BTS kicked off its new era with Suga’s “Interlude: Shadow.” The lyrics have some lines that are beautiful yet painful at the same time, showing the dark side of fame and fortune.
In 2013, the BTS boys were still aiming for the things that they have today. But Suga’s “Interlude: Shadow” lyrics seemingly proved that success doesn’t necessarily mean happiness.
“I wondered every day how far I’d go, I came to my senses and I find myself here,” Suga rapped. “Shadow at my feet. Look down, it’s gotten even bigger. I run but the shadow follows. As dark as the light’s intense, I’m afraid, flying high is terrifying."
Suga also discovered that success comes with a price, and he seemed to not be ready for it. "No one told me how lonely it is up here," he rapped.
But Suga has been struggling with his inner shadow years before “Map of the Soul: 7” was even released. In a lengthy diary-entry style Twitter post in 2016, the BTS rapper was talking about what it was like to separate his real self from his BTS persona.
“I wanted to do something that 24-year-old Min Yoongi could do and not 24-year-old Suga,” he wrote. “This was a time for me to reflect on myself and the stories I am about to tell is not about a singer and fan or BTS and ARMY, but about a person telling their story to people.”
Suga then began to reveal his innermost thoughts as Min Yoongi, someone who is not as tough as Suga. While his BTS persona is known for being almost emotionless, Min Yoongi cares a lot about what other people think and feel.
“I am the most sad when I realize that I cannot treat everyone fairly when dealing with many people. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I can’t. I think I am still lacking as a person,” Suga continued. “I haven’t been able to sleep deeply since the second day of our Kobe concert. Maybe it’s because I’ve hurt so many people…I’m always woken up by a cold sweat.”
Suga was talking about the cancellation of their Kobe, Japan concert on December 27-28, 2015 because he and V were not feeling well and needed medical care. Although the reason was valid, Suga still felt extremely guilty about it.
The meaning of Suga’s shadow has changed throughout the years. The rapper was talking about dealing with his emotions in the past, and he is now facing the dark and lonely side of fame. Fortunately, he has RM, Jin, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, who are also experiencing these shadows, so he has a strong support system to overcome it.
