【GRAZIA September Issue 2016】Interview: BTS’ Suga, Min Yoongi or Agust D
PROFILE
Name: Suga (Real name: Min Yoongi)
Birthday: 1993.3.9
Debut: 2013 BTS single album <2 Cool 4 Skool>
Hometown: Daegu (that’s why ‘D Town’ often appears in the lyrics)
Hobby: Browse speakers, read IKEA’s catalog
Favorite place: Quiet place
The dish that you’re confident in: Gordon Ramsay style’s steak
Interview
Q: You look dead tired right now.
A: The day before we just got back from Beijing’s concert. Today I was composing until 5am and I thought ‘if I don’t sleep now, l’ll actually die’, so I had a nap and came out.
Q: Recently (you’re busy that) it’s driving you out of your mind, right?
A: We’re in the middle of BTS’ Asia tour. And I’m planning to release my first mixtape soon. After the concert, I work on my songs and record, even when I come back to Korea, I continue to work on it and record. Aside from the concerts, I’m always working on my mixtape.
Q: How do you compose when you’re abroad?
A: I work in the hotel room. I’d take all the equipment with me. I’ll set up in the hotel room so I could record.
Q: But still, you went overboard to work until 5am.
A: If I didn’t have a photoshoot today, I wouldn’t even sleep and continued to work. My mixtape is in the final stage of composing. I wanted to use all of my beats, so it took longer to finish.
Q: How many tracks are in this mixtape that you need to compose and suffer like this?
A: Technically there’re about 10 tracks, but the featuring part haven’t finished yet, so it’s hard to give a definite answer.
Q: You won’t be releasing it under the name ‘Suga’?
A: Yes. I’m releasing this mixtape under the name of ‘Agust D’. I wrote ‘DT Suga’ in the lyrics in the past, it’s spelt backwards. DT is my hometown Daegu, or D Town. The meaning is great and it sounds cool when I’m rapping, so when I’m composing with people outside (the company) I kept using this name. And looking at it now, the mixtape will be released in August, so it feels like it’ll have a great result (laughs).
Q: What kind of atmosphere is the music in this mixtape?
A: I made it with the base of hip hop. It has a different feeling with the existing BTS music. It has all the elements that I wanted to do. I’m composing with who or who’s featuring in my tracks, my company doesn’t get involved. There’s no need to consider about the popular appeal/ popularity and I composed without dwelling on the ranking on music charts.
Q: What are the lyrics about?
A: It’ll make people say “oh? did he say that?”, “is it ok to write these lyrics?”. There’re strong and shocking parts. Anyway I wrote all the stories that’s inside of me, so I feel relieved.
Q: How come you decided to publish a mixtape instead of releasing (and sell) an album?
A: If you say ‘album’, it has a feeling of being trapped in some sort of framework. And if the company does the promotion, I’ll have the pressure of having to be on the Melon chart. Since I just made the music that I wanted to do, I hope those who listens to it will like it. Anyway, those who won’t listen will not even listen to 30 seconds, so there’s no need to advertise and tell many people to listen to it a lot. So I didn’t release as an album, just readily release it free to the public (laughs)!
Q: Which areas do you usually pay attention on?
A: I love to talk about stories on dream, youth and reality. The social atmosphere is only rushing the people in the 20s in the world we live in. From a young age, they emphasize on studying. The standard of ‘an outstanding person’ is clear. The environment is difficult for people to have their own dreams. But if you’re turning 20, it doesn’t seem like you’re. Now it’s the ‘N포 generation’, where people have to give up many things. The reason why people get discouraged is because they can’t see the future. It’ll be ok, if they see the light and go along that way, but they can’t even see that light so they fall into despair and can’t progress. So, I hope my music can comfort those who listens to it and walk out (of the misery).
Q: Wow, you’re so mature. Is it because you’ve been making music since a young age?
A: I think I was 13 years old, at that time I learnt about MIDI on the computer for the first time. I started to write my own lyrics around that time too. And then, I started to work in a studio in Daegu at the age of 17.
Q: As a part-time job?
A: Yes. Instead of saying I started to make music at a young age, it’s more appropriate to say I started to work at a young age. Just like that, I composed songs, wrote lyrics and arranged songs. People sees me and say that I was active in the underground scene, but actually I was just making music in Daegu. When I was working in the studio, I arranged songs or made beats and even sold them. Then I naturally started to rap and did performances.
Q: How much did you earn?
A: Nothing.
Q: You said you were working though.
A: That’s what it was like to work there. Usually we don’t have any income. Working in the studio, it was difficult to pay for food and transport. In front of the studio, there was a Chinese restaurant that sells Jajangmyeon for 2,000 won, if I walk down further, there was a place that sells Janchi guksu for 1,000 won. I worried about it everyday. If I eat the 1,000 won Janchi guksu, I could get the bus and if I eat the 2,000 won Jajangmyeon, I’d have to walk 2 hours to get home. Even though it was tough, I want to make music so I endured it.
Q: Do you still contact those who you’ve worked with back then?
A: There’re many people who gave up music. A hyung that said: “I like music but I lack the talent”, he set up a hip hop musician management. There’s a hyung who works in an ordinary company and there’s a hyung who operates a meat restaurant (laughs).
Q: Do you think you have the music talent?
A: I don’t know about the talent. But I’m very sincere when I’m making music. I actually live half-heartedly (laughs). But with music, I won’t allow myself to be half-hearted. If you’re going to start, then you do need to your best.
Q: Is there a musician that you want to work with?
A: Kayne West. When I was in high school, there was a time where I got a hip hop festival ticket and went to see it, instead of getting paid. The main artist was Kayne West and I can’t forget the impact. He performed a song called ‘Power’, and the level of it was so different to the performances that I’ve seen back then. It wasn’t music, it was purely art. It’s Kayne. There’s no need for words, because anything he does, it’ll become a trend.
Q: What’s your goal as a singer?
A: From a young age, I’ve listened to a lot of music which carries hopeful messages. I don’t know what was so hard for me at the age of 13 (laughs). I want to make that kind of music too. I want to hear people say: “this friend makes such touching music”. Although it’s hard to achieve that (laughs).
Q: So, what’s your goal as a human Min Yoongi?
A: I want to become a good person. But how can you become a good person to everyone? That’s my greed. At least I want to be an honest person that doesn’t lie. So, I’ve been trying to live my life like the lyrics that I wrote. Even after 10, 20 years, I can hold my head high to my lyrics.
Q: Aside from music, is there any other field you’re interested in?
A: I’m really interested in fashion, but I’m more interested in music equipment and sound equipment. So I read a lot of foreign magazines and I often read equipment reviews posted on the community. It’s lucky that our company has the mics and many equipment like the converter which are difficult to purchase in Korea. While we have overseas schedule, we bring back all sorts of equipment.
Q: I’m kind of surprised.
A: I’ve worked in the studio for a long time. Now, I do all the recording, mixing and mastering. People asks: “why are you doing that?” (laughs), but making music like this energizes me and it’s fun.
Q: I thought you were going to say fashion.
A: Of course I’m really interested in fashion. In the old days, I’d pay attention on trying to make myself stand out with fashionable accessories, but now I’ve changed. I want to look cool even wearing a plain 10,000 won t-shirt. So recently, I’ve been wearing simple clothes, which is comfortable for me.
Q: You’re a rapper but you don’t have any tattoos.
A: When I was young, I really wanted to have one. But as I turned 20 years old, I didn’t want to any more. Recently, I heard that Pharrell Williams is removing his tattoos and saying that he doesn’t even know why he got it tattooed. I might want to do something else in the future. I want to do charity work, it might not look good so I’m refraining myself.
Q: If you’re getting a tattoo, what and where do you want it?
A: A dot on my toe.
Q: What did you say?
A: I’m trying to minimize the visibility, but I don’t know yet. I could change my mind and tattoo my whole back next year (laughs).
Q: What kind of accessories do you like?
A: Rings, bracelets, necklaces/chains, watches, I like everything. Not long ago, my dream was to buy an expensive watch. Men are like that. Having a luxury watch is the measure of success and it also represents that person’s identity. But at one point, my greed disappeared completely. If I wear the watch that I like, will people call me a ‘cool person’? I thought that it could cause repulsion. I think that it could bring bad influence to someone so I became cautious about it.
Q: It seems that you’re also very interested in charity work.
A: The media uses ‘how skinny are you’ as the standard of beauty and cause a heated issue. But in the other parts of the world, there are people who has nothing to eat and dying because of hunger. Shouldn’t we pay more attention on that? I think if I become someone with a great influence and an honorable person, then people might focus on that area.
Q: Now how close are you with the ideal person that you have in mind?
A: 10%? There’s a long way to go. I must be cooler.
Trans: KIMMYYANG Source
