Min SUGA. Singer. Rapper. Songwriter. Dancer. Talk show host. Producer. Everything SUGA touches is pure art, and he doesn’t slack just because he isn’t the main artist in a project. His talent is a force to be reckoned with and as BTS continues to take over as the music phenomenon, we just know more iconic collabs and features will come from him. When not working hard on songs for BTS, over his decade-long career, we have seen some incredible projects come from him with his producer’s hat on, working with both K-POP and international artists alike.
To celebrate PD Min, we thought we’d take a look at some of our favorite projects he has worked on and reminisce on his journey to becoming one of the most sought-after producers in South Korea.
‘That That’ — PSY Prod & Feat. SUGA
Of course, we had to kick this off with the one and only ‘That That!’ back in 2022. SUGA was recruited by PSY to produce the title track for his new album, PSY 9th. But with his charming and persuading ways, the K-POP legend managed to convince SUGA not only to feature on the track but also to co-star in the music video, with intense choreography and all! The iconic single certainly contributed to the soundtrack of K-POP in 2022 and won two MAMA Awards – Best Collaboration and Best Dance Performance (Solo) – as well as earning a Digital Bonsang at the Golden Disc Awards and was ranked at number 20 on Billboard’s list of The 25 Best K-POP Songs of 2022. You can’t expect anything short of success when two K-POP icons join forces!
‘Eight’ — IU Prod. & Feat. SUGA
Back in May 2020, IU and SUGA teamed up to deliver the breathtaking ‘Eight,’ which SUGA also featured. Both incredible lyricists with a real way with words and capturing emotions, ‘Eight’ explores topics that burden people in their late twenties. Of course, with two Korean icons as co-workers, it’s no surprise that the collab did incredibly well both across the country and the globe. Just six months after its release, the single was certified Platinum by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA), having surpassed 100 million domestic streams. It ended 2020 as the sixth most downloaded and streamed song in South Korea and won four awards, including Best Collaboration at the MAMAs and Best Rock Track at the MMAs. It’s still a much-treasured song by ARMY, Uaena, and the general public four years on.
‘My Universe (SUGA’s Remix)’ — Coldplay X BTS
Coldplay and BTS gave us an absolute banger in 2021 with ‘My Universe.’ When it came to the remixes, SUGA went all out to give the song a new lease of life, and he was so thrilled to take on the producing role. Speaking on the remix, SUGA said: “I’m thrilled to be able to work together with Coldplay, who I’ve admired since I was a kid, and honored to be a part of this remix.” The song was also added to Coldplay’s album Music of the Spheres – Digital Deluxe Edition. Sobbing rn because he’s living the real fan dream.
‘Wine’ — Suran Prod. SUGA Ft. Change
‘Wine’ was the second project for both SUGA and Suran to join forces, following the success of ‘So Far Away’, which she featured on during his first mixtape, self-titled Agust D. This song saw him take the role as producer and marked the first time producing for an artist outside of BTS. ‘Wine’ sees the storyteller reminisce over an ex with a glass of wine, with the lyrics entwined with the influence of R&B, hip hop, and electro-pop. It was a first-chart topper for Suran since her debut and also for SUGA as a producer, earning them both the Hot Trend Award at the 2017 Melon Music Awards. A true classic to his producing discography!
‘We Don’t Talk Together’ — Heize Prod. SUGA Ft. Giriboy
Even though 2019 saw BTS really take on new heights as takeover artists, SUGA still had some time to squeeze out a few producing projects, including Heize‘s ‘We Don’t Talk Together’ featuring Giriboy. The somber song tells the tale of two people growing apart caused by their incapability to communicate, and honestly, we think it needs to be talked about more! If the song topping the charts wasn’t enough, it also won first place on a music show despite not being promoted. Talk about iconic!
‘Eternal Sunshine’ — Epik High Prod. SUGA
Another 2019 project was Epik High‘s ‘Eternal Sunshine’, which saw him reunited with Tablo, with SUGA in the producer’s chair this time. Fueled with groovy, laid-back beats, this song sings about emotional exhaustion caused by society’s ruthlessness and offers step-by-step life advice from the trio. It even charted well despite being an album track. It’s a pure banger, and we’d love to see them work together again in the future.
‘SUGA’s Interlude’ — Halsey Ft. SUGA
Listen, the friendship between BTS and Halsey is one of our most favorite in all of pop history ever. We were truly thrilled when Halsey chose to recruit SUGA for a feature on their 2020 album Manic and even asked him to write his own verse and sing in Korean, where he also referenced one of his lines from BTS’s ‘Tomorrow.’ If Korea and America were a lot closer, we’re convinced they’d be hanging out regularly. It charted in 14 different countries despite only being an interlude and also contributed to his history-making achievement of being the first solo Korean male musician to chart more than once on Billboard’s Digital Songs Sales chart. Legend behavior, we thinks.
‘Over The Horizon’ — Prod. SUGA
This was definitely a different take on a SUGA collab but he managed to master it regardless. For Samsung Galaxy’s 10-year anniversary, SUGA – who is a face of the brand alongside his fellow BTS members – was asked to remix their famous Over The Horizon musical theme as part of the Voices of Galaxy series. Speaking about working with the major brand, which he is an avid fan of, SUGA said: “It was an honor to work on a song that’s been part of Galaxy’s 10-year history. Everyone knows that it’s the Galaxy theme song just by its melody. Like the title ‘Over the Horizon,’ it’s about going beyond our limits. No one knows what will unfold, but our dreams make us go farther than ever.”
‘Stay Alive’ — Jungkook, Prod. SUGA
To coincide with the release of their Webtoon 7 Fates: Chako back in 2022, BTS released an official soundtrack song sung by golden maknae Jungkook and produced by SUGA. The slow and intense pop ballad served as a stand-alone digital single and charted at number one in Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam, as well as in the top 10 in Hungary, India, Japan, and New Zealand. It also earned Jungkook his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 as a soloist, charting at number 95 and number 13 on the Global 200. In addition, it became the first Korean soundtrack in history to debut on the Official Singles Chart in the UK. We still love listening to it today!
‘YOU’ — ØMI Prod. SUGA
Just days before dropping his remix of ‘My Universe,’ SUGA’s latest producing project dropped in the form of ‘YOU’ by Japanese singer ØMI. The song has already been performing well on the charts, where it ranked No.1 on iTunes in over 40 countries and No.8 on the Worldwide iTunes Song Chart within two days of its release. ØMI took to social media to share thanks, saying: “I couldn’t have got this result without this time’s music producer SUGA and his fans ARMY always supporting him with passion and lots of love.” We’re obsessed!
Min Suga. Genius. He did tell us, and he was right!
What’s your favorite song produced by SUGA? Who would you like to see him work with in the future? Be sure to let us know by tweeting us at @thehoneypop or visiting us on Facebook and Instagram.
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