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Fans of BTS' RM came together to decode the actual meaning of his solo release track Closer from his debut album Indigo, which was released in December 2023. On September 26, 2025, fans of the BTS leader and main rapper flooded X (formerly Twitter), deciphering the intricate details of the song, suggesting that the lyrics could be a reflection of the unsaid conflict between an idol and their fans.
Despite BTS' RM himself raising the prospect in the video of Indigo Magazine Film on the official YouTube channel of BigHit Entertainment, Closer (feat. Paul Blanco & Mahalia) may be an examination of the conflict between a fan and their idol, serving as a challenge to idol culture and fan expectations. However, this interpretation of the song has not been extensively discussed among fans.
Fans specifically suggest that the last stanza, "staying where you are," may have been written from the standpoint of a fan who wishes their idol to never grow or shift but to stay the same.
"Interesting that this interpretation isn't discussed as much": Fans dig deeper into the tracks of the album Indigo by BTS' RM
Furthermore, the lyrical nuances of the track Change Pt. 2 is a reflection on the nature of change in itself—specifically, the lyric "Things change, people change, Everything change"—becomes considerably more potent as the fan wants the idol to remain as is, while the idol wants to develop and evolve.
"Things change, people change // Everything change, hmm // Love change, friends change // Everyone change, yeah // It is not strange, hmm // That's the world's shape..."— Change Pt.2 [Indigo]
Many believed that the song Closer (feat. Paul Blanco & Mahalia) was the artist's subtle allusion to when fans invaded their privacy. BTS' RM advises ARMY to "stay where you are" in terms of both distance (i.e., fans shouldn't invade BTS's privacy) and time (i.e., stay and be present forever) owing to the limits imposed by the nature of the industry.
Furthermore, the connection between this and BTS' RM's other track from the album Indigo—Still Life—in which he discusses how one moment in time is captured and how people keep going back to that frame despite time passing, which several ARMYs also recognized. The song also discusses trying to escape that situation while feeling as though it is always following you.
"I see you in red, blue, green": The lyrics from BTS' RM's song Closer also from an idol's view who can't meet their fans
This part of the lyrics relates to idealization, which occurs when a fan has an idealized vision of how their idol should be without acknowledging that it may not always be that way or that it may be altered. It also sheds light on how idols can see their fans through a screen as 'red, blue, green' also denotes the color format used during digital image processing.
"I keep you right next to me (to me, yeah) / Only just in my dream (in my dream) / I see you in red, blue, green (oh, no) / Don't wake me up from sleep / I think I'm losin' my grip (my grip) // Everything off the beam / Why you showed up in my life / Like this so sudden, oh, God no..."— Closer [Indigo]
Songs by artists are constantly up to interpretation. Therefore, many of BTS' RM's fans always have differing views on the concept of Closer (feat. Paul Blanco & Mahalia) being about the bittersweet relationship between an idol and his fans. Furthermore, the rest decipher the entirety of the album Indigo as an ongoing battle between Kim Namjoon in being his real self or donning his onstage persona as leader of BTS.
In other developments, the rapper and songwriter for Closer (feat. Paul Blanco & Mahalia) and Still Life hinted at his forthcoming album while remaining tight-lipped. As told by him on his last Weverse LIVE on September 14, 2023, the promotion for his upcoming album is expected to start as early as October 2023.
BTS' RM shared the artist contract renewal documents with BIGHIT MUSIC on his Instagram story update on September 20, 2023. Amid news of the BTS members enlisting in the military, this post and a previous report that they had renewed their exclusive contracts with their long-term agency buoyed fans' morale.
