BTS's RM Breaks Down The Deeper Meaning Behind His "Indigo" Album Cover Art

BTS‘s RM recently released his solo album, which was quickly determined a resounding success by fellow musical artists, critics, and fans.

In the hours since its release, it was already breaking records, including becoming the biggest debut in Spotify history for a Korean soloist with over 20.6 million filtered streams.

The album release was highly anticipated, following the success of fellow BTS members J-Hope and Jin‘s solo releases.

While RM had previously released two solo mixtapes, RM and Mono, earlier in his career, his new album Indigo will act as a “last archive” of his twenties.

| HYBE LABELS/YouTube

RM has spent the entirety of his 20s as the leader of BTS, guiding and supporting the members through their rise in fame; the seven members taking the K-Pop group built on the foundation of tireless hard work and sacrifice to a global scale musical act with unprecedented success. What began as a musical journey quickly became so much more.

BTS at the Blue House in 2021 being appointed as a special presidential envoy by former South Korean President Moon Jae In

BTS at the White House with United States President Joe Biden in 2022, where they were invited to speak about anti-Asian hate crimes and the importance of Asian representation and inclusion.

BTS at the United Nations General Assembly | *@bts_bighit/Twitter*

RM uses his brilliant mind to craft lyrics that express his feelings about the emotional roller coaster behind the group’s climb to success, his art, and his identity as Kim Namjoon.

Careful thought and planning went into every detail of his album. From the legendary artists featured on the tracks and helped tell RM’s stories to the seemingly simple album cover art that had a deeper story to tell, nothing was left unplanned.

With the release of his new album, RM also debuted an album magazine film, where he explained the songs and concepts in more depth, including the story behind the album cover art.

BTS RM’s “Indigo” album cover | *@rkive/Instagram*

RM’s album was created over the course of three years, and he pulled from the emotional turmoil he experienced through the COVID-19 pandemic. The result is the person he came to be at 29 years old.

RM breaks down the album cover, starting with the wooden stool and jeans. The jeans were pairs he had actually worn, set on top of a wooden stool he uses. Above the stool is a painting by the late South Korean artist Yun Hyong Keun.

The painting was the last of Yun Hyong Keun’s work to be released before he found his signature style. RM shared that it is “a painting that’s like his last study.”

For RM, the treasured piece represents his feeling that he, like Yun Hyong Keun’s painting, has yet to find his signature style.

The jeans, combined with the other meanings, show where RM is at in 2022.

RM’s new release includes some of his most introspective work to date. For more on the intense creative process behind Indigo and his connection with Yun Hyong Keun, check out the article below!