The band’s Leader and rapper (Kim Namjoon) is known by his stage name, RM. He was born on September 12th, 1994, was raised in Ilsan, South Korea, where he first started singing.
He gained popularity in the underground rap scene going by the aliases Large, Stealo, and Runch Randa. Eventually, he caught the attention of the South Korean record company Big Hit Entertainment (later known as HYBE), which went on to form BTS and choose him as the group’s first official member in 2010.
RM has received praise for his English proficiency over the years. RM revealed during a guest appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show that he learned English by viewing the sitcom Friends. He said, “My English teacher was the sitcom Friends.”
The 10 seasons of the popular show were purchased on DVD by RM’s mother. he said “I started out watching them with Korean subtitles, and the next time, I switched to English subtitles, which I then simply removed.”
BTS announced that they would be taking a break to work on individual projects and determine their next moves as a band during their annual FESTA dinner in June 2022.
During the event, RM said, “I always believed that BTS was different from other groups, but the problem with K-pop and the entire idol system is that they don’t allow you time to mature. You must continue to create songs and keep doing something.”
Later in a statement, HYBE clarified that the group was not on break and would continue to work together “while taking individual journeys to further achieve personal growth.”
With the release of his first studio record, Indigo, in December 2022, RM made his formal solo debut.
RM Funko Pop! Rocks – Toy Story
RM – Right Place, Wrong Person
RM Funko Pop! Rocks
RM and Bottega Veneta
BTS Returns