BTS leader RM opened up about how he’s feeling as the group prepares for its first comeback in four years.
In a video interview released on April 14 by U.S. music outlet Rolling Stone, RM spoke candidly about the complicated emotions and inner thoughts he’s experiencing ahead of the release of BTS’ fifth studio album, "ARIRANG".
“Extreme stress and joy come at the same time,” he said. “I’m fine in the morning, but at night I get gloomy and anxious. I used to love nights, but now it’s the opposite.” He continued, “I’m nervous and scared. I want to say everything is ready, but I’d rather be honest. I hope I get better, but there’s still fear.”
His love for music remains unshaken. “Music is always like my roots,” RM shared. “I listened to a lot of albums during my military service, and I think I’ve fallen even more in love with music now. Time felt so long back then, but I found comfort by repeating a single line from a song.” He emphasized how music played a healing role for him.
Asked “What is BTS?”, he said it’s still a work in progress. “I still don’t really know. I think speaking through music is the right way,” he answered. “This album is still blurry, but it could be one answer to explain who BTS is right now.” He added that it holds “universal emotions like love, loss, and longing.”
RM, who began as a hip-hop rapper and debuted with BTS, has explored a range of genres. On the difference between solo and group work, he said, “In BTS, there are roles and responsibilities, but as a solo artist I could express hidden thoughts more freely. There were parts I loved and parts I disliked while promoting, but I didn’t deny those feelings―I tried to turn them into music.”
Still, he reaffirmed his commitment to team activities. “It’s important to keep challenging ourselves. If we stop challenging ourselves, there’s no reason to exist as a team. We have to keep showing something new,” he stressed.
Military service also reshaped his attitude as an artist. “Hitting rock bottom mentally actually helped me,” RM said. “I’ve recovered a lot now, but that memory makes me stronger.” On staying present, he added, “I want to live in the moment, but so many things distract me. I try, consciously, to focus on the now.”
He closed with a message to anyone going through a hard time: “I’m still fighting too. I haven’t completely gotten out of it―I’m in the process of accepting it,” he said. “But what I want to say is, life itself is enjoyable. Being alive is better.”
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)
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