SUGA Tackles Loneliness and Conditionality of Love in People Pt.2

BTS’s SUGA has returned to his solo music endeavors under the moniker Agust D with his latest single “People Pt.2” featuring singer-songwriter IU. It was released on April 7, just two weeks before the debut of Agust D’s first official album D-Day. The album will complete Agust D’s musical trilogy that includes his previous mixtapes Agust D and D-2. In anticipation of the upcoming album, the 2016 songs “Intro : DT sugA” and “Agust D” were officially published on music streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music. According to Weverse, “The album delves into the personal journey of SUGA as Agust D, offering an intimate portrayal of his life as an artist.”

“People Pt.2” topped the iTunes “Top Song” chart in 87 countries including the United States and the United Kingdom. The music video also gained over 7 million views in 24 hours. As the countdown for D-Day continues, fans are able to listen to “People Pt.2” for the remainder of the wait.

Love That Inspired “People”

“People Pt.2” is a continuation of the D-2 song “People,” where SUGA discussed how people change and the characteristics of those changes. In the BTS docu-series Break the Silence, SUGA said that his biggest change in life was losing the ordinary: “What’s ordinary to others is very special to me, whereas what’s special to others is very ordinary to me.” He added that one’s perception of the world changes when one’s values change.

In part two, SUGA and IU express the emotions, such as loneliness, someone can feel while going through changes in their life and making changes in themself. SUGA also shows how in a relationship, changes in one partner can lead to the end of the companionship. The lyrics also depict the pros and cons of love, which can be a sincere connection with someone but also fragile and daunting.

In a radio-themed Weverse live stream after the song’s release, SUGA revealed that the song was originally supposed to be titled “사라,” pronounced as “sa-ra,” but he felt it could be misheard as “살아” (Live, pronounced “Sal-ah”). At first, he wanted it to be the listener’s choice to add either the consonant “ㅁ” or “ㅇ” that would make the title become “사람” (People, pronounced “Saram”) or “사랑” (Love, pronounced “Sarang”). However, he decided to stick with the title “People.”

he lays with saram and sarang like joon does in trivia: love except … joon is so hopeful, giddy, and innocent in his comparisons. yoongi seems a little lost and exhausted, unsure of the hope he used to have

— 냠냠쥰이 (@hobibihoba) April 7, 2023

In “People Pt.2,” IU smoothly starts the pop-R&B song with an all-English chorus. SUGA then jumps into a verse questioning the meaning of love and its conditionality. He melodically raps about how he wasn’t loved enough as a child so now he’s cautious of the emotion in his adulthood. However, he craves to have a connection with someone. He knows that “forever” is not a guarantee when it comes to relationships, comparing it to a sandcastle: “Forever’s something like a sand castle, you know/It comes crumbling down at the calmest of waves.”

SUGA has used the sandcastle analogy before in his 2020 collaboration with IU, “eight.” He also used similar lyrics in the BTS Remix of Jason Derulo and Jawsh 685’s Savage Love: “Maybe the word ‘forever’ is just a sandcastle that collapses helplessly even before a gentle wave.” In the first verse of “People,” he rapped “There is nothing that lasts forever in this world.” SUGA’s lyrics show that he is wary of the term “forever” and realizes that everything comes to an end.

In the following verse, he continues the sandcastle analogy with “The us that dream of a future together is no more/We’re the ones who tore down the sandcastle.” The “forever” of that relationship came to its demise. He also states that “both love and people are selfish” and “selflessness can actually be selfish.”

In the bridge, SUGA says it’s a common belief that life is a struggle between resistance and submission. However, he believes it’s solely a fight against loneliness. He makes it known that one doesn’t have to hold that feeling inside: “If you can’t hold it back, it’s okay to cry.”

Before IU sings the final chorus, SUGA leaves listeners with the message that “You’re already more than enough to be loved.”

Visuals of “People Pt.2”

The music video starts in black and white showing an empty director’s chair. It then switches to a scene of SUGA sitting in a dark bedroom, writing in a notebook while IU’s chorus plays. SUGA seems desolate as he struggles to write lyrics for the song. However, by the second chorus, the colors get brighter and SUGA seems more hopeful, as he drinks coffee with golden-hour sunlight on him. When the second verse starts, SUGA is focused on his music; working on the computer, and playing his piano and guitar. He also seems brighter as he pets a dog.

By the final verse, SUGA seems happy and confident. The scenes switch between him confidently recording in his studio, Genius Lab, and enjoying the view from the house’s balcony.

The video then switches back to black and white, now with SUGA sitting in the director’s chair. Directed to viewers, SUGA said, “This song was written when I couldn’t do anything due to COVID-19 when I thought ‘I lost everything.’ So it conveys the message I wanted to tell myself.”

i know they’ve told us that the pandemic really affected them but when they put their feelings in songs like this you can really REALLY tell just how much damage it caused

— mon⁷🪞 (@knjgIoss) April 7, 2023

In the Weverse live, SUGA revealed that due to IU’s busy schedule, she was unable to film the music video. The script for the video was then altered to feature solely SUGA.

Though, it was soon revealed she was able to record a live duet with SUGA. Hours after the music video was released, a live performance of “People Pt.2” was uploaded to BANGTANTV’s YouTube channel. Throughout the 70-second video, IU and SUGA stayed seated while they performed with a live band. The duo sang the pre-chorus together before IU began the chorus. SUGA then closed the performance with the second verse of the song.

More Than Enough To Be Loved by Fans

Right after the music video was uploaded, fans were quick to realize the chorus sounded familiar. A fan took to Twitter to compare a clip from a BANGTANTV video and the music video to compare the two audios. In the first video, fans believe they hear BTS member Jung Kook singing the chorus of “People Pt.2.” It’s believed that the singer recorded the guide for SUGA’s track.

OH MY GOD SO JUNGKOOK WAS THE GUIDE FOR PEOPLE PT 2???? THAT WAS THE SONG IN YOONGIS PHOTOFOLIO pic.twitter.com/5VpoOa9Cfs

— ravi loves jungkook (@kkyukirby) April 7, 2023

Fans also shared how they related to the lyrics.

people pt. 2 for the eldest daughters who lost their childhoods & carry the weight of the entire family’s expectations & wish to live those years through their twenties but are still a bit naïve & figuring out how to navigate the world. the ones who choose to love despite it all

— suk ✘⁷ 🌱 (@namverse) April 7, 2023

Hyunwoo Nam, The Director of Photography of the music video, posted a video of the dog featured in the video on his Instagram story. The video showed the dog reacting to the music video.

Nam Hyunwoo, the cinematographer, shared a video of the dog from the video reacting to the MV 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/BHb7QAsXPt

— army film club (@0613frames) April 7, 2023

What’s Next?

Fans can expect to see content from SUGA as the latest ambassador for the NBA. It was announced that the NBA would collaborate with the rapper on select concert dates throughout the world tour.

Fans can also look forward to the release of Agust D’s D-Day album on April 21 at 1 p.m. KST. He is also going on a same-named world tour featuring 25 dates in Asia and the U.S. He also has a documentary “SUGA: Road to D-DAY” to be released on April 21 on Disney+ and Weverse.

Want to know more about BTS? Read all about Jimin’s debut solo album here!