[magazine kave=Lee Tae-rim reporter]
On stage, RM always steps forward with 'words' first. Rap is ultimately a sport of language, and the moment language moves the heart, a leader is born. Kim Nam-joon’s beginning was not a grand myth but the sentences scribbled alone in classrooms and on desks. Born on September 12, 1994, in Seoul and raised in Ilsan, he was an unusually reading child. He collected words and deconstructed sentences, understanding the world in a unique way. Known as a good student, for him, 'smartness' was closer to frustration than pride. He had many questions piling up in his heart, and the outlet for those questions was music. He began writing rap in middle school and learned the atmosphere of the stage while working in the underground hip-hop scene under the name 'Runch Randa'. Through exchanges with the crew 'Daenamhyup' and collaborations with fellow rappers, he chose to be recognized by 'sentences' rather than the bravado of his peers. He was a rapper who nurtured thoughts rather than just amplifying sounds on the beat.
In 2010, he joined Big Hit Entertainment. It’s hard to believe when thinking of the current BTS, but that choice was not a safe path at the time. While his friends talked about college and career paths, he welcomed dawn in the practice room, overhauling his imperfect pronunciation and breathing. His debut was in June 2013. A team with an unfamiliar and rough concept, lacking both capital and infrastructure. In that gap, Kim Nam-joon began to be called 'leader'. Leadership is not a born trait but arises from the role the team needs. When the members were embracing their anxieties, he was the first to grasp the lyrics. He organized the direction of the songs backstage, explained the team's logic in interviews, and took responsibility for the awkwardness in front of the camera. RM right after his debut was more desperate than glamorous. That’s why fans loved that desperation. The gaze rushing towards 'it must be done' resembled the faces of those with nameless dreams.
Even after his debut, he did not let go of his studies. Amidst busy activities, he completed his bachelor’s degree majoring in broadcasting and entertainment at an online university, and later enrolled in a master’s program in advertising and media. Although the label of 'studying idol' followed him, what he truly grasped was not the education itself but the 'way of understanding'. When encountering new genres, he dug into their history and context, and when visiting unfamiliar cities, he first observed the language of the streets. Thus, even if his lyrics start from a personal diary, they always contain coordinates of society and culture.
BTS began to enter the public eye in earnest around 2015. Music that placed the anxieties, anger, and growing pains of youth at the forefront gradually gained response, and the team expanded its narrative with each album. When the series of 'The Most Beautiful Moment in Life' captured the feelings of wandering tightly, RM's lyrics became the backbone of the story. During the 'Wings' period in 2016, desires, temptations, and self-reflection became intertwined in more complex structures, and in 2017, with 'DNA', the door to the global market swung wide open, and the team began to be referred to as the standard of a 'global group' in an instant. During that time, RM's role became even heavier. He stood at the forefront of English interviews and had to explain the reason for the team singing in Korean on the world stage. Even when the big message of 'Love Yourself' spread worldwide in 2018, RM firmly structured the sentences to ensure that 'self-love' did not become an empty slogan. After 2019, as stadium tours continued, and during 2020 with 'Dynamite' and in 2021 with 'Butter', while confirming his name at the center of global pop music, he was both a 'leader' and a 'chronicler'. In interviews, he spoke of context instead of catchphrases and tried to embrace not only the emotions of the fandom but also the questions of the public. In November 2017, he changed his stage name from 'Rap Monster' to 'RM', judging that the former no longer represented him.
From then on, RM took a step back from the linear image of 'Rap Monster' and began to establish a broader spectrum of himself. Reducing his name did not diminish his presence. Rather, within the two letters 'RM', a rapper, writer, leader, and a young man could coexist. Fans read that change as 'growth', and the public confirmed that he was an artist renewing his self-definition rather than chasing trends.
As his career grew, he chose a simpler name and began to tackle more complex worlds. The playlist 'mono.' released in 2018 quietly unfolded the loneliness after success. In songs like 'seoul' and 'everythingoes', he sang about the loneliness that becomes clearer as one becomes more famous, overlaying the city with himself. The first regular solo album 'Indigo', released in December 2022, was a work fitting the word 'record'. It was a整理 of the things he loved, the time he had passed, and a preparation for moving on to the next chapter. While broadening his scope through collaborations, he did not lose his center. In the same year, BTS released 'Proof' and temporarily slowed down the pace of team activities. It was a choice overlapping with each member's time and military service reality.
On December 11, 2023, RM enlisted in the military and served in the Army's 15th Division Military Band in Gangwon Province. Even when the stage stopped, the work did not cease. In May 2024, he will release his second solo regular album 'Right Place, Wrong Person', which will be based on the grammar of hip-hop but will prominently feature alternative textures, dissonant beauty, and a wavering self. The documentary 'RM: Right People, Wrong Place' will be first unveiled in the Open Cinema section of the Busan International Film Festival in October 2024, closely reflecting the pace of Kim Nam-joon, the human, rather than musician RM. As that work leads to a global release starting in December of the same year, audiences will face the face of a creator who examines himself behind the glamour.
The phrase he spoke while holding the microphone, 'Let’s love ourselves', is not just a simple slogan but a summary of the narrative the team has walked. As overseas awards and broadcasts continued, when referred to as an existence beyond the genre name 'K-pop', RM always explained one step ahead. In the face of questions from unfamiliar cultures, he did not act defensively but carefully unraveled why such music came about. That attitude changed the team's image. It was a task of placing the words 'writer' and 'artist' on top of the preconceived notions of the word 'idol'. In fact, many of BTS's songs are deeply infused with RM's participation in writing and composing. It influenced not only the rap parts but also the hook's sentences, the song's themes, and the flow of the album. Even while the world cheered for them, he often said, 'We are still learning.' That humility returned as affection from the fandom and remained as trust in him as a 'growing star'.
The reason the public loved RM is not simply because he is a 'leader'. His popularity began with 'the ability to explain' and was completed with 'empathetic sentences'. As BTS's music expanded to the world, RM translated the themes of that music into his own language each time. When speaking of the anger of youth, he posed questions to society, and when speaking of love, he embraced both self-hatred and recovery. The song 'Spring Day' remains as a sense of collective memory beyond the elegy of parting due to the restraint in word choice. When 'Blood Sweat & Tears' created a fable of desire and growth, and when 'Black Swan' confronted the fears of an artist, his lyrics built structures without exaggerating emotions. Thus, listeners feel, 'It feels like my story.' A precise line of text, rather than exaggerated comfort, tends to linger longer in the heart.
In his solo work, that love is revealed in more subtle textures. The calmness of 'mono.' was not 'a night of a famous person' but 'a night of a person'. 'Indigo' sounded like a sample of 'the process of becoming an adult'. An attitude that does not fear colors fading but rather seeks true beauty in faded colors. In 'Right Place, Wrong Person', he repeatedly asks, 'Where am I standing now?', unfolding the anxiety of youth without answers in a mature way. He does not hide his weaknesses but openly reveals them. There is a point where that honesty extends beyond the fandom to the public. This is also why RM is not consumed merely as a 'studying idol'. He shows 'thought' rather than flaunting knowledge. He reads books, writes thoughts, and translates those feelings back into melodies and rhymes. When that attitude aligns with the title of 'leader', people accept him not just as a simple star but as 'the voice of the era'.
Another aspect of his popularity comes from 'honest humor'. Rather than portraying a perfect hero on stage, RM has turned mistakes and awkwardness into laughter by acknowledging them himself. Words that ease tense members, a sentence that organizes the atmosphere, and an attitude that balances not to overheat fans' emotions continue even off-screen. He does not hide his shakiness in front of the public but does not shift that shakiness onto others. That sense of responsibility has created the reputation of a 'trustworthy leader'.
His actions outside the stage have also expanded his worldview. He has long built an image of an art enthusiast by visiting galleries and appreciating works, and in 2023, he was selected as the ambassador for an Italian luxury brand, showing his presence in the fashion realm. Right after his discharge in June 2025, he began public activities as the global ambassador for Samsung's 'Art TV' at Art Basel held in Basel, Switzerland, showcasing a scene where 'taste' becomes 'work'. The core remains the same. What he likes, why he likes it, and how he conveys those feelings in words. Ultimately, RM's weapon is still 'language'.
On June 10, 2025, he returned to society after completing his military service. At the discharge site, he said, "I am Sergeant Kim Nam-joon of the 15th Division Military Band. I have been discharged today. I am finally out," exhaling a long breath. That one line contained both the reality of someone who endured difficult times and a promise to stand on stage again. After his discharge, RM chose to organize direction rather than flaunt speed. He is carefully adjusting the timetable for the team to reunite, the breath of individual creativity, and the temperature of the sentences he can 'now' say.
On March 20, 2026, BTS announced a full group comeback with a new album, and plans for a world tour were also revealed after the comeback. For RM, 2026 is the next era of the team before his next personal work. As a leader, he must once again explain 'why we sing'. At the same time, he will continue to pose questions in his own name. Just like his history of completing his undergraduate studies in broadcasting and entertainment and pursuing a graduate program in advertising and media, he is someone who understands music as the language of industry. However, he is not the type to only leave calculations. Rather, he is closer to capturing emotions at the end of calculations and fixing them in sentences so that they do not scatter.
The amount of 'sentences' he has left is already vast. Just the songwriting and composing credits registered with the Korean Music Copyright Association exceed 200 songs, intricately intertwined with the team's title tracks, included songs, members' solos, and collaborations with external artists. The numbers are not what matter. It is because so many songs can be tied together with one question. 'Who am I, and where are we going?'
If RM's future can be summarized in one word, it is 'expansion'. Starting as a rapper, he has broadened his boundaries as a lyricist, producer, and cultural spokesperson, and within that expansion, he always leaves himself 'unfinished'. He does not speak as a completed person but is honest like a wavering person. That honesty makes people love him for a long time. The reason the world pays attention to him is not just because of his 'global popularity'. It is because RM has consistently proven that thoughts written in Korean can connect with the emotions of the world. Now spring is coming. With what words will he start the first sentence of that spring?
His next sentence will likely not be a grand declaration but a gentle summary of the time that has passed. And that one line may help countless people endure their day again. RM has always prioritized the meaning of the song over himself, even in the spotlight. Therefore, the stage in 2026 will not be a 'comeback' but another 'proof'. It is quite clear.