30 Quotes from SUGA: Road to D-Day That Reveal the True Artistry of the BTS Rapper
Following suit of bandmates J-Hope, Jin, RM and Jimin, BTS' rapper Suga has dropped his debut solo studio album, D-Day, arriving alongside a premiere documentary on Disney+.
SUGA: Road to D-Day follows the global phenom as he prepares for his latest album, all while better understanding who he is, not only as an artist but as a person, too. At first glance, you'd assume Suga has it all—as a member of BTS, he can do or buy just about anything he wants. But, underneath the money and fame, Suga cares deeply about his craft, and he also cares about what people think of him, at least to an extent. Through the creation of D-Day, Suga realizes there is power in not being caught up in the anxiety-inducing politics of the music industry and, instead, focusing on putting out meaningful art that is not just fulfilling to him but also encourages young, hopeful musicians who find solace in his work.
In this milestone project, Suga reflects on his decade as a member of BTS, creating music as Agust D and Suga and what it means to turn 30. To celebrate the release of SUGA: Road to D-Day, we've gathered 30 quotes from the documentary that exemplify the BTS rapper's thoughtful nature.
On the public's reception of BTS:
"It made it hard for me to accept what people were thinking about us."
On being successful at a young age:
"It made it hard for me to accept what people were thinking about us."
(SUGA: Road to D-Day via Disney+)
On being one of the most popular Asian acts in the world:
"In 2018, I was told that I'd been chosen to represent this generation."
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On getting older:
"When I turned 20, I thought, 'What are my 20s going to be like? It's gonna be so fun.' When I think about my 30s, I see nothing."
On finding inspiration and motivation to write:
"If you want to write lyrics or a song, you have to be hooked on something. You need to think about it constantly, and then write those thoughts into words."
On his relationship with Halsey:
"The pop stars were among the ones who understood us, saw us for who are we are and paid no attention to all the hate. They treated us as human beings. We may not speak the same language, but we get each other."
On being a workaholic:
"I just get bored when I don't work. I tried taking a month or two off, but then I got bored and went back to work anyway."
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On the fleeting nature of fame:
"You see, a musician's career doesn't last that long. They say that an idol singer's career lasts seven years, but it's hard to find a musician who is at their prime for more than seven years."
(SUGA: Road to D-Day via Disney+)
On the pressure of being an entertainer:
"This idea of proving myself is one of the things that's on my mind right now. But then, when I think about how much more I should do, I run out of things to say."
On his ultimate goal:
"I want to get recognized for doing what I do. To get recognized for my work."
On setting his sights globally:
"But America makes the best music in the world, and it's at the top when it comes to pop music, so I've always wanted to know what kind of environment these artists are working in."
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On self-healing:
"It's part of the treatment to bring back bad memories from your past and learn to control those memories."
On choosing your destiny:
"No one can dodge the first arrow of trouble, of course, but when that second arrow flies at you, you've chosen to just stand there and get hit, rather than learn from the first time."
(SUGA: Road to D-Day via Disney+)
On moving forward:
"It takes lots of guts to let things go."
On the culture of the music industry:
"'I need to be better than him. I need to be better than her.' That's just so exhausting. And excruciating."
On learning how to be the best version of himself:
"Over the past two years, my life has been full of noise. Full of good things and full of noise. And I didn't want the noise controlling me."
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On the music-making process:
"When I'm making music, I always think this is just like the excretion process. To take the excrement and turn it into something beautiful is the next step."
On personal-fulfillment:
"We think about making it big, making money, buying watches and nice cars and everything, but none of those things are what makes your life fun. You might say, 'Hey, you made it big. That's why you can say that.' That's why I can tell you that they're not the fun part. But when I meet up with people and make music, that's fun."
On re-visiting his old projects:
"I don't listen to an album once it's released. I listen to a song a few thousand times while I'm working on it […] Once I get sick of them, I just can't listen to them anymore. After two or three years, that's when I start listening to them again."
(SUGA: Road to D-Day via Disney+)
On his early musical influences:
"I started making beats as a child. I used to sample songs and play around with them a lot, you know, to practice. That's when I sampled several of Mr. Sakamoto's songs, because they are mostly instrumentals without vocals […] Going back to the days when I first started to train myself to make music, his music inspired me so much, and it motivated me as well."
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On the reality of working as a musician:
"To be honest, it's not easy being a musician. It's not easy at all. There are so many kids out there who are losing sleep, skipping meals and devoting themselves to music."
On finding ways to be creative with music:
"'The world is full of sounds.' To be honest, I've never gotten a formal education when it comes to music. I've always been the type to teach myself, so that line really spoke to me."
On his intentions with music:
"I'd like to do my best to use the sounds that are filling up this world and make good music."
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Reflecting on his future in music:
"I'll still be making music even when I get old. I'd love to make music in my 50s and 60s."
On anxiety:
"I felt anxious when I achieved something I didn't want. I felt anxious when the tour I really wanted got canceled. Even when 'Dynamite' became a hit. Anxiety is our friend."
Reflecting on the past decade with BTS:
"It's fun to see us becoming the industry standard. I'm extremely proud of myself for being a part of BTS. I love my job. I love K-pop."
On the high standards of being a K-pop idol:
"The thing about idols is that we don't have to commit a crime or do something controversial for people to blow little things out of proportion and judge us."
(SUGA: Road to D-Day via Disney+)
His takeaway from the documentary:
"It's okay to care less about what others think. You should be able to do what you want."
On worrying about the unknown:
"What do you think are the chances of a totally controllable future arriving? There's a high chance that the future you dreaded never happens."
On his upcoming plans as a soloist:
"What's my definition of a singer? Someone who performs at concerts. And… I'm going to show that to the world again."
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