Written by: Aayushi Agarwal
As someone who has been a fan of BTS for years, it’s impossible to talk about the band without mentioning RM, the leader who has penned a majority of the group’s expansive discography. In December of last year, the rapper released his debut studio album Indigo, which he describes as “the last archive of [his] twenties.” With RM’s songwriting credits across the tracklist, the album includes a wide variety of genres and features, each of which I could write hundreds of words about, but for now, here is a glimpse at what the album offers.
Yun (with Erykah Badu) – Indigo opens with an homage to Yun Hyong-keun, a South Korean abstract painter known for his ultramarine and umber palette, whose painting also appears on the album cover. The late artist’s narration is included on this track, alongside RM’s lyrics, which reckon with the lessons he has learnt from Yun’s paintings and messages, saying “I wanna be a human / ‘Fore I do some art / It’s a cruel world / But there’s gon’ be my part”. The boom bap track features neo-soul legend Erykah Badu, whose airy hook adds another layer of depth.
Still Life (with Anderson .Paak) – The second track is much more lighthearted, involving added pop elements and featuring rapper Anderson .Paak. The lyrics play with the term “still life,” exploring how still life paintings give the depicted objects an eternal life—they “still” have “life”. In his album documentary, RM talks about how his life as a member of BTS is like being on display at a gallery, but he keeps growing as the individual Kim Namjoon—“I’m still life / Y’all can’t lock me in the frame, I’m movin’”.
All Day (with Tablo) – With a hip-hop sound that’s similar to the previous track, ‘All Day’ features Tablo, a third of the famed South Korean hip-hop group Epik High and RM’s childhood inspiration. Like many tracks in both Epik High and BTS’s discographies, this song is a social criticism of how one’s personal tastes and preferences can get lost in algorithms and the storm of the virtual world, with Tablo powerfully rapping, “Everyone is bound to be stuck in the same place / All in neutral gear / They want you in fear / How dare you express your thoughts?”
Forg_tful (with Kim Sawol) – The album takes a sudden shift with this folk acoustic track featuring South Korean singer-songwriter Kim Sawol. As the title implies, the song’s lyrics discuss forgetfulness, and despite how we receive so much information everyday and forget things, we keep on living; “Do you remember the scent of fresh grass from when you were young? / If you smelled it now, it’d probably feel different from how you remember”.
Closer (with Paul Blanco, Mahalia) – Produced by the English music duo HONNE, who RM previously worked with on his track “Seoul” from his 2018 mixtape mono., ‘Closer’ is an R&B centric track featuring South Korean vocalist Paul Blanco. With lyrics about a relationship that is fated to never get closer, the song was supplemented with a music video collaboration with Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave, a beautiful film that I would highly recommend.
Change pt.2 – One of two solo tracks on this album, ‘Change pt.2’ is the second part of RM’s ‘Change’ featuring American rapper Wale, from 2017. This track has a more experimental production, by eAeon, a South Korean indie singer and producer, with distorted electronic sounds that shift to a smooth piano melody.
Lonely – Backed by a guitar-centric pop sound, ‘Lonely’ is the second solo track, which RM wrote in a hotel room during a leg of BTS’s tour, weaving feelings of homesickness into the music and lyrics—“I tried a million times to let you go / So many memories are on the floor / And now I hate the cities, I don’t belong / Just wanna go back home”.
Hectic (with Colde) – Featuring South Korean R&B vocalist Colde, ‘Hectic’ is a city pop song about how city life can feel so busy and yet so monotonous; “Yesterday was a hectic / There was nothing romantic / If I can just find a reason / To keep this endless chasin’”.
Wild Flower (with youjeen) – In the title track, the Korean title of which roughly translates to “flower of fire,” RM takes a look at his career of over thirteen years, expressing his desire to live steadily like a wildflower rather than a flame that quickly burns out. The chorus is belted by Cho Youjeen of South Korean rock group Cherry Filter, her strong but delicate voice perfectly embodying the explosively desperate feeling of the song.
No.2 (with parkjiyoon) – The album wraps up with a humble and comforting ballad featuring parkjiyoon, a famous South Korean singer. The song is a heartwarming reminder to let go of regrets and not look back anymore—“All those accidents that you believed were destined to happen / All those nights that felt like an eternity / All you did was just to do your best.”
Since Indigo was first released, I have found so many pieces of myself in its songs, and I hope you can find some of yourself in them too.
Lyric translations taken from doolset.