MRIthe leader of btsthe most famous k-pop band, confessed it Rosalía is her favorite singer and would like to collaborate with her, but cannot consider future projects because he will soon be doing his compulsory military service in South Korea.
It will be a sharp break in his meteoric musical career, something that has plunged him into “chaos”, as he acknowledged in an interview with the EFE news agency in Barcelona.
He adds that he is going through “a difficult time on a human level” because, after ten years of frantic activity with his gang, military service has forced them to stop everything.
But Kim Nam-joon, better known by his stage name RM, he wants to be positive and states that this circumstance “can benefit him as an artist”, because “some great works are born in personally chaotic moments”.
“When you are famous, staying on top is very difficult,” he admits, “but I think BTS will understand that. They will meet again when we finish our military service and look for new synergies between us to enter a second stage. . Also if, in any case, nothing is eternal”.
Speaking of Rosalía, he adds that she is a very famous and very influential star: all the members of BTS “like her very much and respect her a lot”. When asked if he would like to collaborate with her, Kim Nam-joon replies without hesitation: “If you want, I want too.”
Second solo album
After releasing his most personal album late last year, Indigoand looking for inspiration for a second solo album, RM traveled this week for the first time to Spain, a country where the “boy band” has never performed.
Their 2020 world tour, in which they wanted to reach the few corners of the world they hadn’t yet set foot in, was canceled due to the pandemic.
“I chose Spain to travel with my family because I have non-famous friends who have told me it’s a great place,” she explains.
“I wanted to see works by Goya, Velázquez and Picasso for inspiration and I’ve been to the Prado and other museums,” he adds during his visit to Barcelona, where he was struck by the Sagrada Familia basilica, by the Spanish architect Gaudí. First he passed through Madrid and also Bilbao.
“I came to Spain because of my love for your work and if someone enters the culture of my country through my songs, it’s an honor that makes me happy,” he comments.
Military service
In South Korea, 18 months of military service is mandatory before the age of 30 e the oldest member of BTS, Jin, has already enlisted, as well as the rest of the members at the end.
This caused the line-up to be temporarily disbanded at its peak, inactivity which RM took advantage of to publish Indigoa first solo album in which he breaks free from the strict rules of juggling by being the main champion of k-pop and looking for his own identity.
“After ten years as a member of BTS, I didn’t know who I was and I wanted to know,” she says. “I started out as a teenage rapper, then BTS came along and it was all very intense, and now that the group is inactive, I’ve been thinking about the beginnings and the real reasons why I joined BTS.”
This reflection led him to question the meaning of a musical career that is always in step with trends.
Free yourself from fads
“K-pop and k-drama are all the rage she points out, so that, ironically, I’m at the heart of the trend at a time when I feel the need to get out of that influence and have time to think and create with a more timeless look.”
The first result of this reflection is this crammed disk stellar collaborations which crosses hip-hop, neo-soul, r&b, folk, electronic music and urban pop, and in which he assures that he does not recognize himself in the character that social networks and fame have created.
But he doesn’t deny everything, he’s proud that many people have come into contact with Korean culture thanks to his music and feels responsible for “marking a good path so that those who follow it feel comfortable”.
Source: Clarin
