Interview in commemoration of the release of the last album of Agust D’s trilogy <D-DAY>
The pre-released song <People Pt. 2 (feat. IU)> happens to be released today. Earlier, when he was taking pictures too, he asked to turn on the song if it was possible.
Please listen to it lots and lots. Please listen to it when you’re sleeping too (laughs).
It seems to be a song that would be nice to tune it on in café. Was that the reason that you chose the song as the pre-released song?
In the original version, member Jung Kook was the one who did the guide. I get that the most important essence was for the song to be good, but the process of effectively letting people know that this album is my work was as important itself. It has been 10 years since I’ve lived my life as BTS’s SUGA, and sometimes in between I would release a mixtape, where I use the name; <Agust D>. I’m aware that there are lots of times where those who just coincidentally watched <Agust D> or <DAECHWITA> music video said that this person resembled to SUGA. So, I released <People Pt. 2 (feat. IU> to in which I worked with IU with the purpose to let this SUGA and Agust D to be in sync. And, in this day and age, there are lots of SNS, but those born in 1993, just couldn’t help but to think of Cyworld. I made a song that would feels like the BGM of life, wrote the song as the Cyworld BGM, the song that people listen to, and the song that would just put them on. It was exactly meant for that. These days, I think that rather than having so many advantages, it’s better to have no cons, or irritating, annoying things.
When did you start working on this album?
I have released in terms of a mixtape before, but as a solo singer, I have released 2 full-length album. Though it’s the first time for a physical album like <D-DAY> to be released. So, around the time when I finished working on an album, it was the the time I had soft in the head the most. When <DAECHWITA> was released, half of <D-DAY>’s album was almost done. Though it’s very much concretize, we couldn’t get the grasp on when the timing for the release should be. So, to answer when I get the question about when do I start working on them is quite hard. There’s even song(s) that was made 3 years ago.
With the 2 mixtapes that you have released; <Agust D> <D-DAY>, this album <D-DAY> marks the completion of the trilogy. Was this trilogy form in your mind from the very first?
Ever since I was young, out of the movies that I like, there are lots of trilogies. For instance, <The Dark Knight> series. So, I have this impression that after I have released 3 album, I would become a plausible, decent person, hence I thought to make mine into a trilogy form ever since I dropped the first mixtape on the 2016. If I didn't do well afterwards, the trilogy wouldn't have been completed. (laughs) My solo album could also be my life record. When the first mixtape was released then, I didn’t think that there’s a justification in living as BTS if I couldn’t express out my thoughts, and when the 2nd mixtape was released, I have come to the extent where I could organize my thoughts and going back and forth to the future and past. So for this album, I want to put all things together. I’m a person who keeps changing, and that future and pasts are both connected and could influence with each other. Just like how when the 3rd season of movies series, reviewing and taking some elements from the first to second seasons, I also took somethings from Agust D’s past songs in <D-DAY>. Rather than figuring out what kind of messages to be carried in <D-DAY> album, I made it while looking at those things that I like time to time.
The title song <Haegeum> also has another meaning of lifting from a ban. Was there any specific things that you feels ‘forbidden’ to do in this society all these times?
I’m here after living as an idol for 10 years. If I were to include with the trainee times, it’d be 13 years total. So to be honestly speaking, it’s a life where one have to have lots of self-control and a life that has lots of restrictions. Not just me, but those in their 20s to 30s, whether they’re an idol or not would also feel the same. We do have thing that we want to do, however we were put into a situation that we can’t do them, and also when we stopped when we think about peoples’ eyes.
Can we talk about the collaborations <Snooze> you have with the recently deceased Ryuichi Sakamoto? While he was a film music guy, he’s also a pianist, and even a media artist.
There was a time when I was young that my parents brought me to watch <The Last Emperor> at a little theatre somewhere in Daegu. I was starstruck with the film music then. You know <Rain> was very popular that it’s often be used in a pressing situation in Korea’s variety show. After that, I made music ever since I was 13, and there are lots of times I used master’s song for samplings. You know, when I was young, I practiced by reverse, cutting, then connecting the samplings again. He was an artist that gave me lots of inspiration when I first started in making music. Drama actors, movie actors, musical actors, theatre actors, they’re all not at all different, and we still call these guys as actors, right? The same goes for a person who does music. There’s no different between those who does movie songs, and those who does pop music, after all the thing about ‘music’ is, it’s all connected with each other. I have heard this behind story once before, but it’s said that Master Ryuichi Sakamoto made a film music by chance, but after that he’s are widely known as a film music director. I only have met him personally in front once, and though we worked on the music over the phone, he was a really great person. Too bad that the musician that I really like a lot has come to leave for a long journey.
BTS SUGA, these people who likes me, doing music they want
You worked together with RM on <Strange> in <D-2> album, and now for this album, j-hope did the featuring in <Huh?!>
There are 3 rappers total in BTS including me, right? So, last time I worked together with RM, so now I got to work with hobi, of course. This may comes a bit embarrassing, but since the beats are quite difficult, I’m not quite confident in writing the verse 2. (laughs) As hobi haven’t done anything with drill genre, he said that it’s going to be so hard, but I said “but you’re good in rap, so you can indeed write lyrics”. So, he did said okay. J-Hope is really such an outstanding artist. I think that it’s not because of he’s good or bad at this and that, but it’s the issue of the preference, style. Thank you for giving me things that just lines perfectly with my preferences.
Perhaps, is the b-side of this solo album <Life Goes On> a new rearranged version of the song with the same name in <BE> album?
I made <Life Goes On> in full before, but mine wasn’t used. Personally, because I liked that version more, so I made a new rearranged version of <Life Goes On>. When I and person around me listening to monitor, it’s a song that have the most picks from the pop music producers. When one take and write from a verse of an already existing song, it became a ‘remix’, but <Life Goes On> from <D-Day> used a bit of the lyrics and melody that I have wrote before, and after than a song that’s totally different came out. When me, Namjoon, Hobi, and Bang Sihyuk PD went to have a meal together, I let them listen to it while eating, but since the flows are just so natural, the members didn’t realize it.
I heard that not only you contributes in of course in writing the lyrics, composing, and producing, but you contributes in voicing out opinions for the visuals, like the MVs too.
There are some that may think, and said that K-Pop idols moved within a framework that has been set, but it’s actually not like that. There may be that kind of idols and groups too, but that’s not the case for me. We all discuss each one of the works, from the videos, promotions and up to the schedule all together. As soon as the work for <Daechwita> is finished, I wrote down the storyboard continuity for <Haegeum> and other b-sides music videos. Then, I send them to the music video directors. Back then, many people said that COVID-19 would be a forever thing, so I was anxious that I might not even be able to do any concerts or performances anymore. So, I had to work on fast for the next studio work. Especially for <Haegeum> music video, I put lots of thoughts on this, and I even had lots of meetings where I personally go. These days and age, it’s the era of ‘listening music with one’s eyes’, so video as the mediums are very important. However, if someone who knows poorly on one’s things interferes a bit too much, it’d come out not as good. So, there are parts where I just put my trust on the staffs that have been for quite a long while, and there’s also some parts that I’m giving my specific opinions to. Even at the shooting scene too, rather than I personally do the monitoring, the director told me that I should do my best in shooting a lot of scenes, for the editing to be easy later. In this day and age, it is a pros to not to have many disadvantages than to have many advantages.
It’s so much fun to watch the BTS members’ promotion activities as solo because each of the members’ unique colors are showing. I think on SUGA’s part, the most outstanding one is that he does not make any appearance for the local music programs, but he just go for a world tour.
As you know, a singer is a person that does concert. (laughs) At first, the album release would be a bit more earlier, but somehow it came out now. Each of the members are good at their own things. Every week, there are music shows that have been scheduled for to the extent that it just makes me realized how Koreans really love music, and I really like music shows, and I don’t have any hesitation in coming out on music shows, and more that anyone else, I think I’m a person that thought it’s an essential think to make an appearance in music shows. However, this album’s color are somewhat a bit equivocal to comes out on music shows, and more than anything else, fans are the biggest reasons why I’m releasing an album. If there’s no fans, then my music have no meanings, so the thing that the fans like the most is a performance, in other name, it’s tour. So, that’s how I decided to go on tour. I’m also going to do a this so-called idol-like promotions. I’m just a singer who does music, and I really don’t like the divisions of an artist, and an idol, but I wanted to show you the side of me that the fans like.
I heard a news that you’re preparing for a video call fan sign, up to a small meeting. These days you know that you have to master the challenge such as ‘I’m sorry for being too cute’ challenge, ‘pretty girl challenge’, ‘Poppy Poppy’ challenge, et cetera, right? (laughs)
I’m not even a person that usually takes picture, but I wonder what would be the things that the fans like, and so that’s how I decided to do a video call fan sign. There are list of challenges that I got them earlier that I have to practice for, and I also filmed my side of working hard in training it as content. (laughs) Actually, BTS was the first generation on YouTube. Ever since 13 years ago, we recorded the video of the members’ and uploaded them on the internet, and we were a group that recorded lots more of our contents that anyone else. Recently, for few years already, I haven’t done these things that I have always do, so I think this time, I came to do this video call fan sign while imagining that this is an extension of those things that I did like before.
You’ve been making music like breathing so far, and someday later we will be able to see those result, right? I’m curious what kind of album would we be able to meet in 2 to 3 years from now.
I don’t think the album called <D-DAY>would comes out now if I just went with the composed as it is from 3 years ago. It need to be flexible. There needs to be an intense song for performance, songs that many people would feel comfortable listening to, and song that would be necessary in each situation, of course. I don’t know what kind of music I’ll be doing in 2 to 3 years later, but perhaps the things that the fans like would be the one that comes out. Doing what the people who like me want me to do, because that's the essence of a person that I am.
Scans by: @SUGAisjomiro_
English translations by: @verritaee
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