BTS’ Suga Shares New Song With Late Music Icon Ryuichi Sakamoto
‘Snooze’ is the ninth track on Suga’s new album, ‘D-Day’
Friday marked the release of BTS member Suga’s album D-Day, billed as his first full-length solo album under his moniker Agust D. The record features a handful of collaborators, including fellow BTS member J-Hope, but perhaps most notably includes a song with late Japanese music icon Ryuichi Sakamoto.
The influential composer died late last month after a years-long battle with cancer. “Snooze” is the penultimate track on the album, and additionally features vocals from Woosung, lead singer of Korean band The Rose. Alongside his vocals, the moody track pairs Sakamoto’s composition with Suga’s emotive rapping and production by El Capitxn.
After Sakamoto’s passing on March 28th, Suga posted the message on Instagram, “Sir, I hope your long journey will be peaceful.” Sakamoto was known as a pioneering artist across genres but particularly in the sphere of electronic music. Over the course of a long and fruitful career, he won an Oscar, a Grammy, a BAFTA, and two Golden Globes for his work-scoring films. He was 71 years old at the time of his passing.
The newly released documentary, Suga: Road To D-Day features a scene of Suga and Sakamoto conversing about the meaning behind “Snooze” when they recorded together in September. “I wrote down the things that I’d like to say to aspiring artists,” Suga explains. “I wanted this song to give them some strength. Ever since I was young, I’ve enjoyed writing songs about dreams and that’s what I did here – ‘It’s all gonna be OK. Even though you might lose a bit of sleep, I’ll accept you if you’re afraid to fall’.”
In January, Sakamoto spoke to Vogue about meeting and working with Suga. He praised the younger musician, saying, “he is a one of a kind, top-notch idol but if you talk to him, he’s a good young man who is never arrogant. While talking to him you know he takes music very seriously and makes me feel like he always and only thinks about music.”
This month, Suga kicks off his global tour, beginning with two nights in Belmont Park, NY at UBS Arena on April 26 and 27 and continues across the U.S. with stops in Newark, Rosemont, and Los Angeles before wrapping up in Oakland, CA, with two nights at Oakland Arena on May 16 and 17. The tour then proceeds to Asia in Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan. Ticket details can be found at Ticketmaster.
