RM spreads wings of Indigo through solo flight in post-BTS world

Indigo - a hue of purplish-blue that lies between colors transcending time, much like Kim Namjoon. Coming to the end of his 20s, Kim, known by his stage name as RM of BTS,  illustrated this closure by painting his monochromatic world in Indigo. With 2023 marking a decade as leader of BTS, the worldwide sensation experienced both pain and happiness while trying to achieve a name for himself. From being on the brink of bankruptcy to shooting to the top of the Billboard charts, fame was unexpected, but it also forced RM to become both a spokesperson for the band as well as an ambassador for South Korea. 

In 2018, RM explored the loneliness of sitting at the top in his mixtape, mono. Although this loneliness still reflects in his newest release, RM no longer sings about being alone; he is joined by many artists as collaborators. While exploring vast genres of music, each entry is a song of reflection but also a story of hope for the future as the singer, songwriter, and producer moves on from his past. 

Opening the album, RM pays homage to late South Korean artist Yun Hyong-keun, whose monochromatic paintings combine both Korean and Western artistic styles. In “Yun,” featuring singer Erykah Badu, samples of Yun’s voice play over a beat similar to American 90s hip-hop and R&B, combining RM’s appreciation for his roots and also his inspiration into one song. The track itself begins a journey of reflection in Indigo, with RM rapping his intention of getting back in touch with the younger version of himself.

While aware that his life is on full display for the public, the upbeat hip-hop track “Still Life” (featuring Anderson.Paak) explores how he is still living, or “still alive,” and will live his life on his own terms without worrying about the past or the future. While a still life is a stationary image in a painting, RM decided to instead focus on how it still lives and how there is much more to life once moving away from the canvas. 

Many other artists appeared with RM on his album, such as Korean indie artist Kim Sawol on “Forg_tful'', a song focusing on the state of forgetfulness where things seen or heard are sparsely remembered or perhaps completely forgotten through time. Another indie artist who makes an appearance is Colder on the track “Hectic,” a song about the busy life of a public figure, especially as a singer. 

“Lonely” focuses on the fear of being famous; through the perspective of sitting in a hotel room, RM’s surroundings are unfamiliar, and he can’t help but feel so lonely in the room. “Closer,” a track featuring Mahalia and Paul Blanco, has RM yearning late at night for some kind of emotional closeness or even dependency in a romantic relationship. But with all the yearning and enduring change, “Change pt. 2” offers a bitter message of everything that has changed in his life, especially himself and how his environment feels all new to him.

As the album itself plays homage to his past self, it would not be complete without including influential artists within the K-Pop industry: Tablo, a member of the group Epik High, the band that interested him in the hip-hop genre, features on “All Day,” and Park Jiyoon, an artist who reached fame through her hit song, “Adult Ceremony,” which ultimately ruined her public image, features on the guitar ballad “No. 2.”

No album would be complete without a title track, and Indigo’s “Wildflower” mixes the theme of the album into perfect closure. While the past still haunts RM, he manages to still find hope through the image of an open field, a place where he can connect with his inner child to find his own purpose when life becomes too “Hectic.” The chorus of the song, sung by Youjeen, lead singer of the Korean rock band Cherry Filter, encourages RM to “shine across the sky” like a “flowerwork.” His decade of being in the spotlight encourages him to take it slowly, instead of a flame that quickly blows out especially as this dream of fame has worn him out.

A single pen became his microphone at a young age, which eventually evolved into a megaphone for millions of fans around the world to hear. When life became difficult, RM found himself through his own music, and Indigo shares his story for all to not only enjoy but to connect with. While his life is not as happy as expected in a public figure, RM can no longer say that his world is purely black and white; his life is instead decorated in all shades of Indigo. 

Grade: A

While life may seem black and white, Indigo proves that reflection adds more color to life, following a sense of closure to RM’s decade in the music industry. 
by Ruby Pluchinsky

Published January 30, 2023

Oshkosh West Index Volume 119 Issue 4