How did BTS member Suga get where he is today? The K-pop idol known as Agust D almost quit Big Hit Entertainment as a trainee – until CEO Bang Si-hyuk paid his tuition fees himself
- Today, Suga is so popular that his fans got his 2020 song Daechwita to top the US iTunes chart for his birthday – but he didn’t always have it this good
- In an interview with Super Junior’s Ryeowook, he revealed that his parents didn’t support his choice of career, and even threw away his music and lyrics notes
Suga – the BTS member born Min Yoon-gi who also goes by the solo moniker Agust D – turns 28 on March 9. To celebrate his birthday, fans flexed their credit cards to get his 2020 song Daechwita to the top of the US iTunes’ song sales chart; the track’s music video had reached more than 200 million views by March 1, too.
He always knew he wanted a career in music
Suga first started writing lyrics and learning how to work with Midi musical programming at the early age of 13, according to a 2016 interview with Grazia. Later, when he was 17, he worked at a music studio in his hometown Daegu, arranging music and making and selling beats.
He described this time as working rather than making music, even though the job barely covered his food and transport costs.
He used to play the lottery every week as he struggled financially
In Mnet’s Comeback Show – BTS DNA, Suga opened up about his financial struggles: “If I ate a meal, I didn’t have money to take the bus … Even when I sold my songs, I wouldn’t get paid properly.” He would always debate whether to eat the US$2 jajangmyeon (noodles in black bean sauce) in front of his studio because if he spent that money, he had to walk for two hours to get home. In episode three of the Burn the Stage documentary series, Suga said that he felt so helpless during his trainee years that he bought lottery tickets every week.