BTS RM aka Kim Namjoon leads one of the most popular Kpop groups in the world- BTS. The rapper has time and again said that while they have earned global recognition and applause; they have worked really hard to be on the top. RM also claimed that even though being a BTS member is like having a crown on their head but it also has a certain weight and sense of responsibility attached to it. In a recent interview with El Pais, Kim Namjoon further elaborated on his journey with BTS and how the Kpop culture is taking over the world rapidly.
When asked about the youth worship and the idea of perfection that overstrains the Kpop culture, BTS RM confirmed that life in Korea is stressful but rightly so because people have to work hard. He said, “People in the West just don’t get it. Korea is a country that has been invaded, devastated, torn in two. Just seventy years ago there was nothing. We were getting help from the IMF and the UN. But now, the whole world is looking at Korea. How is that possible, how did that happen? Because people are working really hard to improve themselves. You are in France or the UK, countries that have been colonizing others for centuries, and you come to me with “oh God, you put so much pressure on yourselves, life in Korea is so stressful!”. Well, yes. That’s how you get things done. And it’s part of what makes K-pop so appealing. Although of course there are shadows, everything that happens too fast and too intensely has side effects.”
BTS RM also elaborated that over the years things changes for him as well as in the industry. He said that as he grew, his idea of fashion as well as reflection changed. He said, “I went through XXL t-shirts and baseball caps. Then I got into high-end brands… Like Rap Monster, I started wearing only black and white [rolls his eyes upward and shrugs his shoulders]. Now I’m into timelessness, I’m over trends, I’m looking for vintage jeans, cotton t-shirts, natural things that don’t scream “hey, I’m here!””
When asked about his rumoured collaboration with Bottega Veneta after he attended their fashion show in Milan, Kim namjoon said, “I would love to. Although I lost interest in brands fashion weeks, and that constant change of Pantone… Bottega is different, they don’t use logos, they have a history with fabrics and leather, they don’t even have Instagram, they are beyond fads.”
Finally, while talking about his solo career and if the band will split due to their mandatory military service, Kim Namjoon clarified that he will never leave the band. He said, “One aspect that needs to be made clear about this album is that, as much as the rumor mill may insist, it does not mean, by any stretch of the imagination, the end of the successful band. “Oh, I don’t plan to leave BTS. Absolutely not. It’s the first time I’m launching a solo project like this, so I’m trying to stand up and take my first steps.”
“But I’m ambitious and I have willpower. So I don’t want to miss the opportunity to do both. So I will try my best not to lose control and drive these two ships at the same time. A lot of bands split up and fall apart, but I hope that doesn’t happen to BTS. I just love the music, I love my job, I love the band members and I love myself. If I can keep both projects going, I think it can be something legendary in the long run,” he concludes.
