RM Discusses BTS’ Future Following Each Member’s Military Enlistment

By Larisha Paul

The future of BTS has been heavy on RM's mind lately. In a recent interview with EFE, the rapper reflected on the whirlwind experience of being in the K-pop supergroup for the past decade and considered the implications of their current endeavors, which finds all seven members separated as they pursue solo projects and complete their mandatory 18 months of service in the military.

"When you are famous, staying on top is very difficult," RM shared. Last year, BTS embarked on a hiatus (scheduled to end in 2025) at a point in their career when their meter for success was only going up. While the group leader isn't doubtful about their ability to bounce back once they’ve reunited, he recognizes that, eventually, all good things must come to an end.

"I think BTS will make it," RM added. "It will come together again when we finish our military service, and we will look for new synergies between us to enter a second phase. But, in any case, nothing lasts forever."

But RM is apt to live in the now, sharing that "some great work is born in personally chaotic moments." He released his official debut solo album Indigo in December, writing extensively about proceeding creatively on his own terms rather than feeding into the machines of capitalist art-making.

For him, that creative freedom may take a different form when he's working solo versus when he's hitting the studio with BTS, or when thinking about potential collaborators like Rosalía. "If she wants to, I do too," he said of working with the Spanish superstar.

And after a trip to Spain, RM is already looking ahead to album number two.