Japanese singer and Sandaime J Soul Brothers vocalist ØMI has spoken about working with BTS’ Suga for his single ‘You’.

In a recent interview with Billboard, ØMI – real name Hiroomi Tosaka – opened up about the release of response to ‘You’, which was produced by BTS’ Suga. The singer credited the South Korean rapper and producer for the success of the track, which was released back in October.

“‘You’ has found a global audience, and that’s entirely due to SUGA,” said ØMI, who explained that the K-pop star had “widened the gate” for the song. “Having said that, it wouldn’t have been such a broad success if the music wasn’t good and if there weren’t so many people around the world who decided to give it a chance.”

The singer went on to talk about Suga’s artistry and why he had wanted them to work together. “He conveys the light and darkness of the soul through his music, and expresses music as art,” he said of the BTS member. “He’s like me, in that sense.”

He also noted that he had been “keeping tabs” on the rapper’s work for sometime now. “His message struck a chord with me,” ØMI shared. “I thought his approach would mesh with mine […] and when I suggested we work together, he readily accepted.”

In other BTS news, vocalist V has unveiled a preview of his upcoming solo song, ‘Christmas Tree’. The track is part of the official soundtrack for the ongoing K-drama series Our Beloved Summer, starring Parasite’s Choi Woo-shik and Itaewon Class’ Kim Da-mi.