SEOUL: From an underground rapper in Seoul to the voice at the helm of a group that turned BTS into a household name across continents, Kim Nam-joon has spent more than a decade growing up in the glare of the global spotlight.
Known to millions as RM, the 32-year-old leader has been at the heart of BTS since its earliest blueprint, helping steer the group from its hip-hop beginnings to unprecedented heights in the global music scene.
RM was the first member recruited by Big Hit Entertainment in 2010, when BTS existed only as an ambitious hip-hop project built around his rap abilities. The seven-member group eventually debuted in 2013 with “No More Dream,” with RM emerging as its leader, main rapper and one of its defining creative voices.
Now, on his 32nd birthday, RM is giving fans a glimpse of what could be the next movement in his musical story. During a birthday livestream Saturday, he revealed that he is preparing to return to songwriting.
“I’m just about to start writing music again, I don’t know where to start. But I think it’s about time,” he told fans.
The remark was brief, but for an artist whose lyrics have long served as a window into his changing perspective, it carries the possibility of something new
Jin celebrates RM with birthday tribute
RM’s birthday also brought a wave of affection from his BTS bandmates.
Jin shared a selfie with RM on his personal social media account on Saturday, writing, “Happy Birthday Bro.”
The simple message reflected the longstanding friendship between the two members, who have shared BTS’ rise from a young hip-hop group to one of the biggest names in music.
V, Jung-Kook and J-Hope also joined the celebrations on Instagram, sharing photos and birthday wishes for RM. Their posts gave fans another glimpse of the bond between the seven members as they continue navigating individual activities while preparing for BTS’ next chapter.
Underground rapper to BTS leader
Before BTS became a global phenomenon, RM was already developing his identity as an underground rapper under the name Runch Randa.
His talent eventually caught the attention of Big Hit Entertainment, making him the company’s first recruit for what would become BTS. As the group took shape around him, RM’s role expanded beyond performing, with his writing and creative input becoming an important part of BTS’ music.
The group made its official debut on June 13, 2013, with “No More Dream,” beginning a career that would take the seven members far beyond their original hip-hop roots.
RM’s fluency in English also became an important part of BTS’ international presence. He has previously credited the sitcom “Friends” with helping him learn the language, watching all 10 seasons first with Korean subtitles, then English subtitles and eventually without subtitles.
A solo career built on introspection
Beyond BTS, RM’s music has become a window into the person behind the global star. Across his solo releases, he has written about loneliness, fame, identity, love, frustration and the uneasy process of growing up while millions of people are watching.
His 2018 mixtape mono. remains one of the clearest examples of that introspective side. “Tokyo” immediately places listeners inside a darker state of mind, with RM questioning existence, mortality and the isolation that can accompany a life lived under constant attention.
Built around a restrained, melancholic sound, the track feels almost like a late-night conversation with himself, ending on an eerie whistle that leaves its emotions unresolved.
If “Tokyo” feels distant, “Seoul” brings RM closer to home. Playing on the connection between “Seoul” and “soul,” he captures the complicated relationship he has with the city that shaped him. He expresses both love and frustration, turning Seoul into more than a setting it becomes a reflection of his own identity.
Then comes “Moonchild,” where the night is no longer something to escape. Instead, RM turns darkness into a place of freedom. The song speaks to people who feel more comfortable after sunset than in the brightness of everyday life, offering reassurance that being different does not mean being broken.
That search for freedom takes on a larger scale in “Wild Flower.” Rather than glorifying the fame that came with BTS’ success, RM confronts the pressure that surrounds it. Beneath the celebrity image is someone still trying to understand what kind of life he actually wants.
The song becomes a meditation on ambition, exhaustion and the desire to exist without constantly having to perform.
By the time of Right Place, Wrong Person, RM’s introspection had developed a harder edge.
“Groin” is one of his most direct and confrontational tracks, stripping away the careful restraint often associated with his public image.
He addresses criticism, expectations and the relentless scrutiny surrounding his position, allowing frustration to come through with little disguise.
On “LOST!”, however, uncertainty takes a more playful form. The song follows someone moving through life without knowing exactly where he is headed.
Its energetic sound contrasts with its underlying uncertainty, creating a tension between wanting to move forward and not knowing what lies ahead. For RM, being lost does not necessarily mean being defeated; sometimes it simply means continuing the search.
“Come Back to Me” carries that search into a quieter space. Rather than offering a clean answer to questions about identity and belonging, RM lets the contradictions remain.
The song feels like an unfinished conversation with himself one where acceptance comes not from solving everything, but from learning to live with uncertainty.
His anger comes to the forefront in “Joke,” one of his more aggressive early solo tracks. His delivery is sharp and relentless as he pushes back against critics and the expectations placed on him. The song captures a side of RM that is less diplomatic and far more willing to confront the people and pressures attempting to define him.
Turning criticism into confidence
That same defiance can be heard in “Ddaeng,” the BTS track known for its intricate Korean wordplay. RM takes the expression “ddaeng,” which carries several meanings in Korean, and turns it into a weapon against those who once doubted BTS.
Rather than simply responding to criticism, he transforms it into proof of how far the group has come. The track captures a recurring theme in RM’s writing: taking something meant to diminish him or BTS and turning it into a source of confidence.
Meanwhile, “Stop The Rain,” his collaboration with Tablo, moves into considerably darker territory. The song confronts emotional exhaustion and pain while maintaining a sense that difficult periods can eventually pass. It adds another layer to RM’s catalogue, showing how openly he can approach vulnerability when the subject demands it.
Taken together, these songs create more than a collection of solo tracks. They form a musical record of RM growing up in public from the loneliness and uncertainty of mono. to the sharper self-questioning of Right Place, Wrong Person.
Behind the polished image of BTS’ leader is an artist who has repeatedly used music to question fame, challenge expectations and make sense of the person he is still becoming.
A solo career earning major recognition
RM’s journey beyond BTS has brought him recognition on some of music’s biggest stages. In 2025, he made history at the American Music Awards, winning Favorite K-Pop Artist and becoming the first Korean solo artist to claim an AMA on his own after previously winning as part of BTS. The milestone added another major achievement to a solo career that has increasingly established RM as an artist in his own right.
His music and visual work have also attracted international attention. The “LOST!” music video won Best Production Design in a Video and Best Alternative Video –International at the 2024 UK Music Video Awards, while the CICLOPE International Festival of Craft recognized the project with two Gold and two Bronze awards.
His other releases earned further honors, with “Groin” taking Golden Rap Performance of the Year and “Come Back to Me” winning the Golden Underground Record Award at the Pop Golden Awards.
The momentum continued in 2025, when RM collected four honors at the Shark Music Video Awards, including Best Music Video (Grand Prix) and Best Direction for “LOST!” He also received the Special Award – Hip-Hop at the Hanteo Music Awards.
But RM’s influence is not measured only in trophies. In 2018, he received South Korea’s Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit as a member of BTS. With more than 230 songwriting credits registered with the Korea Music Copyright Association, RM has also built a reputation as one of the group’s most prolific writers, making his legacy extend far beyond the stage and into the music itself.
RM’s artistic world extends beyond music
RM’s creative interests have also reached into the visual arts. His visits to museums and galleries have become so closely associated with him that fans adopted the term “Namjooning” to describe his habit of spending free time surrounded by art, books and culture.
His interest in the arts has increasingly become part of his public identity, adding another dimension to an artist already known for combining music with literature, philosophy and visual culture.
RM’s time away from the stage also brought an unexpected addition to his musical repertoire.
He enlisted for mandatory military service in December 2023 and served with the 15th Infantry Division’s military band, where he learned to play the saxophone.
During his service, RM also welcomed Jin back after the oldest BTS member completed his military duty. RM and V were discharged in June 2025. With his birthday livestream hinting at a return to songwriting, RM appears ready to begin another chapter of his musical career.
He also told fans that he hopes to meet them “as many as I can” across different continents, adding to anticipation surrounding BTS’ future activities. For an artist who has spent years turning personal experiences into music, his latest message may be simple but it signals that RM’s next story is already beginning to take shape.
