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BTS' RM, a.k.a Kim Nam-joon, recently released his solo album Indigo, which has received lots of love and praise from listeners worldwide.
The rapper also released a magazine film for Indigo, in which he detailed his objectives concerning the album, the creative process involved in its production, and the motivation and significance of the album's cover.
Indigo's minimalistic cover shows the musician sitting in a brightly lit room that contains only a stool with a pile of his jeans on it and a painting hanging on the wall.
Since the album serves as a record of the BTS leader's younger years, the jeans can be interpreted as a representation of him through the years.
Meanwhile, the painting is the work of the late South Korean artist Yun Hyong-keun, who has been an inspiration for RM, an art enthusiast. So much so that he named the tracklist Blues after the painting.
In the magazine film, the BTS leader explained that he chose the painting because it was the last artwork to be released before the artist found his signature style, just as the album Indigo is an attempt by RM to discover his.
RM reveals "first reference" for Indigo was artist Yun Hyong-keun
RM revealed in the video that Yun Hyong-keun was his "first reference" for Indigo, and the album's first track Yun is also named after him.
The lyrics of the chorus, "I want to be a human/ 'Before I do some art," reflect the artists' belief that art comes from the heart after one has lived and experienced life to the fullest. RM elaborated:
"He (the artist) always said you have to be human first/ Don’t try to do art, just have fun, savoring all the sorrows and joys of life.”
Neo-soul legend Erykah Badu who featured in the hip-hop song, said it was like a throwback to the 90s and made her think of the colors blue and burgundy. She added:
"I just thought it was really fresh. It was a departure from what we are hearing right now today."
Meanwhile, the BTS leader performed Yun and Still Life, a b-side track from the album, at the Tiny Desk Concert of NPR Music, an American public radio station. The video has gained 2 million views since its release.
Indigo makes record-breaking Spotify debut
The artist-inspired album gained over 20.6 million streams on the first day, making it the biggest debut for an album by a Korean solo artist in Spotify's global chart history.
Peaking at No. 7 worldwide, the moonchild singer became the highest-debuting Korean soloist on the global Spotify charts and U.S. charts, where he entered at No.31.
The title track, Wild Flower, was the album's most popular number, debuting at No. 13 on the global Spotify chart with over 3.6 million streams.
