D-Day | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 21, 2023 | |||
Recorded | 2020–2023 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 32:10 | |||
Language |
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Label | Big Hit | |||
Producer | ||||
Agust D chronology | ||||
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Singles from D-Day | ||||
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D-Day is the debut studio album by South Korean rapper Agust D, also known as Suga of BTS. It was released on April 21, 2023, through Big Hit Music, as the third installment in a trilogy of works that includes the mixtapes Agust D (2016) and D-2 (2020). Comprising 10 tracks, the album features appearances by BTS bandmate J-Hope, IU, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Woosung of the Rose. [3] [4] Two singles were released in promotion of the project: "People Pt. 2" featuring IU on April 7, [5] and "Haegeum", which premiered alongside the album. [6] Music videos accompanied both singles, with a third released for the track "Amygdala" on April 24.
Filled with "thought-provoking social commentary and personal reflections", Agust D addresses themes of liberation—"from feeling a certain way...from letting the past and future...control us"—and freedom on D-Day. [1] He ruminates on the meaning of both, whether they are "a blessing or a curse", [7] and "encourages listeners to concentrate on focusing inward, instead of looking to the past at regrets or at the future with fear". Musically, the album features a diverse range of sounds and genres, including boom bap, "coats of Auto-Tune", alternative rock, and a piano sample from Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. [2]
The titular opening track "D-Day" features "distorted guitar instrumentals" that "build up for a few seconds before launching straight into an intense trap flow." [2] In English, Agust D raps the lyrics "Future's gonna be OK / OK, OK, look at the mirror and I see no pain" followed by "D-Day is coming, it's a fucking good day" in an "almost joyous" manner, "as if this feeling of contentedness is a revelation". [1] He then expresses "a whirlwind of thoughts" that include "not wanting to be tied down to his past", reflected in lines such as "In a world full of hate / Hatе is even more unnecessary / Lotus flowers bloom brilliantly even in mud" and "Don't regret the past, don't be afraid of the future / I hope you can avoid getting hit and hurt enough." [2]
The next track "Haegeum" is a heavy hip hop song that includes the use of a South Korean traditional two-stringed fiddle called haegeum in its instrumentation [1] —D-2's "Daechwita" also featured the instrument. [8] Its title is a word play that references both the instrument and an interpretation of liberation specific to the song—"to advocate for freedom in a reality built on unspoken societal expectations and restrictions echoed in today's online culture". In Korean, Agust D asks listeners to question their own liberation ("What is it, exactly, that's been restricting us? / Maybe we do it to ourselves. Slaves to capitalism, slaves to money, slaves to hatred and prejudice") [9] and the role they play in that of others ("Freedom of expression / Could be reason for somebody's death / Could you still consider that freedom?"), making a case for "doing away 'with the nonsense' that clutters online" and reality. [1]
BTS bandmate J-Hope appears on the third track "Huh?!", a collaborative song that carries over some of the subject matter of "Haegeum". It opens with Agust D angrily rapping in part "What the shit do you know about me? Fuck that shit you think you know 'bout me". Built on a "shadowy drill foundation", both rappers trade verses calling out the spread of misconceptions and misinformation, particularly in regard to themselves, online and in the media ("Millions of news coverage and gossip, the villain in this age of information"). J-Hope's verse is performed with his voice dropped into a "menacing near-whisper", offering an aural contrast to the more "urgent delivery" of his counterpart. The opening refrain is repeated throughout the song's progression and again at its end. [1]
Agust D showcases his vocal abilities on the fourth track "Amygdala", a "guitar-laden, harmony-rich" song whose lyrics recall various painful moments throughout his lifetime, such as his mother's heart surgery, a hospital visit after his birth, an accident during his teenage years that resulted in a shoulder injury, [1] and his father's eventual diagnosis with liver cancer. [9] He sings, "Those things I never asked for / Those things that are out of my hands / Imma put it back" [9] and pleads in a "raw and raspy" voice with his amygdala, the brain's trauma processing center, to "Please rescue me, please rescue me / My amygdala / Please pull me up, please pull me up". Layers of Auto-Tune over the track's "murky rock riffs and clipping beats" serve to enhance "the cracks of emotion." [1] After questioning the purpose of his past suffering, the rapper concludes, "What didn't kill me only made me stronger / I'm blooming like a lotus flower now", suggesting that his trauma led "to a more resilient rebirth" [1] and emphasizing the album's underlying "connecting thread", the "idea of pushing forward through the difficult moments". "Amygdala" serves as a "transitional point" on the album, as softer, brighter [7] tracks follow. [9]
The album's fifth track, "SDL", features guitar and "snatches of organ" in its instrumentation. Agust D questions "whether nostalgia for lost love can be confused with love itself". Rolling Stone 's Maura Johnston described the song as a "smooth groove" with "a contemplative edge". [7]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 89/100 [10] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [11] |
Consequence | 91/100 [10] |
NME | [1] |
Rolling Stone | 80/100 [10] |
D-Day received critical acclaim upon release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 89 based on four reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [10]
Rhian Daly of NME gave the album a five-star rating, describing it as "rich and varied" and "inimitably Suga – or Agust D", with the rapper proving himself "an unstoppable, thought-provoking force". Noting the change from anger and "those old barbed emotions" in many of the rapper's previous solo works, Daly wrote that on D-Day, Agust D instead "[set] himself free and stepp[ed] fully into the role of a wise social commentator and – at times – protector...wrapping up his trilogy in peak form." She chose "Amygdala" as the standout track on the album, particularly for its "heart-wrenching" subject matter and the way the rapper addressed his painful past. [1] Like Daly, Consequence 's Mary Siroky also singled out "Amygdala" as one of the album's highlights, alongside "Snooze" and "Haegeum", calling it "truly some of SUGA's best work, and certainly his best work from a vocal perspective". Conversely, she felt that "SDL" and "People Pt.2" were "less memorable parts of the album" that "don't stick as much as others in the grand scheme of the record". Siroky opined that "the clarity [Suga] has when it comes to his art", derived from years of honing his skills as an artist and a musician, was what took the "record from good to great" and that even for non-Korean speaking listeners, sonically, "the story he set out to tell ends up linear and cohesive, remarkably so". She concluded that while Agust D's time had seemingly come to an end within the context of the trilogy, the album served "as the kind of goodbye the character deserves" and "is a body of work people will turn to for years to come." [9]
According to the Hanteo Chart, D-Day sold 1,072,311 copies [a] worldwide on its first day, [12] surpassing the record previously set by Jimin of BTS, who sold 1,021,532 copies [b] of his debut solo album Face on its release day in March. [13] Agust D became the second Korean solo artist in Hanteo Chart history, after Jimin, [14] to surpass one million first day sales.
In Japan, the album debuted at number one on the daily Oricon Albums Chart, with 111,621 copies sold on April 21, 2023. [15] Eight of the album's tracks debuted in the top 20 of the corresponding daily issue of the Digital Singles Chart: "Haegeum" at number three with 3,524 sales; [16] "Snooze" at number 13; "Huh?!" at number 14; "D-Day" at number 15; "Life Goes On" at number 17; "Amygdala" at number 18; "SDL" at number 19; and "Polar Night" at number 20. [17]
In the United States, D-Day debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 140,000 album-equivalent units, including 122,000 pure album sales (90% of which were CD sales), marking his first top 10 album in the US. [18] In its first week, D-Day sold over 118,000 copies, ranking fourth among the fastest-selling rap albums in the US over the past decade and making it one of only six rap albums in the past ten years to have sold more than 100,000 copies in their debut week. [19]
In October 2023, D-Day received a nomination for Album of the Year at the MAMA Awards while "People Pt. 2" was nominated in the Best Rap & Hip Hop Performance and Song of the Year categories. [20] In November, it was nominated for the Million Top 10 award at the Melon Music Awards. [21] The following month, D-Day was nominated in the Album division at the 38th Golden Disc Awards. [22]
Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Paste | The 20 Best K-pop Albums of 2023 | 7 | |
Genius | Best K-Pop Albums of 2023 | 7 | |
Billboard | The 20 Best K-pop Albums of 2023 | 8 | |
Tracklist | The 15 Best International Albums and EPs of 2023 | 10 | |
NPR | Listeners' Favorite Albums of 2023 | 14 | |
Consequence | The 50 Best Albums of 2023 | 27 | |
NME | The Best Albums of 2023 | 38 | |
Rolling Stone | The 100 Best Albums of 2023 | 69 | |
AllMusic | Favorite Rap & Hip-Hop Albums of 2023 | — | |
PopCrush | Best Pop Albums of 2023 | — | |
L'Éclaireur Fnac | K-pop Albums of the Year | — |
Publication | Track | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Paste | Snooze | The 20 Best K-pop Songs of 2023 | 1 | |
Genius | Snooze | Best K-Pop B-Sides of 2023 | 1 | |
Elle India | Haegeum | Top 10 K-Pop Songs Of 2023 | 7 | |
Dazed | Polar Night | The 50 Best K-pop Tracks of 2023 | 9 | |
Time Out | Snooze | The 23 Best Songs of 2023 | 16 | |
Consequence | Amygdala | The 200 Best Songs of 2023 | 92 | |
Los Angeles Times | Haegeum | The 100 Best Songs of 2023 | — | |
Rolling Stone India | Haegeum | 10 Best K-Pop Songs of 2023 | — | |
Bandwagon Asia | Snooze | Top Collaborations of 2023 | — |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "D-Day" |
|
| 3:31 |
2. | "Haegeum" (해금) | Agust D | Agust D | 2:48 |
3. | "Huh?!" (featuring J-Hope) |
|
| 3:03 |
4. | "Amygdala" |
| El Capitxn | 4:11 |
5. | "SDL" |
|
| 2:51 |
6. | "People Pt. 2" (featuring IU) |
| El Capitxn | 3:33 |
7. | "Polar Night" (Korean : 극야; RR : Geugya) |
|
| 2:45 |
8. | "Interlude: Dawn" |
|
| 1:45 |
9. | "Snooze" (featuring Ryuichi Sakamoto and Woosung of the Rose) |
| El Capitxn | 4:24 |
10. | "Life Goes On" | El Capitxn | 3:17 | |
Total length: | 32:10 |
Notes
Credits adapted from the liner notes of D-Day. [43] Excludes songwriting and production credits already cited above.
Weekly charts
| Monthly charts
Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Japan (RIAJ) [82] | Gold | 100,000^ |
South Korea (KMCA) [83] | Million | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Version | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | April 21, 2023 |
| Big Hit | [84] | |
Various |
| [85] | |||
Japan | April 22, 2023 | Regular | [86] | ||
United States | May 11, 2023 |
| Weverse Albums | [84] | |
Various | July 5, 2024 | LP | Regular | [87] |
Min Yoon-gi, known professionally by his stage names Suga and Agust D, is a South Korean rapper, songwriter and record producer. He debuted as a member of the South Korean boy band BTS in June 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. His first solo mixtape, Agust D, was released in 2016 and re-released in 2018 to digital download and streaming platforms, reaching number three on Billboard's World Albums Chart. In 2020, he released his second solo mixtape, D-2; it peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard 200, number seven on the UK Albums Chart, and number two on Australia's ARIA Album Chart.
Love Yourself: Her is the fifth extended play by South Korean boy group BTS. The EP was released on September 18, 2017, by Big Hit Entertainment. The album was released in four versions and contains nine tracks, with "DNA" as its lead single.
Love Yourself: Answer is the third Korean-language compilation album by South Korean boy band BTS. The album was released on August 24, 2018, by Big Hit Entertainment and is available in four different versions: S, E, L, and F. The album contains twenty-five tracks, including seven new songs, with the track "Idol" serving as the lead single. Most tracks are from Love Yourself: Her and Love Yourself: Tear, including some remixes. The album debuted at number one in South Korea, Canada, Japan, and the United States, becoming BTS' second chart-topping album in the US market.
BTS World: Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack album for the Netmarble mobile game of the same name. Released on June 28, 2019, two days after the mobile game's release, the album features four singles by South Korean boy band BTS and instrumentals from the game. Its release was preceded by the singles "Dream Glow", "A Brand New Day" and "All Night". On June 26, the song "Heartbeat" was revealed in the game after its release. The album debuted atop the Gaon Album Chart and was their first #1 in Spain. Also, it became the first K-pop soundtrack to debut on the Billboard Top Soundtracks chart.
Agust D is the debut mixtape by the South Korean rapper of the same name, better known as Suga of BTS. It was released on August 15, 2016 by Big Hit Entertainment on SoundCloud.
Map of the Soul: 7 is the fourth Korean-language and seventh overall studio album by South Korean boy band BTS. The album was released on February 21, 2020, by Big Hit Entertainment. It is the follow-up to their 2019 extended play Map of the Soul: Persona, with five of its songs appearing on the album. Described by BTS as "deeply personal", the album is influenced by their journey and growth of seven years since their debut. Map of the Soul: 7 has been described as a pop, R&B, and hip-hop record that contains influences from urban contemporary genres like rock, trap, and EDM. Lyrically, it touches upon themes of reflection, introspection, and self-acceptance.
D-2 is the second mixtape released by South Korean rapper Agust D, better known as Suga of BTS, following his eponymous debut mixtape released in 2016. The mixtape was released on May 22, 2020, through Big Hit Entertainment, along with the lead single "Daechwita" (Korean: 대취타). The mixtape consists of ten tracks, with songs sung and rapped in both Korean and English. Its lyrics share the rapper's viewpoint of the contemporary world.
Be is the fifth Korean-language and ninth overall studio album by South Korean boy band BTS. It was released on November 20, 2020, through Big Hit Entertainment, nine months after its predecessor, Map of the Soul: 7 (2020). Created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Be was inspired by BTS' perspective of life during the pandemic. The record sees the band members contributing to various aspects of album-making process including songwriting, development, production, and visual design.
BTS, the Best is the second Japanese-language compilation album by South Korean boy band BTS. It was released on June 16, 2021, through Big Hit Music, Universal Music Japan sublabel Virgin Music and Def Jam Recordings. The album is a compilation of their previous two Japanese-language studio albums, Face Yourself (2018) and Map of the Soul: 7 – The Journey (2020). It was a commercial success in Japan, reaching number one on the Oricon Albums Chart, and earned the biggest first week sales for an album in 2021 domestically. BTS became the first South Korean group to surpass the 1 million sales mark for an album in the country.
Proof is the first anthology album released by South Korean group BTS, on June 10, 2022, through Big Hit Music. The 3-disc project comprises several of the band's singles through the years; a selection of discography "favorites" chosen by the band members; and various demos and previously unreleased tracks. It also includes five new songs: the album's lead single "Yet to Come ", "Run BTS", "For Youth", "Quotation Mark", and "애매한 사이".
Suga Agust D Tour was the first worldwide concert tour by South Korean rapper Suga, also known as Agust D, in support of his debut studio album, D-Day. The tour began on April 26, 2023, in New York City, and ended on August 6, 2023, in Seoul, South Korea.
"People Pt. 2" is a song by South Korean rapper Agust D, better known as Suga of BTS, featuring South Korean singer IU. Released as a digital single on April 7, 2023, through Big Hit Music, the song serves as the first single from the rapper's debut studio album D-Day. Written by Agust D and El Capitxn, and produced by the latter, the song is a pop and hip hop track that discusses themes of loneliness and connection.
South Korean rapper Suga, also known as Agust D, has released one studio album, two mixtapes, and thirteen singles. He has collaborated with artists such as Suran, Lee So-ra, Halsey, IU, Max, Juice Wrld, and Psy.
"Haegeum" is a song by South Korean rapper Agust D, better known as Suga of BTS. It was released on April 21, 2023, through Big Hit Music, as the second single from the rapper's debut studio album D-Day. Written and produced by Agust D, the song is a hip hop track that addresses themes of freedom and liberation.
Layover is the debut studio album by South Korean singer V of BTS. It was released on September 8, 2023, by Big Hit Music. The record has been described as a pop, R&B and jazz album "led by soulful tones of V's voice".
"Amygdala" is a song by South Korean rapper Agust D, better known as Suga of BTS. It was released on April 21, 2023, through Big Hit Music, as the fourth track from the rapper's debut studio album D-Day.
"Huh?!" is a song by South Korean rapper Agust D, better known as Suga of BTS, featuring South Korean rapper and bandmate J-Hope. It was released on April 21, 2023, through Big Hit Music, as the third track from the rapper's debut studio album D-Day.
"Snooze" is a song by South Korean rapper Agust D, better known as Suga of BTS, featuring Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto and Korean-American singer Woosung of the Rose. It was released on April 21, 2023, through Big Hit Music, as the ninth track from the rapper's debut studio album D-Day.
"D-Day" is a song by South Korean rapper Agust D, better known as Suga of BTS. It was released on April 21, 2023, through Big Hit Music, as the first track from the rapper's debut studio album D-Day.
Face also became the first album from a K-pop soloist to sell over 1 million copies on its release day, according to the same market tracker.