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halfseoulco · 1 year

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D-DAY — Agust D: A review

Published Friday, April 21st, 2023 — Perhaps one of the most conspicuous representations of alternate personas amongst the seven members, Agust D is Min Yoongi’s very own creation that grew into an icon of his own scale. First born in 2016 as a way for the then 23-year-old rapper to channel his anger and say the things he couldn’t say as SUGA of BTS, Agust D’s music resonates deeply with people—and, perhaps, resonates with the artist himself in ways he didn’t anticipate.

The Road to D-DAY

No one was really surprised when D-DAY was announced. With SUGA’s entire solo world tour completely sold out, ARMYs had been expecting new music to help fill up the setlist; and with j-hope, Jin, RM, and Jimin having already released their own solo works, the odds of guessing the next member correctly were high.

Prior to the official announcement, on March 30th, Big Hit Music released the mood teaser for SUGA: Road to D-DAY, a documentary detailing the artist’s travels spanning Korea, Japan, and the U.S. as he searched for inspiration. The teaser poster was then released on April 5th and the official trailer was released on April 6th. The trailer touched on key topics and themes that would make up the foundation of SUGA’s story as he traveled alone for the first time, including that of being in his thirties, wounds and scars, acceptance, liberation, people, dreams, and current. “The day I’m free from all the negative thoughts, I’ll set it as D-DAY and start all over again,” he says around the 37-second mark, clueing fans in to the meaning behind the anticipated album. The trailer also showed an aspect of his personal character that ARMYs especially love, which is his way with words—his ability to always say the right thing at the right time, even when what he is saying is as much for him as it is for others. The documentary’s main poster was revealed on April 11th and the rapper also did a series of promotions for the documentary with Disney+ Korea, releasing a greeting on April 5th and interviews on April 7th, April 9th, April 10th, April 16th, April 18th, and April 21st. Disney+ then released a second official trailer on April 21st. The second such documentary following j-hope’s IN THE BOX in February, Road to D-DAY premiered today on Weverse and Disney+.

“The day I’m free from all the negative thoughts, I’ll set it as D-DAY and start all over again.” — SUGA, Road to D-DAY documentary

At the time of the documentary’s announcement, ARMYs suspected that D-DAY would be the new album’s title; and once the album was announced, the timing of content releases were perfectly coordinated, maximizing the campaign’s impact on an audience that was already hungry for new Agust D music.

The album itself was also widely promoted, with Big Hit Music first dropping the announcement on April 2nd, followed by a poster for the pre-release single “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2) (feat. IU)” on April 4th. The D-DAY promotion schedule was then released on April 8th, the track list was released on April 9th, a special D-DAY Glitch Film released on April 13th, a live clip of “사람 (People)” on April 14th, and concept photos that were released on April 16th and 17th. The Glitch Film in particular proved to be particularly insightful. A series of visuals over which SUGA himself narrated, the film included snippets of previous Agust D music videos woven in among other intentional imagery before ending with a stylized D-DAY; and the narration explores what has always been one of the most significant themes at the heart of his—and BTS’s—music: standing up for what you believe in even when the rest of the world looks down on you for being different and embracing those differences that then in turn become your biggest strengths. SUGA himself is no stranger to hardship, as many are familiar with his story about how he came to join Big Hit Music (formerly Big Hit Entertainment) after growing up poor in Daegu and wanting to pursue making music; and it has always been obvious that he defies the general public’s perception of KPOP idols, having always been quick with a sharp clapback aimed at those who would dare look down on him. Based on the promise from now HYBE Corporation chairman Bang Si-hyuk that he wouldn’t have to dance if he joined BTS, his thirteen-year career with the company illustrates the significant growth and change in his abilities and his overall character and demeanor—but even after all this time, he still chooses to celebrate the things that make him different and that is perhaps what makes his music so accessible to so many people.

“Small flaws, glitches, my new alterimage. Breaking down the wall between ‘what I want to say’ and ‘what I cannot say’. Not getting intimidated but rebelling and raising questions against what the world demands. The world’s fixed stereotype collides with my inner self and leaves trauma for a while, but this temporary glitch transforms into the driving force to create a new wavelength and becomes part of me.” — SUGA, D-DAY Glitch Film

“사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2) (feat. IU)” & IU’s Palette

Having previously worked together on the singer-songwriter’s dreamy pop track, “eight”, SUGA reached out to the nation’s beloved daughter, IU, to feature on “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)″, a song that he had written three years ago and a follow-up to the fan favorite “사람 (People)” off of his previous release, D-2. In fact, while appearing as a special guest on IU’s show, IU’s Palette, SUGA revealed that he had considered both fellow BTS member Jungkook and IU for the feature and ended up choosing the latter. The pair performed it together on the show, but based on a 60-second live clip of the song taken from the Road to D-DAY documentary, it’s not the only performance of “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)″ that we can expect.

Although he would be hard-pressed to define the genre of the song, SUGA described “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)″ as a song that he loves very much and had been saving for quite some time. IU’s parts were written in English so that fans would be able to easily sing along when performed for SUGA’s upcoming tour; and while the melody is easy on the ears and the vibe is gentle, the lyrics paint a picture of a person who craves relationships with others but being unable to pursue deeper connections due to fear and lingering hurt from the past. If “People” raises the questions "So what if people choose to live their lives in such ways? Who are we to judge them?”, then “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)″, while not providing the answers, raises the question “What is love in relation to people?”—or, more specifically, “What is love in relation to the presence (or absence) of people?” But then again, perhaps the answer to that question lies at the end of the song in what is arguably the most striking lyric of all: “당신은 사랑받기에도 이미 충분한데”, which translates to “You’re already more than enough to be loved”. Based on one possible interpretation, the big takeaway of “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)″ is that while you are influenced and changed by the relationships you form with others, those people don’t get to decide whether you deserve to be loved—you just do.

To set up an easy transition into their performance of “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)″ towards the end of the episode, SUGA performed “사람 (People)”, prefacing it with an anecdote regarding how after not listening to his own music once it’s been released, the algorithm recently brought it up and he listened to it not as his own song but as someone else’s song. The comfort that fans had said that “사람 (People)” had brought them, which he had been unable to identify with at the time of release, finally resonated with him during a time of pain, and he confessed to crying a great deal. The experience led him to choosing the title “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)″ for the beats that he had written in 2020, as “사람 (People)” had become a very special song to him and now he has come to cherish “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)″ a lot as well.

Over the course of SUGA’s Palette episode, the two discussed what it was like to collaborate once again, the history of their relationship, and what the release of D-DAY might mean for Agust D as one of his alter egos (in addition to Gloss, SUGA, prod. by SUGA, and Min Yoongi).

“At first, I was so fed up back then,” the rapper told IU. “‘Why would people look down on me? Because I’m an idol?’ Normally as an idol, there are a lot of things I can’t say out loud. I needed a means to let my feelings out.” He also admitted to feeling like he couldn’t synchronize himself with Agust D anymore, which can be interpreted in one way as saying that he doesn’t feel the way he felt when he first created the character of Agust D. “Once Agust D’s trilogy comes to an end, it might be hard to see him again,” he added. His use of the word “might” makes it seem like he is still, for whatever reason, unwilling to completely let go of the character he created—but what is clear is that not even he knows for certain what the future will hold for Agust D.

“It takes a lot of guts to let go of something. I’m not courageous enough.” — SUGA, Road to D-DAY documentary

The fellow ‘93 liners also talked about D-DAY and what fans could expect in terms of the overall tone and theme of the album, as well as about specific songs, with it being established that IU had already listened to it prior to SUGA appearing on the show. They then rounded out the show with some conversation about how SUGA felt things had changed for him in the last ten years since debuting with BTS, followed by some light-hearted talk about his various hair colors throughout that time period, his ability to make predictions that come true, and how he believes the album will be received by the general public.

D-DAY: The End of an Era

If you ask anyone who is a devoted fan of SUGA, one of the things they would say that they admire about him is his upfront nature, his ability to talk about the things most people want to forget exist—and his ability to be so incredibly vulnerable. His own individual journey to the top has been difficult in ways that run parallel to the hardships BTS faced within the KPOP industry, but like his fellow members, it has always been crucial to him that his music revolves around the heavy topics that affect people universally in order to create the space for empathy, community, and positive change—and making that kind of music requires a level of honesty that few people are willing to provide.

It has always been clear that SUGA has only ever wanted to make music since he was young—but that doesn’t mean that his love for the artform has always kept him in an optimistic headspace.

“I think of quitting music more than a hundred times a day,” the award-winning producer and rapper admitted in his documentary. “But when everyone comes together like this, I can do it because it makes me feel that making music is fun.”

The fifth member of BTS to release solo music during the group’s self-dubbed second chapter, SUGA returned as Agust D one last time to deliver the conclusion to his trilogy of releases, Agust D (2016), D-2 (2020), and now, D-DAY.

Having said on IU’s Palette that he finds himself getting less and less angry the older he gets, SUGA is at a point in his life where he maybe doesn’t need to rely on his Agust D persona to express his feelings. People have told him that he has mellowed out and it certainly seems to be reflected in the way he’s been carrying himself lately—and, naturally, in his music. Of course, D-DAY still has a little bit of that classic Agust D fighting spirit; and the first few tracks of the album are in line with what fans have come to expect from an Agust D song—with some softer melodies following close behind to demonstrate the shift in his personality and demeanor from his pre-debut years to the present.

“해금 (Haegeum)”

The title track, “해금 (Haegeum)”, is reminiscent of “대취타 (Daechwita)” in its use of traditional Korean instruments, as the two were written around the same time. In fact, the haegeum is itself a traditional Korean instrument but the word also refers to the forbidden—more specifically, forbidden things no longer being forbidden and thus experiencing freedom from holding yourself back from things that you told yourself you weren’t allowed to do, have, or be. “We have to free ourselves first,” SUGA said when talking about the song. “I feel that my life is restricted.”

The music video was preceded by an official teaser released on April 19th, which quickly established a similar setting and soundscape to “대취타 (Daechwita)”. There are also certainly loose threads from the universe of the previous album’s title track music video that connect the two. Looking back at “대취타 (Daechwita)”, there were two different versions of Agust D, so to speak—a mad king with long blond hair and a scar running from the top of his face, through an eyebrow, to his cheek; and a man with black hair, who was later captured and brought before the mad king, where the latter shot the former with a pistol that was given to him by a palace guard. In “해금 (Haegeum)”, there are again two versions of Agust D; and while both have black hair, one has the infamous scar on his face and the other one doesn’t. Based on visuals alone, there are many guesses to be had in regards to the story that has been unfolding since “Agust D” in 2016. It is possible that the mad king survived and started a new life as a police offer, going after the Agust D who attacked multiple people and then stole a very large amount of money—and it is possible that the Agust D who committed those crimes is the same Agust D who shot the mad king in “대취타 (Daechwita)”; and the mad king decided that the easiest way to get revenge would be to become a police officer.

Lyrically, while paired with an almost aggressively driving tempo and the instrumentals of the haegeum, if “대취타 (Daechwita)” was more of a means to call people out, “해금 (Haegeum)” is more of an anthem. The chorus is repeated twice more after its first time as an introduction to the song, emphasizing the importance of what the song is meant to be interpreted as: “This song’s a haegeum./Get on board now./This lively rhythm/Perhaps, this could be a new kind of haegum”. The track goes on to distinguish between freedom and self-indulgence, as freedom of expression or speech can sometimes put people in dangerous situations; and they are often not equal from person to person. Moreover, it also criticizes society in the way that information is introduced, interpreted, and censored, saying that “Endless influx of information prohibits freedom of imagination and seeks conformity of thought.” At the heart of it all, maybe what Agust D seeks is the truth as to what is really holding him or anyone else in the world back, as those in power seek to control the masses by overwhelming them with so much information and stimuli so that they remain confused and unable to determine who are the ones truly responsible for holding their freedoms hostage. But he also admits that we may also have a part to play in forging our own shackles.

“Maybe we do it to ourselves. Slaves to capitalism, slaves to money, slaves to hatred and prejudice, slaves to YouTube, slaves to flexin’. Selfishness and greed have gone off the rails.” — “해금 (Haegeum)”

In the end, even though the police officer manages to apprehend him, Agust D once again manages to shoot the scarred figure—and maybe he is dead for good this time. The young man, free from capture and from his past that continued to chase him, goes back to the noodle shop from the beginning of the video for a warm meal.

Unpacking D-DAY

While SUGA said that the album would be easy listening after the first three or four songs, the difference in mood and/or tempo doesn’t necessarily have a clear divide. It is true, however, that much of that notorious Agust D anger is contained in the first three songs, with Spotify granting two out of three an Explicit rating. The first track, titled “D-Day” after the album itself, signifies a day of rebirth—a day when the past version of one’s self is dead and only the present version exists. Both thematically and sonically, “D-Day” is both an introduction and a smooth transition into “해금 (Haegeum)” with lyrics such as “I’d die for real ‘til the D-Day” and “D-Day’s coming from forbidden things./As soon as you’re released, open your new chapter”. However, anger is not the only prevalent emotion underlying the song; rather, it is infused with a kind of aggressive optimism that is punctuated by the few swear words throughout. At the end, we are left with a sense of hope that something beautiful can still come out of all the ruin in the world, as SUGA raps, “Lotus flowers bloom again in a world covered with hatred”. The chorus, repeated often, is entirely an English, aligning with SUGA’s wish to have more songs that ARMYs can sing along to while attending his upcoming concerts.

Following “해금 (Haegeum)” is “HUH?!”, SUGA’s collaboration with fellow BTS member and rapper, j-hope. The song contains a familiar cockiness and swagger that ARMYs have long since come to associate with SUGA, calling out his success (i.e. his visit to the White House with the other members in May of last year) and his haters for talking negatively about him online while feigning innocence. At the end of his first verse, he even goes as far to say, “I pray that even you’ll do well”. j-hope’s verse provides a nice contrast for the ears thanks to the difference in vocal tones between the two rappers as well as the difference in rhythm and syncopation. His words are less aggressive, though no less confident; and the lyrics “My step is deep/So my comeback is easy” demonstrate a self-assuredness for the future regardless of what people may think or say.

“Honestly, back then, I was only full of anger. ‘I am going to succeed and take revenge!’ ‘I’m going to beat that group, this group!’ [...] Haters... haters will always be there. If I mention this, someone always says something about this. [...] These days, I am at peace. I think I’m becoming grown up.” — SUGA, IU’s Palette

After “HUH?!”, the album shifts emotionally and sonically, starting with “AMYGDALA”. Sitting in the coveted spot as SUGA’s most cherished song on the album, IU described “AMYGDALA” as “very honest” and “autobiographical”, as it contains personal stories going all the way back to the rapper’s childhood. The amygdala refers to the area of the brain that is mainly responsible for processing emotions and memory, especially those associated with trauma and fear. Originally intended for BTS, the song delves into what makes up the Min Yoongi who exists today as he discusses his mother’s heart surgery, his own accident which resulted in the shoulder injury for which he later got surgery in November 2020, and his father’s liver cancer. In the lyrics, you can see the ways in which he responds to these events, such as his claiming that he doesn’t remember certain information or the repeated lyrics “Let’s take them all out one by one”, “Let’s put it in one by one/Yes, one, two, yes, one two”, “Now, let’s erase them one by one, yes one by one”, and “My amygdala (my amygdala)/Come on, save me, come on, save me”. On a musical level, “AMYGDALA” walks a fine line between intense desperation and putting on a hardened mask. While it possesses none of the anger and aggression of the first three tracks, the slightly up-tempo beat drives it forward, keeping it just ahead of melancholy. “Bad experiences and negative emotions... Amygdala is how I process these stimuli,” SUGA says in his documentary. However, at the end of the second verse, he brings back the symbolism of the lotus flower, saying, “The never-ending trials weren’t able to kill me. And I bloom a lotus flower again”, referring to his own resilience and his ability to persevere in the face of his own hardships.

The album heads in a different direction after that. “SDL”, likely standing for “Somebody Does Love” as said in the chorus, provides an easy segue into “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)″, as it talks about the complexities of relationships and the unfortunate drifting apart as a result of differences too great to reconcile, but is is also reminiscent of SUGA’s solo song, “Trivia 轉 : Seesaw” off of BTS’s Love Yourself 結: Answer (2018). While the instrumentals, the chorus, and especially the tone of the backing vocals give the impression that it is more like an affectionate love song, “SDL” is in reality more about a failed relationship than a successful one; and while there may be some leftover affection, the million-dollar question is whether he really misses the person or the memories. It may be the closest to a love song in musical style that we will ever get from him, as he claims they’re not really what he tends to write, though, and the overall vibes make for comfortable, easy listening.

The album then shifts again in sound with “극야 (Polar Night)”, a powerful yet understated track delivered with a steady rhythm and reiterations of topics brought up in “해금 (Haegeum)”, such as hypocrisy, the manipulation of information, truth and lies, and the uncertainty of not knowing whether one is believing in the right thing, doing the right thing. After all, a polar night is something that only occurs in the northernmost and southernmost regions of the planet—where night lasts for more than 24 hours.

“Interlude : Dawn” helps set the tone for “Snooze”. Laden with an almost piercing sadness, the different instruments introduce and re-introduce that sadness, playing upon the same theme until the song’s completion. While there are no lyrics, the emotion is closely felt, putting the listener in the necessary headspace for the next track.

Featuring the late Ryuichi Sakamoto and Kim Woosung of the Korean rock band The Rose, “Snooze” is SUGA’s message to his friends whose dreams began after seeing how far he and BTS have come. Knowing that the KPOP industry is a competitive one and that there are those who are always seeking to hurt others in order to get ahead, SUGA raps, “It may be very difficult, this road I’ve walked on. It may have looked like a flower road, but enemies everywhere. Know that it was a thorny road before you start. I hope you never forget the one who scatters flowers on the road”. Presenting both the pros and cons of pursuing such a dream, “Snooze” represents SUGA’s desire for others such as his juniors or friends to come to him for help; and even as he warns them about how difficult the road ahead will be, he also says, “but the end may be great”. Towards the end, SUGA weaves in lyrics from “So far away” off of Agust D, another track for which there is a very special and deeply personal place in ARMYs’ hearts. In “So far away”, he talks about not having a dream and the resulting loneliness and other negative emotions that accompany having that particular item unfulfilled. However, in “Snooze”, he has moved on from not having a dream and instead wants to focus on helping others achieve their dreams, which, in some ways, one could interpret as being his new dream. The lyrics taken from “So far away” are “Dream/I will be there for your creation 'til the end of your life/Dream/Be generous, wherever you might be/Dream/You will fully bloom after all the hardships”—but he changes the last line. Compared to “Dream/Your beginnings will seem humble/So prosperous will your future be”, in “Snooze”, the last lines of the borrowed lyrics are “Dream/The beginning may be weak, but the end may be great”. Two different ways of saying the same thing but a nice, little Easter egg with a twist nevertheless. And while it is clear that the lyrics come from his own personal experiences as an idol, the message of “Snooze” is not only intended for those friends in the entertainment industry but also for those in their twenties and thirties who are struggling as a result of the current situation of the world. Where “even dreaming a dream is too much”, SUGA hopes to provide some comfort with this song.

ARMYs around the world remember a time before and after BTS’s “Life Goes On” when BE (2020) was released. Paired with a music video that tugged none too gently on the heartstrings and caused the well of emotions to overflow, it displayed an honest vulnerability and empathy and expressed an optimism for a future where even though many things had changed, some things—like the mutual love and respect between BTS and ARMY—would always stay the same. SUGA’s own kind of homage to his group’s creation, “Life Goes On” borrows some of the original melody and general message, especially in the introduction and first verse. “I will borrow this music and give it to you. People say the world has changed. Fortunately, our relationship hasn’t changed yet,” he raps, similarly to his verse in the original song, where he says, “Let me tell you with this song. People say the world has changed. But thankfully between you and me, nothing's changed”. In his IU’s Palette appearance, SUGA mentioned that he was unsure if people would listen to D-DAY in its entirety or even like it. By releasing his own version of “Life Goes On”, SUGA is expressing his own vulnerability in regards to his relationship with his fans and the desire to be reunited; and even as life goes on, he hopes that they will continue to look to him for comfort as they did before.

Conclusion

When viewing all of the Agust D releases as a whole and complete story and reviewing what SUGA himself has said about the character he created, the message truly comes together with a certain kind of clarity. There was a time when the rapper was always angry and he used Agust D as a vessel for that emotion. At the time of D-2′s release, which is when he wrote some of the songs for D-DAY, all the anger he had felt had not yet dissipated and he found that he still had some lingering frustration and rage, even after expressing it. Now, by releasing “해금 (Haegeum)” and D-DAY, he is able to let go of that version of himself who was only angry. In a live stream following D-2′s release, SUGA admitted that there is another name for black-haired Agust D; and I think it is safe to assume that black-haired Agust D is really SUGA—or even Min Yoongi—and that the scarred version was the angry person he had become in his earlier years as an idol. He had tried to kill him but he only came back again to hunt him down, as the past is often prone to doing. Having finally killed off that version of himself, he can leave the past behind and move forward towards a happier, brighter future.

“I don’t know if I’m fully grown up yet but if I’m going to be, I want to be a good one.” — SUGA, IU’s Palette

As much as I live for the quintessential Agust D songs, my favorite tracks on D-DAY are “SDL,” “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)” and “Snooze”, especially since some of my favorite songs from SUGA as an artist are “So far away” and “사람 (People)”. Coming from a less objective and more personal perspective as a SUGA-biased ARMY, watching him go through this journey was both gratifying and encouraging. Seeing him come so far fills me with pride and I hope that during his upcoming tour, he can really feel how much he is loved by his fans and how much he has done for them by way of his music.

Genius Lab USA Rating: Perhaps this could be a new kind of haegeum.

D-DAY Track List

D-Day

해금 (Haegeum)

HUH?! (feat. j-hope)

AMYGDALA

SDL

사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2) (feat. IU)

극야 (Geugya) (Polar Night)

Interlude : Dawn

Snooze (ft. Ryuichi Sakamoto, 김우성 (Kim Woosung) of The Rose)

Life Goes On

Notes:

*All dates referred to in this review are in accordance with Pacific Standard Time (PST) unless otherwise specified.

** I’ve chosen to refer to Yoongi as SUGA in this piece for ease of reading and consistency unless I am specifically referring to Agust D as the character that he created.

#GeniusLabListens #Agust D #BTS SUGA #BTS #KPOP #Korean Music #Album Review #Everything I do is for Yoongi

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