RM to be 3rd BTS member to make solo debut, hints at collaboration with Pharrell Williams

RM of BTS (left) and Pharrell Williams (Courtesy of Rolling Stone)

RM, the leader and rapper of boy band BTS, is currently gearing up for his much-anticipated solo album, the band’s agency Big Hit Music said Tuesday.

“RM is in the final stages of preparing for his solo musical project, and we kindly ask for your understanding that we can’t further elaborate on the exact release date,” an official at Big Hit told The Korea Herald.

Citing reports from the US music industry, Rolling Stone reported on Tuesday (local time) that RM is also preparing for a collaboration with Pharrell Williams.

RM of BTS (Big Hit Music)

The American rapper and producer said that his next musical project is tentatively titled Phriends, and during an interview with the music magazine, he hinted that among his new friends are the members of BTS.

Months after BTS dropped its anthology album “Proof” in July, the septet’s company announced that the singer-turned-soloist would expand his musical horizons with a new batch of songs.

RM is the third BTS member to embark on a solo venture. J-hope was the first bandmate to go solo with his debut solo studio album titled “Jack in The Box” in July. Jin released his first solo single, “The Astronaut,” on Friday.

While the upcoming album will mark RM’s first solo album, the musician has previously teased snippets of his musical personality through mixtapes and collaborations. He has taken the helm in producing BTS’ mega-hit tracks, including “Fake Love,” “Spring Day” and “Boy With Luv,” to name a few.

Before the announcement of his solo musical project and his debut as a member of BTS, RM was also an underground rapper with the alias Runch Randa.

RM of BTS (left) and Pharrell Williams (Courtesy of Rolling Stone)

RM put out his first-ever self-titled solo mixtape, “RM,” in 2015, which had a total of 11 tracks, including the title track “Do You.” In 2018, he dropped another mixtape titled “mono.” with seven songs, including “seoul,” a track produced by English electronic music duo Honne.

The wunderkind also has a long list of collaborations under his belt. He featured in Gaeko of Dynamic Duo’s solo song “Elephant” and a side track on hip hop guru Drunk Tiger’s 20th anniversary album “Timeless.” In September, he lent his voice to the hip hop crew Balming Tiger’s “Sexy Nukim."

RM of BTS (Big Hit Music)

Apart from the new album, RM will also co-host tvN’s upcoming television program “The Dictionary of Useless Human Knowledge,” set to premiere sometime this winter.

Meanwhile, BTS announced in June that it would go on a temporary hiatus from full group activities while the members pursue solo endeavors.

Last month, the band rolled out its military enlistment plans. The group’s agency announced that the seven bandmates would fulfill their mandatory military service in order, starting with the oldest member Jin.

By Park Jun-hee(junheee@heraldcorp.com)