflective and examined different individuals’s judgments, however “Individuals Pt.2” appears extra about connection and combating loneliness. What most differentiates the 2 in your thoughts?
Previously — and I’ve at all times stated this in my interviews — personally, I believe loneliness is being collectively in fashionable society. I at all times discuss loneliness in my interviews, however regretfully, it isn’t at all times within the last interview. Not solely me, everybody has this loneliness inside them till the second they die. Nonetheless deep you’re in a relationship, how a lot you have interaction with different individuals, what number of associates you meet, or how typically you meet with your loved ones, you at all times have the loneliness inside.
So, I began with this key phrase of “loneliness” three years in the past, and I wouldn’t say there’s a lot distinction in that everyone can really feel ache and agonized. It’s the identical with me. Whether or not it’s me from BTS, SUGA, Min Yoongi, or Agust D, I at all times have that inside me too. Individuals would possibly see me as somebody who wouldn’t have any issues or worries or that I don’t really feel any agony, however I really feel these feelings too. I’m looking for a strategy to struggle these and overcome these too.
This album doesn’t actually finalize every thing in its message both. So, there may be a risk there might be a “Half 3” in a while. For now, we’re simply making an attempt to say, “Let’s not hate one another. Let’s discover a method.”
I like that — as a result of even within the Street to D-Day documentary trailer, there’s a second you say you continuously take into account quitting music. However when individuals come collectively, it makes you understand you are able to do it and have enjoyable. Does this tie into themes of “Individuals Pt.2”?
That is form of a troublesome subject, as a result of I began making music and writing lyrics [when] I used to be 11 or 12 years previous. I’ve been making music for all these years, and now I’m 30. It wasn’t simple writing “Individuals Pt.2,” and the album general, however individuals actually don’t know the entire strategy of that. Although I’d been making music greater than half of my life — and I’m simply saying this since you perceive this, Jeff — once we first began within the Okay-pop scene, we have been on this ambiguous place of not being accepted as musicians and never being accepted as idols both. However the musicians near me know that I’m very critical and honest in music and that I’m a really pure individual.
So, the documentary began as I simply needed to seize and present this course of. It began with the aim of displaying SUGA as a producer and songwriter, however it form of ended up having the worldview of an album-making course of. I attempted to indicate the traditional, particular person facet of me as a lot as doable, however as I’m a Korean idol, or Okay-idol, numerous scenes have been edited out; there have been extra of these pure scenes and a few superb scenes that couldn’t make it within the last model. The documentary and “Individuals Pt.2” attempt to reveal the pure facet of the human Min Yoongi. I simply needed to indicate that I’m this humane individual. I’m only a human.
You could launch your “Director’s Minimize” sooner or later. Whereas D-Day and the documentary are coming, I need to congratulate you on the worldwide launch of D-2 and Agust D this week. My favourite tune, “Agust D” with the pattern of “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” was lastly added to streaming too. You shared how J. Cole accredited BTS’ “Born Singer” pattern, what are you able to share in regards to the course of with James Brown‘s property?
I launched Agust D once I was nonetheless very younger, so, at the same time as I take heed to it now, it form of sounds immature — when you take heed to the tone, the rap itself wasn’t very organized, I needed to do numerous issues at the moment. It simply form of retains going very tightly and rapidly. However after doing a lot numerous and various music, I believe that individuals love the songs which were launched extra lately than the songs that have been launched again then. So, I form of dare say that individuals are beginning to acknowledge and acknowledge these songs now. Because the musician truly handed away, I believe it was the household who determined to acknowledge it.
Similar factor with [clearing] “Born Sinner” — and I don’t know what the trail was for the musician themselves, however it was clear. And I take it as that I, as BTS, and Min Yoongi, and SUGA, and Agust D, was acknowledged as a musician. I’m actually not considering that broader shoppers or audiences will settle for it, as a result of it’s probably not well-liked music. Nonetheless, I’d dare assume that it’s getting cleared as a result of we’re lastly getting acknowledged as musicians.
