BTS celebrates their 10th anniversary on June 13, and one of the influential figures in the group’s career, Pdogg, recently sat down with Yonhap News to commemorate the special occasion with an exclusive interview.
BTS’s leader RM was discovered by rapper Sleepy when he was in middle school. Recognizing his talent, Sleepy introduced him to Bang Si Hyuk.
From there, RM passed an audition for BIGHIT MUSIC (then known as BigHit Entertainment), and the search was on for group members who would eventually debut with RM.
From the beginning, Bang PD appointed Pdogg to be the group’s producer, and RM described him as “the root of BTS’s music.”
Pdogg has worked alongside the talented members to help shape their sound, concept, and message and shared in an interview with The Korea Herald last year that his goal has always been to support the group members in telling their stories.
It has been over a decade since I’ve focused mainly on BTS and the group’s songs and album. My role is to support the group in telling its stories and expressing its feelings through music.
— Pdogg
Through the last decade, Pdogg has had a front-row seat to the group’s unprecedented global success.
Reflecting on their career so far, their long-time producer shared the moment he knew the group had made it.
For Pdogg, his “we did it” moment followed the group’s two sold-out concerts at Wembley Stadium in 2019. The group made history with their shows, becoming the first Korean group to perform at the famous London venue.
It was at the Wembley Stadium that I realized we might have made it big enough. In fact, it hit me harder than the music chart rankings. I saw the local fans sing along all night and I thought to myself, ‘We did it.’ Haha.’
— Pdogg
During their second night at Wembley Stadium, ARMYs surprised the group by singing their song “Young Forever” to them, bringing many of the members to tears.
BTS Broke Down In Tears After ARMYs Held This Surprise Event During Wembley Stadium
The reassurance that BTS’s message was resonating around the world was especially comforting for Pdogg, who shared that only five years earlier, he was filled with concern for the group.
In 2014, right before HYYH and after the the first full-length album, I struggled a bit and had a lot of concerns. I wanted to appeal strongly to the K-Pop fans in the idol music market, but at the time I felt like we weren’t really hitting the mark.
— Pdogg
Now, BTS prepares to celebrate their 10th anniversary, and they continue to break barriers and set records as they navigate their “second chapter.”
Learn more about their evolution, through the eyes of Pdogg, in the article below!
How The Message Of BTS’s Lyrics Evolved Over The Last Decade, According To Pdogg