The news comes a month after another K-pop megastar, Lalisa Manoban, 24, of Blackpink, better known as Lisa, also tested positive for the coronavirus. The other members of Blackpink — Jennie, Jisoo and Rosé — tested negative for the virus, the production company, YG Entertainment, said in an emailed statement last month.
Suga, the stage name of the recording artist Min Yoon-gi, debuted in 2013 on BTS. A billion-dollar act, the Korean pop group is known for dynamic dance moves, catchy lyrics and fiercely devoted fans.
In 2018, BTS became the first K-pop group to top the Billboard album chart, with “Love Yourself: Tear”. In September of this year, the group delivered a speech at UN headquarters in New York, promoting vaccines against the coronavirus and praising young people for their resilience during the pandemic.
Suga stepped out for solo projects, sometimes as Agust D and as a commercial producer. In an interview with GQ Australia published this week, he said: “I am all three. They each take up a third of myself, and one reflects me no more than the other. I just give people a choice. These three sides of myself are incredibly different, so I give people the choice to see me the way they want.”
This week, Billboard’s Charts reported that Suga and Juice WRLD, the stage name for recording artist Jarad A. Higgins, had the best-selling song in the United States with “Girl of My Dreams,” the first time a song by either artist had hit song. 1 on every chart, according to Yahoo News. Juice WRLD passed away in December 2019 and the song is part of the artist’s posthumous album, “Fighting Demons”.
John Yoon reporting contributed.