8 things we learnt from Disney+'s 'SUGA: Road to D-Day' documentary
Consider this a deep dive and review of BTS' Suga's brand new documentary detailing the superstar's writing process and personal struggles.
Today is D-Day! It's a big day for ARMYs but an even bigger one for BTS' Suga (@agustd), also known by his more gritty alter ego, Agust D. After releasing a series of mixtapes, the rapper of one of K-pop's biggest global phenomenon drops his first solo album titled 'D-Day'.
The album consists of 10 studio tracks with features from IU, the late Ryuichi Sakamoto and Kim Woo-sung of The Rose. While primarily a hip-hop album, Suga has blended a multitude of genres like pop, rock and even some classical to create his own unique sound. In tandem with the album, Disney+ has released a companion documentary titled SUGA: Road to D-Day, chronicling the star's journey leading up to the drop of his highly anticipated solo project.
The documentary takes you on a trip around the world, giving fans an intimate look at the star's song-writing process, exposing his struggles as well as shedding light on his personal views on life, the idol industry and more. With how larger-than-life celebrities may seem, this documentary humanises the idol as he talks candidly and honestly about his life, allowing us to relate to the insecurities and issues he has experienced.
It was an eye-opening watch, especially so for casual fans who might be brand new to the phenomenon that is BTS, and more importantly, a thought-provoking one as it is clear that Suga is a deeply introspective music artist.
Here are some key takeaways from SUGA: Road to D-Day:
On his new solo album
The documentary takes us through the creation of Suga's album from beginning to end. In it, the rapper spoke extensively about the inspirations and message behind each song as well as his thought process creating the tracks. He approached making this album as if it’s his last project as Agust D, an alias he performs under, separate from BTS' Suga. "This is my album. And it’s not by SUGA," the idol said, "It’s by Agust D." And unlike Suga's squeaky clean persona, Agust D is more raw, gritty and unflinchingly honest. Suga explained that the mixtapes were always going to be in three parts. In D-1, he was sorting out his personal insecurities. “Because if I didn’t, I felt like I had no reason to be a member of BTS," Suga said.
In his next mixtape, D-2, he tried to talk about the past and the present. Leading up to his first solo album which is the amalgamation of both mixtapes, culminating in his own musical identity. The title 'D-Day' refers to, "The day we free ourselves from information," Suga said, as he laments about the current chronically online world and how keeping up with it can feel “exhausting and excruciating”.
On his writing process
The road to D-Day is not always a smooth one. There were plenty of bumps along the way and it was fascinating watching Suga navigate his way through hardships such as writer's block. There were several scenes of the rapper working long hours in his studio, at times frustrated and upset.
More than once, he exclaimed that he would be quitting music as he felt immense pressure to deliver on this project. In one scene, he’ll say making music is his happiness and in the next, he’ll say, “I’m so fed up with music.” With so much at stake, he shows how creating art is not without struggle. Sometimes inspiration hits and it comes easy but more often than not, it's about digging deep and constantly reworking every aspect.
Suga likens his writing process to an “excretion”, pushing out his ideas first no matter how rough before cleaning it up and straightening it out when he’s more clear-headed. “It might sound good today, but it’ll sound like crap tomorrow,” he explained. “You may ask why am I doing this? I don’t want the BTS fans or my fans to feel bored.”
On work ethic
One thing you'll definitely take away from this documentary is Suga's unrelenting work ethic. He is constantly working on his music, be it in his personal studio, a hotel, a trailer in the middle of nowhere, and even on a fishing boat. The rapper is rarely seen without his laptop, often skipping meals when working and is constantly talking about work even in his downtime. Aware of his workaholic tendencies, he said, “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.”
He admits that he doesn't travel much unless it's for work. “I thought I didn’t enjoy travelling around," he reflects as he visited the Grand Canyon for the first time, "That’s why I never went anywhere. Even when I got a long-term vacation last time, I just worked on my album, my mixtape. So why am I shackling myself when no one’s telling me to? I think it’s really nice to travel.” The trip to the US invigorated the star, “This is my first proper trip and I just realized that trips are fun. Now I need to think about how to keep having this fun in my life."
On turning 30
The documentary also pulls the curtain on Suga's personal struggles as he grapples with feeling lost and the existentialist dread that comes naturally with ageing and working for as long as he has. “When I turned 20 I thought, ‘What are my twenties gonna be like? It’s gonna be so fun.’ When I think about my 30s, I see nothing," said a rather exhausted Suga, “What do you do when you’ve over 30? Do I have to keep working? I don’t think I can keep this up anymore.”
It was a tough journey to get to the top and Suga recalls the sacrifices he and his fellow BTS members made to reach it. The realities of life made him feel as if he had to grow up faster than he would've liked. “You become an adult the moment you stop dreaming. I used to say that. And I don’t have any dreams now,” he said. A moment that will resonate with many who may be feeling lost and aimless in their current stage of life.
On being a K-pop idol
“What would I be doing if I weren’t an idol?” the K-pop star ponders for a moment, after which he said he misses his mum. Suga said that he was acutely aware of how K-pop idols are often looked down on in the music industry and art scene. Despite that, he loves K-pop and is proud to be a member of BTS. And despite K-pop reaching global popularity and BTS attaining superstardom, he has never once dreamed of being a role model for the new generation and becoming the Asian representative in the Billboard charts. “I didn’t mean to make Korea proud. When I travel overseas, I hear that so often from Korean immigrants living here.”
Suga also talks about the immense pressure and scrutiny his position brings. "The thing about idols is that we don’t have to commit a crime or do something that’s controversial for people to blow little things out of proportion and judge us," he said. That's why he wrote the track "Haegeum", about freeing oneself from what is forbidden and letting people live as their true authentic self.
On the media & going solo
Suga talked about articles of BTS breaking up because they are doing their own things, which upsetted him. “When I turned 30, I started talking about making my own album. I mean, going solo and doing our own things, there’s nothing wrong with it if you think about it. We should’ve done it ages ago. But we didn’t and it just got delayed.” He reflects on how these negative and fallacious articles were up on the site for two weeks and used it as fuel to write his songs.
On friendship & collaborations
During his visit to the US, Suga met up with Halsey, Chris, Anderson Paak and Steve Aoki. He visited their homes and studios, either hanging out or swapping music ideas. He got a tour of Steve Aoki’s place where the DJ and music producer had portraits and figurines of the BTS boys. “I’m a true supporter, you know?” Aoki said, calling Suga a musical genius and one of his favourite artists to work with.
He hung out with Anderson Paak in Malibu, drinking soju and showing each other what they were working on. “He’s an angel. Just like Halsey,” Suga said while admitting that he wants to work with other cool musicians but he’s shy.
When visiting Halsey, who he regards as a personal friend, he mused about how some people don’t like their work because they are pop stars and that their work doesn’t matter but emphasizes how hard the work is in reality. “We may not speak the same language," he said, "but we get each other.”
A special moment with his idol
Throughout the show, Suga is always playing “Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence” whenever he comes across a piano. In Japan, he met with the Academy Award-winning composer of that melody, Ryuichi Sakamoto, his personal idol. His love for the composer came from his early years, catching The Last Emperor at a small theatre in Daegu. The music in the film blew him away and as a young artist, he even sampled some of Sakamoto’s melodies to make beats.
One of the first questions he asked the veteran is what drives him to keep making music after all these years as even Suga who has been writing music for 17 years, gets tired to the point of wanting to stop. “No matter how many songs you make, you are never fully satisfied. If you feel satisfied, that’s the end," the composer replied, "When you reach the top floor, you always find a floor above. There is no end." The two had a meaningful conversation, swapping stories and talking about their mutual love for traditional instruments and ethnic music.
At the end, Suga played “Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence,” for the composer after which Sakamoto played his original rendition. Suga left the meeting motivated and inspired, saying, “It was amazing. This is what I came to Japan for.” This meeting was a truly a special and bittersweet moment as the legendary composer recently passed away on March 28 this year of cancer.
'SUGA: Road to D-Day' is currently available to watch on Disney+.
