Biography
Serving as BTS’s lead rapper and central figure, Kim Nam-joon—professionally known as RM—guided the K-pop juggernaut to international chart supremacy and historic milestones while simultaneously cultivating a parallel solo trajectory that began in 2015 with the release of his debut mixtape RM. He continued that thread in 2018 with Mono, which entered the international Top 30. His first proper studio album, Indigo, surfaced in 2022, followed just two years afterward by the sophomore full-length Right Place, Wrong Person. Beyond his own hip-hop-rooted output, RM has shared studio time with Warren G, Lil Nas X, Honne, and Fall Out Boy.
Hailing from Dongjak District, South Korea, the Seoul-based musician first encountered hip-hop through the Korean group Epik High and sharpened his English by watching the American sitcom Friends. Early performances under the alias Runch Randa led to a collaboration with fellow Korean rapper Zico. In 2010, Big Hit scouted him during auditions, making him the inaugural member of BTS. The lineup soon expanded to include Suga, J-Hope, Jin, Jimin, Jungkook, and V, and the seven quickly scaled the K-pop hierarchy, shattering U.S. chart barriers—including becoming the first Asian act to reach number one on the Billboard 200 with 2018’s Love Yourself: Tear—and filling arenas worldwide. Concurrently, RM issued his self-titled 2015 mixtape, which reached number 12 on the U.S. World Albums chart. Three years later, months after BTS secured their maiden Billboard 200 summit, he delivered Mono, improving on that placement with a number-two peak on the same tally. The Map of the Soul campaign kept BTS at the forefront of global attention into the new decade. During the 2021 BTS Festa, RM unveiled the standalone track “Bicycle.” The following year the group declared a temporary hiatus so members could focus on individual endeavors and fulfill mandatory military obligations. For RM, the pause yielded his official debut solo album Indigo, which arrived in December 2022 and included appearances by Erykah Badu and Anderson .Paak. In 2024 he previewed the follow-up Right Place, Wrong Person with the single “LOST!”; the album, released that May, also featured “Domodachi” with Little Simz and “Around the world in a day” with Moses Sumney. It climbed to number two on South Korea’s Circle Albums chart and number five on the Billboard 200.
Hailing from Dongjak District, South Korea, the Seoul-based musician first encountered hip-hop through the Korean group Epik High and sharpened his English by watching the American sitcom Friends. Early performances under the alias Runch Randa led to a collaboration with fellow Korean rapper Zico. In 2010, Big Hit scouted him during auditions, making him the inaugural member of BTS. The lineup soon expanded to include Suga, J-Hope, Jin, Jimin, Jungkook, and V, and the seven quickly scaled the K-pop hierarchy, shattering U.S. chart barriers—including becoming the first Asian act to reach number one on the Billboard 200 with 2018’s Love Yourself: Tear—and filling arenas worldwide. Concurrently, RM issued his self-titled 2015 mixtape, which reached number 12 on the U.S. World Albums chart. Three years later, months after BTS secured their maiden Billboard 200 summit, he delivered Mono, improving on that placement with a number-two peak on the same tally. The Map of the Soul campaign kept BTS at the forefront of global attention into the new decade. During the 2021 BTS Festa, RM unveiled the standalone track “Bicycle.” The following year the group declared a temporary hiatus so members could focus on individual endeavors and fulfill mandatory military obligations. For RM, the pause yielded his official debut solo album Indigo, which arrived in December 2022 and included appearances by Erykah Badu and Anderson .Paak. In 2024 he previewed the follow-up Right Place, Wrong Person with the single “LOST!”; the album, released that May, also featured “Domodachi” with Little Simz and “Around the world in a day” with Moses Sumney. It climbed to number two on South Korea’s Circle Albums chart and number five on the Billboard 200.
Albums
Singles
