Although SEVENTEEN‘s Woozi produces all of his group’s songs, he also found the time to do so for other artists like Ailee, I.O.I, NU’EST W, and fromis_9. However, he and BTS‘s Suga revealed just how difficult it could be to work for others on Suchwita.
As a fellow producer, Suga asked Woozi if he ever wanted to work on music for other artists outside of SEVENTEEN. Woozi had two requirements: working with familiar faces or receiving an offer he couldn’t turn down. Otherwise, he couldn’t take on the job and explained why.
I did a few after I debuted. A few but not a lot. I worked with people I was really close with or when I got a really good offer. If it’s not like that, I just can’t do it.
— Woozi
Because SEVENTEEN is constantly busy, whether it’s group or solo releases, he knew his limits. Woozi said, “I don’t like saying this, but I really don’t have the time.” There was another layer that made it difficult.
Not only could it be time-consuming, but it was a source of additional stress. Woozi added, “And it’s a lot of pressure because I have to focus on SEVENTEEN, which is my main job.” Suga understood completely.
When Suga worked with other artists, he also had trouble balancing how much time he could spend on BTS’s projects while still giving the outside projects enough attention. He also emphasized the pressure of having his name attached to a different artist’s song.
I feel pressure doing external projects. I mean, of course, it’s fun and nice. But since it’s not my song, I feel like it has to perform well. So I can’t give anything up.
— Suga
Listen to Woozi and Suga explain why it’s not easy to produce for artists who aren’t part of their groups.