SUGA Makes His Radio Broadcasting Debut With Apple Music
SUGA of BTS launched his first solo radio show “SUGA | Agust D Radio” on Apple Music on April 17. The South Korean rapper used both aliases in the title as he will be discussing how Min Yoongi – his legal name – became both SUGA and Agust D. Throughout the five-episode broadcast, SUGA will speak about his childhood dreams, travels, journey as an artist, and his lifelong love for music.
For the next four weeks, a new episode will be broadcasted globally on radio station Apple Music 1 on Mondays at 7 p.m. PT (Tuesdays at 11 a.m. KST). The live streams will be available for users to listen for free and there will also be an opportunity for fans to listen on-demand with a subscription to Apple Music. The app does give users an opportunity to sign up for a one-month free trial that SUGA’s fans may utilize.
The first episode aired just four days before the debut of his first official album, D-DAY. Each episode will have its own theme as SUGA discusses a new topic each week.
“Just as I hope that my music will remain in people’s hearts, I am hoping that my radio broadcast will be fun and bring comfort to the listeners,” SUGA said according to Apple Music.
Dreams and Inspiration
Switching between Korean and English, SUGA introduced the first episode of his radio show and shared that the theme of the episode was Dream. During the hour-long episode, he revealed dreams he had as a child and songs that inspired him.
“I’m so excited to be able to meet the global fans through my own radio show. It will be a space to share my stories and experiences through music with everyone,” SUGA said during the first episode. “My first official solo album, D-DAY, will be released soon, so I’m excited to celebrate this new journey through this radio show.”
He started the episode by playing his latest solo release “People Pt.2 (feat. IU),” featuring singer-songwriter IU. Throughout the show, he played a mix of western and Korean rappers such as JAY-Z, Nas, Epik High and 1TYM.
Before playing Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” SUGA revealed that when he was younger he used to listen to it when he felt rebellious. He also shared that he wasn’t allowed to buy Eminem’s album because he was a minor at the time. Nevertheless, he was inspired by Eminem and his other persona, Slim Shady, to separate SUGA and Agust D.
Moreover, SUGA expressed that when he was younger there weren’t streaming platforms as there are today, so he wouldn’t listen to music a lot. However, he would watch music shows on the weekend and was inspired to become an artist by the songs he heard. Namely, he recalled “Ragga Muffin” by STONYSKUNK and “Fly” by Epik High.
He ended the broadcast with “All I Do Is Win” by DJ Khaled. He said it was the song he listened to the most while he was a trainee and that he used it as his phone’s alarm sound.
Veteran in Broadcast
While “SUGA | Agust D Radio” is his first official radio show, SUGA is not new to live radio-style broadcasts. In 2020, while quarantine for COVID-19 was implemented, the rapper did voice-only Vlives called “KKUL FM”.
During the live shows, he would share personal struggles with fans while relaying advice and comforting words to them. He also frequently invited other BTS members as guest stars on the show.
“I thought, ‘If I will never be able to perform on stage again, then what would my life be?’ I had to do something, and that is why I started “KKUL FM,”’” SUGA told Weverse Magazine. “At first, I planned on doing it once or twice, but I personally enjoyed doing radio and our fans liked it, so it turned out to be a weekly episode. The last episode was especially meaningful that I got emotional.”
SUGA recently brought “KKUL FM” back after three years to promote the single “People Pt.2 (feat. IU).” During the live show, he read submissions from fans who had problems they wished to solve and he relayed advice to them. He also received calls from his bandmates j-hope and Jimin who also shared their woes and listened to SUGA’s feedback.
What’s Next?
Fans can anticipate the debut of Agust D’s D-DAY album on April 21 at 1 p.m. KST. On the same day, SUGA’s documentary “SUGA: Road to D-DAY” is set to be released on Disney+ and Weverse. SUGA will also be going on his “D-DAY Tour” where he will be performing 25 shows across Asia and the U.S.
Want to know more about SUGA? Read all about his latest single “People Pt.2 (feat. IU)” here!
