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@kbin.socialL'Eclaireur FNAC France lists Agust D's D-Day as one of the best K-pop albums of 2023.
Agust D- D Day
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Seven years after his first project Agust D and three years after D-2 , the rapper Agust D (better known under the stage name Suga within the group BTS) came in 2023 to put the end to his trilogy with D-Day . If Agust D was an album about the past, returning in particular to the difficulties of its performer with anxiety and depression at the start of his career, D-2 was that of the present, that of international success and pressure that this implies. D-Day is certainly that of the future, a brighter and freer future. The rapper sets the tone from the first song of the album by singing “future's gonna be okay, look at the mirror and I see no pain ” pain ).
Without necessarily being a joyful album, retaining the harshness to which Agust D has accustomed us throughout his solo career, D-Day is an album which sings of hope and healing, the perfect conclusion to a seven-year cycle where Agust D will not have hesitated to share with those who listen to him the ups and downs of his career. Between societal criticism in Haegeum , personal traumas in Amygdala or advice to young artists in Snooze , Agust D shows the range of subjects on which he is capable of writing and rapping, proving once again that he is a complete artist, having produced in less than a decade a work of great richness.
This album confirms its performer's ability to rap on any instrument, as well as his talent as a lyricist, ready to demonstrate an authenticity and vulnerability rare for an artist of this caliber. It was followed by a sold-out tour in Asia and the United States, retracing the career of Agust D, as if to properly celebrate the end of a cycle. Just before a year and a half of military service, the rapper offers us with D-Day a work that we will certainly not stop listening to and dissecting during his absence!
Paste Magazine includes Jimin's FACE (#16), Jungkook's Golden (#9) and Agust D's D-Day (#7) in its 20 Best K-pop Albums of 2023.
Jimin: "Following in the footsteps of fellow BTS bandmates RM and J-Hope, Jimin has crafted his most personal music yet with FACE, an EP that is anything but surface level. On songs like “Face-off”—an ethereal RnB opener—and “Set Me Free Pt.2″—an abrasively grandiose yet divisive hip-hop track—Jimin mines angst and self-torment to great effect. Throw in audio snippets from life on and off stage, plus a surprise cameo from Jennifer Lawrence, of all people, and you’ve got yourself one of the year’s most exciting and endlessly creative solo efforts."
Jungkook: "While some of his bandmates went off to complete military service, the youngest member of BTS released his first English-language album in a bid for global pop stardom. Without any writing or production credits to call his own on GOLDEN, Jungkook adopts a chameleonic approach that sees him shifting between styles and genres alongside Western collaborators including Latto, Jack Harlow and Major Lazer, as well as songwriting credits from Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes. The result is an infectious, singles-driven collection of undeniable bops we’ve been listening to seven days a week, which proves Jungkook has the Midas touch on anything he sets his mind to. With clear influences from the likes of Justin Timberlake, Usher and Justin Bieber, Jungkook is clearly vying for that pop king crown—and if Golden is anything to go by, the throne could very well be his."
Suga: "The third release from Agust D—aka Suga—completes his solo trilogy with more fiery commentary on societal norms, yet there’s also room for more personal contemplation this time round as well. “Amyygdala” hits as hard as Agust’s flow with a heart-wrenching look back at past traumas yet the album’s true centerpiece is “Snooze”, a collaboration with The Rose’s WOOSUNG and late Japanese composer, Ryuichi Sakamoto, whose haunting melody accompanies Agust’s most vulnerable music yet. That alone would earn D-Day a spot on the list, but this is an extremely accomplished body of work regardless, one which cements Agust D as one of the greatest Korean rappers of his generation."
NPR listeners rank Agust D's D-Day #14 out of 50 albums in the Favorite Albums of 2023 list.
Today, December 15, Jungkook's Standing Next To You - Usher Remix performance video is released!
There are currently plans from different ARMY groups on X.com to chart old BTS albums/songs for next year. There is Project Bulletproof and there is The Whale Project.
J-hope and Suga attended Jimin and Jungkook's enlistment today, December 12. Jin had already returned to duty, but he will be seeing Jimin and Jungkook within the 5th Infantry Division Key Recruit Training Center for the next 5 weeks. There is no confirmation that he will be training them directly. The photo below is an official release from @BTS_twt on X.com.