"Suga's Interlude" (Suga being stylized in all upper case) is a song by American singer Halsey and South Korean rapper

Suga Suga may refer to: * Suga, Iran, a village in Qazvin Province, Iran * Suga language, a language of Cameroon * Suga (rapper) (born 1993), South Korean rapper, songwriter, and record producer * ''Suga'' (EP), 2020 EP by Megan Thee Stallion * ''Sug ...

of boy band

BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-produ ...

. It was released on December 6, 2019 through

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

as the third

promotional single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

from Halsey's third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, '' Manic'' (2020). The song was released simultaneously with the album's second promotional single " Finally // Beautiful Stranger".

Background and composition

In an Instagram live, Halsey explained why she included Suga on the track, stating "Yoongi is really introspective and has this really intelligent perspective on where we are and what we are doing in our unique lifestyles". "Suga's Interlude" is a "downtrodden"

K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...

ballad based around a "somber piano melody", exploring themes of fulfilment, self-loathing and egotism while "encouraging fans to keep pursuing their dreams and look to the future".

Critical reception

Lexi Lane from ''

Atwood Magazine Atwood Magazine is a digital music magazine that focuses on emerging and established artists from around the world. The magazine was founded in 2012 and is currently run by editor-in-chief Mitch Mosk. History Atwood Magazine was founded in 20 ...

'' mentioned that the "combination of rap and Halsey's slower singing parts mesh well together sonically and provide a bridge between languages and cultures". Sara Delgado, writing for ''

Teen Vogue ''Teen Vogue'' is an American online publication, formerly in print, launched in January 2003, as a sister publication to ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'', targeted at teenagers. Like ''Vogue'', it included stories about fashion and celebrities. Since ...

'', described the track as a "soft tempo track" that "mixes

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

keys with airy

synths A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

", along with "Halsey's soulful vocals with Suga's sharp rap skills". In an article for ''

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...

'', Nara Corcoran called the track a "downtrodden ballad" with Halsey "singing sorrowfully over a somber piano melody", and Suga "rapping in Korean quickly but gently" for various verses. Jason Lipshutz of ''Billboard'' described the production as "mournful, piano-led" that sees "Halsey nfurla full chorus that focuses on inner struggle" while "Suga flies in with quick-hitting rhymes". Lipshutz also mentioned the "creative chemistry on display" that suggested a "fruitful partnership", as a possible reason why Suga appeared on the track.

Charts

Release history

References

2010s ballads 2019 singles 2019 songs Halsey (singer) songs Pop ballads Songs written by Halsey (singer) Songs written by Lido (musician) Songs written by Suga (rapper) Song recordings produced by Suga (rapper) {{2019-single-stub