"I just think that there’s nothing to do but write songs.”
BTS is one of the most in-demand acts in the world. Whenever they make a comeback, they make appearances on all the major TV networks across the world. In fact, BTS is so big they’re often the closing act at award shows. Since it seems they’re always on the go performing around the world, fans must wonder what the guys do when they’re not working. BTS' Suga's hobbies reveal he’s always keeping busy and learning.
Even before he joined BTS, Suga was already making music as a hobby. While he was in high school, Suga was a rapper who went by the name Gloss. You can actually find videos of him online participating in rap battles. Besides competitions, Suga invested his time in learning piano. He instantly fell in love with the instrument and used it as inspiration for his solo song "First Love,” which was featured on BTS’ 2016 album Wings.
Nowadays, Suga is still working on developing his musical talents. While he’s already an amazing performer, he works hard every day to become even better. That’s because he’s such a genuine artist who loves creating music for fun. To see exactly what he’s up to today, here’s a list of Suga’s hobbies.
Fans have seen Suga and Jin fish together several times throughout BTS’ reality series like Bon Voyage and In The SOOP. When BTS went on an extended vacation in August 2019, the two fished together then as well. Since it usually takes a while before they catch anything, Suga and Jin pass the time chatting, making it such a relaxing activity. Considering the roar of screaming crowds always surrounds them, it’s no wonder they like to clear their heads in the water through fishing.
In a Jan. 4 Weverse interview, Suga revealed he became interested in playing the guitar because he wanted to incorporate it into his music. “I always liked using guitar sounds. And I have always liked the Eagles. If you play the guitar, it’s way easier to write songs because you can carry it along wherever you go, pluck on the strings to create melody lines. Keyboards are difficult to carry around,” he explained. “I usually work on my laptop, but I had this thought that I definitely needed an instrument. It accelerates my work and improves my understanding of chords.”
Suga said his collaboration with IU, which the two dropped in May 2020, especially inspired him to learn how to play. “During my work on ‘Eight,’ IU had recorded and sent me a song from her phone. At the time, I couldn’t play the guitar, so we tried to make sure we’re working on the same page when keeping track of each others’ progress. That made me feel the need to learn an instrument,” he added.
That October, Suga held a VLIVE during which he played BTS’ “Dynamite,” “Savage Love,” “Seesaw,” and more on the guitar. He ended the stream by saying he’ll practice more songs to play for fans.
In July 2020, Big Hit confirmed Suga enrolled at Hanyang Cyber University’s graduate school in March 2019 with RM and J-Hope to get an MBA in Advertising and Media (Jin, Jimin, and V also attend the same university). Fans were thrilled to hear Suga continued his studies after graduating from Global Cyber University (where Jungkook is currently studying) as a Broadcasting and Entertainment major.
Weeks after Big Hit revealed Suga was in school, the rapper told Vogue Japan in an August 2020 interview that he’s been focused on his schoolwork. “I’ve been trying a lot of things lately. I’m also studying hard in different fields,” he said.
It’s unclear if Suga is still attending Hanyang Cyber University in 2021, but it seems he’s still keeping his head in the books learning English. “Since my interest in the music industry in the U.S. grew, I’m getting prepared, studying English and all,” Suga said in a Jan. 4 interview with Weverse Magazine.
Behind the scenes, Suga also regularly works on songwriting. He actually has over 100 writing credits to his name. Some of BTS’ songs that have Suga’s touch on them are “Life Goes On,” “Boy With Luv,” and “DNA.” During a Feb. 7 “BE-hind Story” interview with RM, Suga revealed he doesn’t write songs because he feels like he needs to, it’s just what he does when he’s bored. “I just think that there’s nothing to do but write songs,” he said.
Suga isn’t just talented at rapping, singing, and performing. He’s also a genius when it comes to the technical side of music. He’s helped produce BTS’ songs like “Interlude: Shadow,” “Respect,” and “Telepathy.” The first time he produced a track outside of the group was Suran’s “Wine” in April 2017. His work on the song earned him the Hot Trend Award at the 2017 Melon Music Awards.
As fans have seen in BTS’ tour documentaries, Suga even produces music on days off. He usually brings an audio mixer with him so he can work on songs in hotel rooms while traveling.
Fans can’t wait to see what else Suga cooks up with his many musical hobbies!
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