In a recent “Musicians on Musicians” interview with Rolling Stone, BTS’s leader RM and Pharrell talked about music production, RM’s solo album, and other topics. They learned new things about one another through enquiring about one another’s professional backgrounds and musical endeavours.
Here are six unexpected things RM told Pharrell about himself that provide additional context for his self-perception and artistic expression.
1. There is an anguish when RM writes music for himself.
Throughout his career in writing and producing songs, RM revealed that he’s more comfortable composing lyrics or melodies for other artists than himself. He said writing music for himself involves a certain amount of pain.
When it comes to me, it’s complex….it comes with the pain to confess. But it’s still the most important part for me.
— RM
Pharrell concurred with him, noting that the difficulty of penning the songs was similar to “pain.” He cited the question of whether words should hurt or feel powerful enough when crafting potent poems. Writing the verses while experiencing agony strengthens the song’s message.
2. He recorded “Take It Off,” a song by Pharrell, after translating it into Korean.
RM yearned to be as multifaceted as Pharrell, who effortlessly changed positions during his creative process. Pharrell was capable of rapping, falsetto singing, and singing the song’s chorus. In particular, RM like Pharrell’s “Take It Off” so much that he recorded it before BTS and translated it into Korean. He hoped to impress Pharrell by asking insightful questions that the media never asked him, such as how Pharrell decides what part he will play in a song.
In order to help the artist he composed the song for—someone he believes to be greater than him—perform or sing it in a particular way, Pharrell says he gives each song the attention it needs. However, Pharrell is so good at it that the artist asked him to perform certain parts of the song himself.
3. RM misplaced the lyrics of the song on his debut performance.
When RM gave his debut performance in front of twenty people, he was just fifteen years old. He realised that he was not the kind of person who would become famous but was more of a person who just enjoyed making songs after forgetting the most of the lyrics to the song he was performing.
He still gets anxious before every performance even though he knows the setlist and programme flow will remain the same. He experiences anxiety beginning with their flight, continuing during their rehearsals, and ending with the first three songs they perform. Only after they remove their in-ears and hear the enthusiastic screams of the audience for their performance does he start to feel better. He expressed how sometimes he felt overpowered by it all.
I really get nervous. And I really sometimes get depressed, but…I even get swallowed by all the energies, but I’m trying. I try to deal with it because I’m a human (sic) I love the music; I love their love. I think love is really happening when we give (to) somebody, not when we take.
—RM
4. He tries his hardest to repay the fans’ efforts.
RM claimed to be aware of the struggles endured by fans who travel and spend money on concert tickets just to see them perform. He offers his all as a thank you to his supporters.
From everywhere, they just come for just that one night. It fills me…like I have to pay back. I have to give them…I have to offer them the best night in their lives.
—RM
5. His solo album is nearly complete.
RM revealed that his album’s production is 90% complete. He viewed his prior mixtape releases as experiments and his upcoming album as his official debut as a solo artist.
6. He finds the influence BTS has on social media to be perplexing.
RM said that the K-Pop industry is competitive, particularly in the area of social media. He admitted that BTS’s rise to prominence as social media influencers was unintended and that he was still perplexed by their influence, especially after they were granted the chance to speak at the UN and meet President Biden.
