As we enter the last month of 2022, music fans around the globe are busy analyzing each other's Spotify trends, tuning into all the major awards shows, and celebrating the albums that carried us through the year. Many K-Pop groups are wrapping up world tours, preparing for spring comebacks, and creating special Christmas content for their fans. BTS, however, is continuing on with solo projects as members of the group officially begin their enlistment period. They started with j-hope’s solo release in July, followed by Jin’s farewell single in October, and now the man who was there at the start of it all.

On Friday, December 2, 15 years after his career in music began, Kim Namjoon released a solo album to guide us into 2023. Join me in celebrating as we dive headfirst into Indigo, the last archive of RM’s twenties.

1. “Yun (with Erykah Badu)”

RM has made his growing love for art and poetry well-known over the past few years, making it no surprise to see them as recurring themes throughout his album. Indigo kicks off with a commentary on the lessons learned from his favorite artist and the sacrifices it takes to create something truly beautiful. The title “Yun” is derived from Yun Hyongkeun, a Korean artist well-known for his technique of blending earthy colors across fresh canvas and linen. Some of Yun’s beliefs that inspired RM are used as intro and outro narrations in the song. The lyrics mirror these narrations as RM raps about Yun’s advice to “be a human first.”

The opening track also features talented singer-songwriter and producer, Erykah Badu. She’s known for her ability to blend genres, creating songs that are a mix of R&B and contemporary soul with notes of jazz and hip-hop. Badu’s accolades have earned her the title “the Queen of Neo-Soul,” making her an honorable addition to the album.

2. “Still Life” (with Anderson .Paak)

RM’s discussion of art and life continues in “Still Life” with Anderson .Paak. The phrase “still life” is often used to describe an art form that contains inanimate objects, either naturally occurring or man-made. In the second track, RM uses still life art as an analogy for his life as a public figure. He describes the feeling of being captured in a frame and wanting to break free, to move, to change, to live. As an idol singer, RM has spent his entire adult life in the spotlight. His public persona has been captured forever in this metaphorical frame, binding the artist to every mistake and success of his past. He recently discussed this phenomenon in an interview with NME, sharing, “There are lots of regrets because my whole twenties were an exhibition. There are a lot of images and videos and pictures of my past online [...] too many memories I want to be forgotten […] sometimes it’s really horrible and scary. But it’s my destiny because I chose to be a star.” Nevertheless, RM is propelled forward and committed to leaving the past in the past– a point he drives home later in the album.

3. “All Day” (with Tablo)

For BTS fans, “All Day” is sure to provide a sweet sense of nostalgia. RM’s flow in the opening verse, along with the overall message of the song, is reminiscent of “So What” from BTS’s third album, Love Yourself轉 ‘Tear.’ The witty lyrics prompt listeners to stand up for what they believe in, fight back against oppressive systems, and focus on what makes them happy. It’s no secret that RM holds the featuring artist, Tablo, in high regard. In fact, Epik High’s 2006 song, “Fly,” initially inspired him to become a rapper – a fact he references in the line, “Whatever the world says, we fly high up.” Tablo also adds clever easter eggs throughout his verse, giving a nod to some of BTS’s greatest hits with the lyric, “We got dynamite in our DNA.”

4. “Forg_tful” (with Kim Sawol)

The next track provides an abrupt change in pace as RM slows it down with “Forg_tful” featuring Kim Sawol. It’s an acoustic folk song consisting of unplugged sounds like whistling, rubbing jeans, and drumming on his studio desk. The pair offer up sincere lyrics about numbing oneself to escape the overload of daily thoughts and responsibilities, resulting in forgetfulness and lost memories. They end in blissful harmony that feels like a warm embrace on your worst day. The relatable message and shift in tone make “Forg_tful” a stand-out track.

5. “Closer” (with Paul Blanco, Mahalia)

The 28-year-old singer-songwriter spices things up with “Closer.” Paul Blanco and Mahalia join the R&B track to sing about a relationship that feels distant even when they’re together. Each artist adds their own unique color while seamlessly melding together to create an incredibly pleasing track. RM’s voice is whiskey and honey; his husky tone fits the genre beautifully. “Closer” crawls under your skin and leaves you wanting more, which RM gladly delivers.

6. “Change pt.2”

“Change pt.2” feels like track five’s vengeful counterpart. It seems to pick up at the end of the relationship described in “Closer.” RM reflects on this person’s behavior and his own past actions during the verses while stating in the chorus, “Things change, people change, everything change.” It might sound a bit offbeat and rough around the edges, but these were all stylistic choices made by the artist himself. In his Indigo livestream, RM shared, “I recorded it without the beat, I drank a lot of alcohol and recorded this so my voice was drunk...” He also mentioned the recording was done in three minutes, resulting in a fervor that perfectly mirrors the bitter aftertaste of betrayal.

7. “Lonely”

“Change pt.2” and “Lonely” are the only tracks on Indigo without a featuring artist, but they definitely don’t feel bare in comparison. RM fills “Lonely” with upbeat guitar and passionate vocals, making for an equally satisfying and deceptive track. As the title proclaims, “Lonely” contains candid lyrics about feeling immense loneliness in a foreign place. The song yearns to return home, back to the comfort of familiar faces and recognizable streets. The brash honesty is quintessentially Namjoon, and its presence throughout the album makes each experience both relatable and remarkably intimate.

8. “Hectic” (with Colde)

“Hectic” provides a surprising, yet welcome, genre shift. RM experiments with city pop alongside fellow singer-songwriter and long-time friend Colde in the eighth track from Indigo. The sound is more popular among female singers, but the duo adds their own urban flare to create an up-tempo song about bustling life in the city. If “Closer” and “Change pt.2” are a double-edged sword, then “Hectic” is surely cut from the same cloth as “seoul” from RM’s 2018 release, mono. In the latter, RM sings about the pros and cons of living in Korea’s capital city, which became his new home after moving to pursue his career in music. The chorus contains the repeated lyric, “If love and hate are the same words, I love you, Seoul / I hate you, Seoul.” The connection between the two is made crystal clear in the final line, which the friends deliver in perfect sync: “We still love and hate this city.”

9. “Wild Flower” (with youjeen)

“Wild Flower” proves to be a fitting title track as it encompasses the struggles Namjoon has faced both as an individual and as RM of BTS over the past few years. From the COVID-19 pandemic that brought about the cancellation of their 2020 world tour, to losing his sense of identity amidst burnout and confusion, misunderstandings and prejudice, wanting to remove the mask of his public persona, questioning and forgetting his dreams in life, every emotion has surmounted to finally release in a healing bloom of “flowerworks.”

The song shares a title with a blog post made by RM in April 2017 where he offers a glimpse at tender moments from enjoying the last cherry blossoms of the season. He divulges candid stories of his parents and his internal struggles with writer's block before imparting us with wise words inspired by his mother:

“If my dad told me about the cherry blossoms, my mom would tell me about the wildflowers, seeing that they bloom peacefully, telling my dad that’s why she liked them. I also like wildflowers, but the expression ‘blooming peacefully’ from my mom really touched me… It’s kind of uncomfortable not knowing what will happen in 10 years' time, wondering if (I) will still be here. But no matter what, I have to do this. I have to. Maybe rather than fireworks or cherry blossoms, we need wildflowers. The kind that grows peacefully. Like that.”*

Namjoon shows off a beautiful array of exploding fireworks and the contrasting soft purple “flowerworks” in the music video for “Wild Flower.” The production contains fleeting moments of RM walking through different sceneries, starting high above the clouds and ending on the ground in a field of wildflowers. youjeen’s soaring vocals complement the soft-rock soundscape to create a cathartic and freeing track that is only enhanced by the accompanying video.

10. “No.2” (with parkjiyoon)

“No.2” opens with parkjiyoon’s stunning vocals, sounding like the main OST for a coming-of-age drama. The change in the air is palpable as a weight equaling the past 15 years is lifted from Namjoon’s shoulders. Listeners are sure to smile along with the artist as he delivers one final lesson from his twenties: there is no need to dwell on the past. No matter what direction life takes, walk that path without stopping to wonder “what if?” There is a calming sense of freedom that comes along with letting go of things you can’t control. RM finally feels that freedom in the last track from Indigo. He acknowledges the beautiful path he has walked up until this point and finds solace in the fact that whatever comes next is just a bonus. There’s nothing left to prove, no one else’s burden to bear, “no lookin’ back.” RM can finally focus on himself as an individual with the comforting thought, “you just tried your best [...] you’ll protect you now.”

Indigo is available now on all streaming platforms. As we bid farewell to 2022, let RM inspire you with the record of his youth.

“From the colors of nature, human, etc.

Use it

while taking a walk,

a shower,

drive,

coffee-break,

work,

dance,

read a book,

when flowers bloom or fall.

the last archive of [his] twenties.”

*Translations from @peachBOY_0613 on Twitter. 

Lyric translations from https://doolsetbangtan.wordpress.com/

Edited by Cara Musashi