BTS's Suga, J-Hope, And RM Share Their Different Songwriting Processes

BTS‘s rap line is heavily involved in songwriting, and each member has a different creative process.

As of January 2020, Suga, J-Hope, and RM are all full members of the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA). Each rapper has over one hundred songs credited to his name, and many of those songs have gone on to become BTS’s most successful tracks.

In a new interview with WSJ. Magazine, Suga talked about one of his key sources of inspiration: books.

I tend to think a lot about the meaning behind words. We deal a lot with emotions so I spend a lot of time thinking about how words can be construed differently.

— Suga

J-Hope’s “research-heavy” method involves studying, ruminating, and paying close attention to the mood of what he is creating.

I first study the topic and think about what story I need to tell and what kind of content it should encompass. Sometimes the type of stories I’m dealing with are light, but sometimes they aren’t, so it’s important that I’m knowledgeable about what I’m working on.

— J-Hope

Like Suga, RM looks to other forms of art for inspiration, such as dialogue from films. It’s a highly personal and emotionally involved process for him.