Two members of BTS have described starting a song from opposite ends.
In a Weverse Magazine interview published on July 30, 2021, RM said that "the starting point when I’m making music has to be the lyrics". Less than three months earlier, in a Rolling Stone cover story published on May 19, 2021, SUGA described his usual order the other way round: "I create the beat first", then the melody and rap, and the lyrics last.
That contrast is worth looking at closely, partly because it's narrower than it first sounds. This article sets out what each interview says, then compares one part of their birth charts, Mercury, as a separate layer of symbolism. The chart doesn't explain how either of them writes, and nothing here suggests it does.
What RM said in July 2021
The Weverse conversation wasn't a how-to. RM was talking about a period when songs came slowly. He said he couldn't think of lyrics as quickly as he used to, and that he'd been working on a mixtape since 2019 without finishing many tracks.
In that context he said he had no choice but to write first. He then turned to Yoongi, SUGA's given name, and wondered aloud how he made so many songs so well. RM suggested the difference might be that Yoongi works from a producer's point of view, which RM said he couldn't do. He described himself as envious, and in the same breath said lyrics had to be his own starting point.
Two things are easy to lose here. First, this is RM describing himself at one moment, during a slow stretch, not laying down a permanent method. Second, his comment about SUGA is admiration and a guess ("maybe"), not a description SUGA gave of himself.
What SUGA said in May 2021
Asked about his usual songwriting process, SUGA started with a caveat: the process is really different for every song. Sometimes a single word comes to him and he builds on it. Sometimes someone asks for a song to develop in a particular way. Often a theme is agreed first and the work grows freely from there.
Only after that did he describe what he generally does: beat first, then melody and rap, then lyrics.
So "beat first" is SUGA's general pattern, in his own words, alongside three named exceptions. Two of those exceptions, a word and a theme, are close to where RM says he has to begin. The two accounts overlap more than a "lyrics person versus beat person" headline would suggest.
Where the contrast holds, and where it doesn't
What the two interviews support:
- RM, in 2021, said lyrics had to be his starting point.
- SUGA, in 2021, said he generally builds the beat before the words, and that this varies by song.
- RM saw SUGA's producer viewpoint as a possible reason for the difference.
What they don't support:
- That either approach is better, faster or more creative.
- That either man works the same way today. Both interviews are from 2021.
- That this is how they divide work inside BTS. Neither interview describes their joint writing sessions.
- That everyone who writes lyrics first, or beats first, shares anything else with them.
The birth charts: a separate layer
Lunara's profiles for both men use dates and places from public records, with no birth time for either. RM was born on September 12, 1994, in Dongjak District, Seoul. SUGA (Min Yoon-gi) was born on March 9, 1993, in Daegu.
Because the times are unknown, these comparisons use only placements that stay in the same sign for the whole local birth day. The Sun and Mercury qualify for both.
RM: Sun in Virgo, Mercury in Libra
RM's Sun is in Virgo and his Mercury has moved on into Libra, the next sign.
In astrological tradition, Mercury is the planet of language, naming and how ideas are put together. Mercury in Libra is associated with weighing options, looking for the fair or balanced phrasing, and thinking in relation to another person. With the Sun in Virgo just behind it, the symbolism adds an emphasis on refining and correcting.
SUGA: Sun and Mercury together in Pisces
SUGA's Sun and Mercury are both in Pisces, and they sit very close together. Mercury was also retrograde on his birth day, meaning it appeared to move backwards from Earth's point of view.
Mercury in Pisces is traditionally linked with thinking through images, mood and association rather than step-by-step argument. Astrologers often read a retrograde Mercury as attention that turns back over material: revisiting, reworking, returning to an idea later.
What this comparison can and can't do
It's tempting to line these up with the interviews: Libra's careful phrasing next to "lyrics first", Pisces' mood and atmosphere next to "beat first". That matching is exactly what this article won't do.
The interview evidence stands on its own, without any astrology. Mercury placements are a vocabulary for asking questions, not a record of anyone's working method. Plenty of people with Mercury in Libra start with a rhythm, and plenty with Mercury in Pisces start with a sentence. The chart doesn't explain RM's lyrics, SUGA's productions, their talent or their working relationship.
A note on uncertainty: both birth times are unknown, so this piece leaves out the Rising sign, houses, the exact Moon and anything that depends on degrees. Their full profiles show what holds across each birth day.
Two ways to start your next draft
The useful part of these interviews isn't who does what. It's that a draft can begin at either end, and that the same person can begin differently on different days. SUGA said as much.
Try both starts on whatever you're making next, whether that's a song, a speech, a short story or a toast. Give each one about ten minutes.
Part one: words first.
- Write the one sentence the piece has to say. Not a title. A sentence you'd be unhappy to cut.
- Underline the single word in it that carries the most weight.
- Now ask: what length, pace or shape would let that word land? Sketch the structure only after you've answered.
Part two: structure first.
- Before writing any words, decide the frame. How long is it? How many sections? Where does it get louder or quieter, faster or slower? Draw it as empty boxes, or tap out a rhythm.
- Mark the one box where the most important thing should happen.
- Now write only the words for that box, and see what the frame asks for.
Afterwards, compare the two drafts. Which start gave you more to work with this time? Which felt easier, and was "easier" the same as "better"? Your answer can change with the next piece. Neither result says anything fixed about you, and neither is predicted by your chart.
If you want a chart-based angle on the exercise, look up your own Mercury sign and ask one plain question of it: does that description match how you actually start, or the opposite? Either answer is fine.
Explore further
The full date-only profiles are at RM's natal chart and SUGA's natal chart. You can calculate your own free birth chart to find your Mercury sign; add a birth time and city if you have them.
If you'd like to see how a written natal reading handles placements like these, start with the sample natal reading, which uses fictional birth details. If you want your own, there's an optional paid personal birth chart reading. It's an automated, written interpretation of your own chart, not a reading made for RM or SUGA, and not a measure of creative ability. What's included and the price are shown before you buy.
Text written with AI assistance. Interview material is quoted and paraphrased from Weverse Magazine (July 30, 2021) and Rolling Stone (May 19, 2021). The positions are calculated, not estimated.