5 Reasons Why You Must Look Forward to RM’s Solo Album ‘Indigo’

If there’s one thing one must know about BTS’ ingenious 28-year-old leader RM, it’s his strive to remain as honest as he can with his music. He isn’t afraid to translate pages of his journals into music nor does he fumble when conveying the truth. For this rapper-songwriter, music is his superpower, helping him understand himself and the world around him; it’s how he navigates through the unfathomable rise to fame with the six other members of BTS and critiques society. Even though we may never be in a position to fully fathom what it takes to be an underground success story, shatter the glass ceiling and become synonymous with “superstar” in every language, we can always count on RM’s music to offer the reflections and introspections required to heal from within.

RM’s forthcoming solo album Indigo is poised to be one such record. “Record of RM: Indigo. From the colors of human, nature etc,” reads the minimalist, monochrome album cover. If you’re a fan of RM or a long admirer of BTS, it’s fairly easy to pick out his aesthetic flair from the cover itself. Indigo spans 10 tracks featuring artists from within and outside the borders of South Korea. Though the album is not RM’s first rendezvous with a solo project, it marks an important milestone in his artistic odyssey, becoming his first official solo album following the previously released playlist Mono (2018 ) and debut mixtape RM (2015).

There’s plenty to look forward to with Indigo’s release and here are five reasons why you must have the album on your radar.

1. Musings through the eyes of a 28-year old

As RM bids farewell to his twenties and steps into his thirties, Indigo could not have come at a better time. Over the past decade, RM alongside Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook have shattered the glass ceiling and left an indelible mark on the global pop industry and beyond. Stadium tours, Grammy nominations, award sweeps at national and international music award shows, owning the number one spot on the competitive Billboard Hot 100 chart on multiple occasions, being sworn in as presidential envoy and more; RM has spent the majority of his twenties leading arguably one of the biggest pop groups of the decade with elegance like none other. While the group has always been honest with their fans about their feelings either through their music, Weverse posts or livestreams, Indigo comprises stories from a 28-year-old popstar whose relationship with hip-hop began in 2002 at underground hip-hop cafes. This album has been in the making since 2019, a year before BTS would hit the gas pedal on their pop dominance courtesy of their official English single “Dynamite” and magnum opus Map of the Soul: 7. Though the BTS ARMY have pretty much seen RM gracefully age through his twenties, having the chance to experience the past decade through his sonic archive is bound to be an unforgettable experience.

2. A powerhouse of collaborations

In a Weverse post announcing his album, RM revealed how he’s gathered his friends on Indigo. The friends in question, you ask? The queen of neo-soul and four-time Grammy award-winning artist Erykah Badu, eight-time Grammy award-winning artist Anderson. Paak, Epik High’s frontman and one of the most sought-after rappers and lyricist Tablo, South Korean folk singer Kim Sawol, British-Jamaican R&B singer Mahalia and Korean-Canadian hip-hop artist Paul Blanco. But wait, there’s more. South Korean R&B singer Colde, rock band Cherry Filter’s vocalist Yoojeen and South Korean veteran singer Park Jiyoon are also credited as featuring artists on this album. And these are just the featuring artists; RM is credited with co-writing all of the tracks on the album with Pdogg (BTS’ frequent producer), Docskim, Honne, eAon and John Eun taking the lead on production aspects. Need we say more?

3. RM x Tablo

This one deserves a spot of its own! Tablo and RM’s relationship has beautifully blossomed from that of an idol-admirer to peers who seek inspiration from one another. Fun fact: both RM and Suga got into rapping after listening to Epik High’s “Fly.” The group’s influence and impact on the South Korean hip-hop space and a majority of the South Korean rappers we see today are indisputable. But what makes this collaboration worth the hype is the artistic synergy between the two. Both Tablo and RM have carved a name for themselves when it comes to poetic metaphors and a distinct rap flow. Seeing the two fuse their iridescent interpretation of life and everything it has to offer on a track is one of the biggest attractions of the album. In fact, it’s a collaboration the artist and fans have waited for for far too long. “This is only possible when someone has worked tirelessly to reach the level where quality is a given,” Tablo expressed in a tweet. Quoting the tweet of a fan with screenshots of Tablo talking about how he agreed to feature on the track without even listening to the song, the rapper explained how RM “did not worry at all about” what Tablo would deliver. 

4. A RM-only event

“Change Pt.2” (track 6) and “Lonely” (track 7) are the only tracks from the album that do not accommodate any featuring artists. Given that even on the production front, the collaborators are restricted to RM and eAon (“Change Pt. 2”) and Pdogg (“Lonely”), the two tracks appear to be intimate releases where RM will take the spotlight. Amongst the two, “Change pt.2” has piqued the interest of many and could possibly be a continuation of the March 2017 song “Change,” which saw RM and Nigerian-American rapper Wale discuss how socio-political issues such as cyberbullying, racism, failing education system and the public’s dwindling faith in the government is prevalent in both the East and the West. It’s been five years since the track was released on YouTube and SoundCloud and since then RM has arguably undergone a myriad of experiences that have altered how he perceives the world. Perhaps he’ll address these reflections on the track. And as far as “Lonely” goes, RM is not a stranger to the emotion and has extensively explored its complexities as both a member of BTS and as a solo artist. Now, after an illustrious decade in the business and finding a family in BTS, has RM’s definition of lonely changed? Well, the answers are right around the corner.

5. A record of RM’s archive in a “different” sonic package

Over the past decade, RM has journeyed across a vast terrain of genres and styles with BTS. The group easily has over 200 songs including their SoundCloud releases, each stemming from a distinct style and experience. Even with his solo releases such as the self-titled mixtape and Mono, RM has strived to explore styles that offer novelty without digressing too much from his established musicality. Now with Indigo, RM has gone on record saying that this album is very different from his past releases. Of course, lyrical candor is guaranteed; after all, this is a record inspired by the most dynamic decade of his life thus far. But the question arises, with so many styles yet to discover, how will RM embrace sonic diversity on this album? Now that will be interesting to find out!

Indigo and its lead single “Wild Flower” will be released tomorrow (December 2nd) at 2 PM KST (10:30 am IST). Watch the official teaser below