Section Insights
Fashion Choices and Personal Identity
What influences your clothing choices and how do they relate to your identity?
The speaker discusses their choice of clothing, specifically a Prada shirt recommended by a stylist friend. They express that clothing can help free one from self-consciousness and reflect their natural self.
- Fashion can be a form of self-expression and comfort.
- Clothing choices are influenced by personal preferences and recommendations from trusted friends.
- Feeling natural in one's attire can enhance self-confidence.
Art as a Medium for Self-Expression
How does art, particularly music, help in revealing personal struggles?
The speaker believes that art, especially music, is a powerful way to express and confront personal demons and hardships, making it relatable to others.
- Art can serve as a therapeutic outlet for personal struggles.
- The universality of personal stories in art can resonate with a wide audience.
- Great artists often share their vulnerabilities through their work.
Balancing Professional and Personal Life
How do you manage the pressures of being a leader in the pop industry?
The speaker reflects on the tension between their responsibilities and the need to explore and appreciate art outside their busy schedule. They emphasize the importance of relaxation and stepping away from constant pressure.
- Leadership in the entertainment industry can be both rewarding and taxing.
- Taking breaks and exploring art can provide new perspectives.
- Finding a balance between professional obligations and personal well-being is crucial.
Nostalgia and Personal Growth
How do past experiences shape your current self-perception?
The speaker shares a nostalgic memory of their younger self and how it reflects their growth. They discuss the irony of hating something but still finding value in it, which contributes to their identity.
- Nostalgia can evoke feelings of purity and authenticity.
- Personal growth often involves reconciling past experiences with current self-identity.
- Embracing contradictions in feelings can lead to deeper self-understanding.
Navigating Personal Relationships and Self-Identity
How do you balance personal desires with the pressures of public life?
The speaker discusses the struggle of managing personal relationships and the need for self-reflection. They emphasize the importance of being true to oneself while navigating the complexities of fame.
- Self-reflection is essential for personal growth and understanding.
- Balancing public persona with private identity can be challenging.
- Healthy relationships can provide support but should not overshadow self-identity.
Transcript
0:08 Hi, come in. >> Welcome to Fashion Neurosis RM. >> Thank you for having me. it's my pleasure and it's really nice and comfy here. Mhm. >> Can you tell me what you're wearing today and why you chose these particular clothes? >> So, this is the the new season of Prada. >> It's also my one of my favorite brand and yeah, you know, leading by Raf Simmons and he's also my favorite. And like to be honest, I'm really these days I'm really counting on my stylist which is my friend. M >> shout out to Kim and he recommended this shirt because usually I really like this kind of like muted and bleached you know like dyings from the like natural elements.
1:12 >> So with this color I feel really natural and myself. Yeah, it's such an important thing that clothes >> they have the power to really free you from self-consciousness >> sometimes. >> And you're the leader of BTS, one of the biggest bands of all time. And you've sold over 40 million albums, and you're the only band since the Beatles to have three number one albums in a year. And you have a humility that's not associated normally with pop music. And I wondered why that's important to you.
1:53 I I think I never had a wish like to be this big because I always wanted to have you know like such influence to you know when you become an like a an artist or a influencer then sometimes you really want to re reach as many as you can. So when you are in the middle of the pop music industry particularly it's it's really it feels really easy to be just interrupt and to be feeling like you have to make people happy and you have to do that on the charts and you're in the mainstream so you should keep your influence and impact by the numbers >> and stuff but why I chose this thing no maybe it's not that I chose somebody gave this thing to me And if there's a reason then as I have a belief that it should be still starting from the like somewhere else not like you're trying to give people like something. It should be rooted from from where you are right now and what you are going through in your actual life and the influences the inspirations you're having from the life itself. So I think it's all about balance.
3:58 >> Mhm. So you know now I'm in the middle of the pop industry so I have to keep the balance like try to keep the distance from the numbers and impact itself and try to get close to the nature and all those kind of things that are not related to this fast such a fast era. Yeah.
4:30 >> Yeah. So you can stay connected to the idea that is your inspiration. >> Yes. Because as a young man I'm I'm I'm 30 I'm 31 by the way. >> It is really not that easy to be not to be interrupted by all those shorts and reals and clips. >> Yeah. It makes me really nervous and keep make keep making me feel like I have to do something like every day every time I have to leave something but it's gone so fast.
5:08 So I have a like a I have my biggest fear for those waves >> coming through so fast. God, it's a real mantle that you're wearing. And was fashion a thing in your home? And I wondered if anyone in your family who was there anyone whose style influenced you? >> my father wanted to be a wanted to be a like a cartoon artist. I don't know what it is called in English. He wanted to he wanted to draw cartoons but at that time in Korea it was we were really poor and we got nothing. So my grandmother stopped him from what he really wanted to do. M >> and my mother was a teacher and so I think my father had some some such craving and ego for something else except studies and >> jobs and stuff.
6:29 So he was all he was really quite supportive from for what I was trying to do which is music. >> Yeah. >> And my mother, she was really always trying to give me the stability and telling me not to challenge too much, just be in the safe zone. And I was like a like a small like a clock pin going back and forth with my father and mother. So I think I've learned the balance from my parents >> and they were they were such great parents to me.
7:27 because you've described experiencing Stondal syndrome where looking at certain works of art and feeling overwhelmed by the intensity of what you see. And I wondered if you'd ever had those kind of intense and extreme reactions to any fashion. I still remember when I first looked at the clothes of Rick Owens. >> Yeah.
7:58 >> And he was also in fashion neurosis. I know because I watched it and so there was a store in so but it's gone right now. maybe because of the co >> but I remember like in 2014 or 15 I >> I got no money I I couldn't afford any piece of Rick but I still remember when I first entered the store of Rick Owens in Soul. So there was a big sculpture of him of course.
8:37 >> Yeah. and all those like black waves and darkness of his world and the silhouettes they were really elegant and I think that was the first time that I've got like such like a like a standown syndrome for for clothes >> and I first realized that oh a color called black could be various like this >> and I was I got shocked.
9:18 That's such a great description cuz he's just so evocative and >> everything he does is so provocative and also so moving really isn't it? I Yeah, that must have been amazing experience. >> I still love his clothes and of course his words. One of my favorite quote from his fashion neurosis was that you know it went viral like maybe like the people who don't care about fashion it's just it's their is I mean fashion is not their priorities and it could be hot.
10:04 >> Yeah. >> I love that quote. >> I know. He's he's so great. I'm so glad you enjoyed that. It was my first >> he was my first guest >> and he was like a talisman. So it's lovely that he comes back into our conversation. >> He is amazing. >> And being visible for from such a young age, how much of your identity do you hide or reveal through what you wear?
10:35 I describe it as like a life of an undercover. it's like you be a thief at night and act like a police officer at daytime in the daytime. And I think I had a tough time for long to just admit it because when I was in my 20ies, I thought that I should have a like an edge and I should be defined and described as just like a one edge. Mhm.
11:23 >> But as time passed by and I got to realize that a human being and an identity could be really it's always like so so much of a complex and complicated and it was all about the contradictions and dualities. So I'm still fighting with all those contradictions that how much should I reveal myself to the others to the public or how much should I hide my privacy or >> you know like I'm still I'm still figuring out like what to show and what to hide.
12:19 >> Yeah. >> But I think the best way to reveal your real real things is the art itself. For me, it's music. So, I'm trying to reveal my bad things and demons I want to spit out as music. >> Yeah. I suppose that's what people can really relate to as well cuz there is no such thing as a completely pure person. It's such a comforting thing to hear that described in music.
13:01 >> Yes. It's amazing that you know when we when we see the great artists their personal story could be universal. >> I think that's the beauty of an art. when it comes to a painter, a sculptor or a fashion designer, architect, novelist, musician, their personal histories and their ways of dealing with their own trials and hardships in their lives.
13:44 But all we could witness is their results >> and their final pieces of of their digestion and I think that is so beautiful to watch and I always wanted to be as someone like that. >> Well, you are. I mean, you seem >> I'm trying. Yeah, I suppose that is the most the difference maker is that we we try and it continue you know that's the thing that drives us forward and and you come across as a very thoughtful person and you cite a lot of literary influences from writers like including George Orwell and Murakami and even Carl Jung and I wondered what was the first book that changed your life.
14:41 >> I think well, just to add, I mean, I think I read much more when I was younger. >> Mhm. >> And all those social media keeps making me not to read books. >> Yeah. It's It's getting really harder and harder to watch cinemas and read books these days because I feel like bored sometimes. I I could watch the movies on Netflix and we could always stop. So these days it sometimes it it felt it feels like a luxury to go to a theater and make our phone to an airplane mode. Yeah.
15:36 >> And just to be just leaded by a by a single director's intentions and artistry, it's a really really it's becoming more rarer and rarer experience these days. So I think my first book like a stung syndrome was >> for books I think it was Damian >> if if it's right by Harmon. >> Yeah. >> Yes. And because I think I discovered the the essence and the the reality of my what do we call it like like jealousy.
16:27 >> Oh, so interesting. Yeah. because you know Damian is being described like a perfect human being, very ideal type of human being and the phrases the start was really powerful like the about the bird and the egg about the abraasis. So, I think I've read it over like four or five times.
16:59 >> Really? God, >> when I was young. I think I should read it again because >> Yeah, I want to read it now. You're describing it. It's >> it's it it felts it felt like a for me felt like a school life at that time. the the the bad feelings and like jealousy I've have for the kids, the friends I have in my class, like very tall, very handsome, very smart or like you know very good at sports who's always popular from the girls.
17:36 So I I could reflect on my real life if even though if I was a teenager at that times. >> Yeah, I remember that. >> It's such a good book to a fan because jealousy is can be such a a thwarting and crushing Yes. feeling and it's I I remember my my shrink saying to me I was talking about feeling how bad I felt to feel competitive with someone and he said well you can treat it as a game and >> and to to read something at that young age so kind of philosophical and also that it's actually not that bad to feel jealous. It's part of finding out what you can handle. It seems an amazing book. How did you find that book? It's >> It was being treated like a classic >> >> and very very recommended by the parents and teachers. So I think my parents always took me to the city library >> every weekend. And I think that's one of the best thing that a parent like parents could do to their kids. So they just naturally gave me the ch chance to reach all those great answers and interesting results of the ancestors.
19:18 >> Yeah. >> God. Yes, >> because you have the demeanor of a man with the burden of leadership and how to use his power in a conscientious way. And I I wondered how do you deal with the loneliness that comes with being a leader. it's still hard because for because I was the first the member of the team, the band and the label did give me a lot of burden to put the team together as a team >> and we had such different backgrounds from different cities and different tastes, different dreams.
20:14 So I think I was really like overwhelming or very like a powerful type of like bossy type of leader >> for the first like 8 n years. But as the team got bigger and they have their own names and careers, it just didn't work out anymore. So, >> of course, I mean, they grew up a lot also. So that after that I've changed the way to communicate and I think a leader is is just like this for example everybody is on the lying on the couch and the window is open and it's too cold.
21:20 So, somebody has to close it. But nobody wants to because it's too comfy here lying on the couch. It's so annoying. If a one single person has to stand up and get off the couch and walk a few steps to close the door, then I think that's what a leader does for every part of the team. That's all.
21:50 >> That's a huge thing, isn't it? >> It is a huge thing for some situations. >> I suppose you by getting up to close the window, you risk losing your place on the cozy couch. And it's it is the act of courage and confidence as well. So, I think it's basically really just annoying to be a leader, but it's like I just couldn't let anybody do it >> because I was like, if somebody has to do it, then it should be me. And because I just can't watch somebody else just doing it. And if it's not working out as I expected, then >> I could be more stressed out.
22:46 >> So, I think that's why and >> yeah, >> when they sometimes just tell me that I know your efforts and I'm I'm really happy to have a leader like you and all those stress, they're gone. >> So, that's the beauty of the team. >> Yeah. Well, you're clearly very good at it cuz it's >> Yes, it's been 15 years I have been living with them and >> I spend half of my life literally with the six members. By the way, we have seven members in the team.
23:29 >> Yes. >> Usually it's four. So, but we're seven. >> Really? Gosh, >> the lucky number. >> Yeah. >> So, it's a lot. Oh, it's it's wonderful cuz for your solo album, right place, wrong person, you worked with Wing Sha. >> Yes. >> The legendary stills photographer who worked with Wong Car and his lighting techniques and framing, they propose you as an ordinary individual, but clearly an exceptional person. And in fashion, everyone's obsessed with a mood for love. And it's such a romantic, melancholy choice. And are those introspective moods somewhere you feel comfortable?
24:16 >> Yeah, that's my favorite album so far because that's my most recent album. >> But, >> thanks for noticing, by the way. >> It's so beautiful, the photographs. And you, >> sorry to interrupt you, Carrie. I was really trying to get away from where I was because just by the excuse of that I'm too busy just doing my role and doing all those schedules.
24:51 I just realized that I'm too lazy these days for digging stuff and studying all those great art world outside. And when I was working on the album right before the military, I just tried to get away as far as I could. and Wingshot was of course I everybody loves Wawi's movies >> and it's really interesting that even the the Gen Z's and the alphas there are lots of fans of Wankawi still >> so I think it it's proving that he built such an like his own original world by himself.
25:52 And all I focused was just to be more chill and not be not too nervous all the times because doing being a leader of the team and the pop industry they gave me a lot but it also they they took many things from me. So the one thing was that I was always like like this like like stuck in I have to do this very well. I want to do this really good. I have to do my best all the time.
26:37 So there was always some kind of tensions with my whole life and I just try I just try to loosen it and me and my team thought that Wingsha would be a like a wonderful artist who could lead me to another world.
27:08 >> Wow. >> Because he always captures the I think he has such like really sensitive like setups for for those frames and the objects, but when he grabbed the camera, it feels like he just does it really rough and just in a second. >> Really? Gosh. >> Yes. So, it was really new and a fresh experience for me to work with him with a with a bald hair.
27:45 >> I mean, they're so they're so striking. And that picture of you in a pool of light is just it's like he's able to show more of you than maybe you might care to reveal, you know, with your privacy, but he to to see those pictures was very I fel felt that I learned something more about you to look at them. There was such a depth to them and >> Oh, that's really wonderful to hear.
28:24 Thank you. He will he will also like it. >> I mean it seemed like a meeting of spirit and creative kind of. >> It was an old hotel like dumped and >> really >> Yes. And it's just I think it's just being used like a like a place for location for shootings these days because I think it's on sale the building.
28:55 >> Mhm. >> But I think it's not sold yet. So it was really like a strange place like back room. >> God. So I think he he's a veteran. So he captured the maybe the blurry concept or the thing that I want to deliver by the in the name of tit in the title of >> right place wrong person.
29:26 >> Yeah. >> Because I think in 2026 most of the people could think themselves like that. Like when you are in in a company and you're like you feel like you're the only wrong person. Am I the only one who think like this or who acts like this? I think everyone may have an experience of feeling like he or she is a wrong person in a right place or a right person in a wrong place.
30:05 >> Yeah. Feeling the outsider is a thing you hear a lot of people talking about >> in terms of loneliness. you said it's >> it's get it's getting more connected and connected by the phones and the media but it's the contradiction that people with depression and loneliness >> are getting lot and lot these days. >> Yeah, it is.
30:37 and and you're constantly surprising in your artistic references. And I noticed you had Kim Gordon's Bye-Bye on playing on one of your Instagram posts. And I I love that >> she's the I know she was also on Fashion. >> Yes, she was. And I think she's the and everyone knows she's the coolest >> grandmother in the world.
31:08 >> I know she is. >> I don't want to call her a grandma, but it's >> she's the coolest. >> She is. Is it like cuz I love that her music, that sort of punk music. That was my generation. And it's if I wanted to listen to a Korean singer who embodied that kind of crackle and tension and sort of thing that she has, who would I >> who would you recommend? >> Really, really strong. >> Yeah.
31:37 >> And intense. You should listen to No Brain. >> No Brain. Okay. >> You could all You could already feel the >> I get it already. >> The band is called No Brain. >> Yeah. And I think the coolest grandfather who's still ongoing like Kim Gordon >> is his name is Kim Kim Chan and he was also in a band called which is translated as the echoes of mountain. It's like sonic youth of Kim Gordon.
32:16 >> Wow. Yeah. I think it's is it's it's it's very psychedelic, but I think he's >> truly one of the best Korean artist in the history. So, I want to I would recommend you >> Yes. >> No Brain and Kim Chan. >> Okay. I'm going to check them out. That's exciting. And you're interested in art and you have a sophisticated taste in paintings and sculpture. And I read that you like Philip Gustin and Jacketti and and you have an amazing collection in your home mostly of Korean art. And I wondered what was the first piece of art that you knew that you liked >> on tour? When you're doing a tour, sometimes you just can't go out because there are a lot of fans >> and it's really hard to just just be on your own. So, I was in 2018. I was really, really bored and I got nothing to do. I didn't know anything except like shopping or playing games in the room. So just it just suddenly popped up and the a member of the team called Fee just proposed me like why don't we go to a museum and I was like a museum? I am not a museum guy and isn't it just boring just just to go there and but we just went there because we got nothing to do and I saw the the paintings of Monae and Van Gone Sarah >> and of course I I knew the names of them because I saw them and in the book when I was in school. So, but it was literally the first time to just have a like physically to have a chance to look at their actual paintings.
34:31 And I think impressionism is is still the biggest the most widest open entrance for all of the outside people in the art in the art world. Yeah. >> So, Monet and G and S, they opened me >> the entrance and as I got into it like further and further more and more, I just my taste became a little bit more of a complex and complicated. So, yeah.
35:18 yeah. That's how I just got into it. >> Cuz in in the video you have a little sculpture by Ugo Rondoni. >> Oh, yeah. >> Which I love. I I once went to his house in New York. >> Oh. >> And he had all these crazy sculptures everywhere. It was really exciting. I just I just loved how he just added the colors to the rocks. >> Yeah. >> And so it just it twisted you know art helps you m like make it widen for your perception to the world. And after I saw the colors of his rocks and stones, it I think he gave me a twist of when I when I also see the actual mountains and rocks. So I just love that.
36:20 >> Oh, that's great. Gosh, cuz you you talked about something called airport fashion and you said, "People expect me always to wear something new." And I wondered what your favorite airport fashion is at the moment. >> airport fashion. >> Such a good expression. >> Yes. is there my favorite airport fashion? I remember when I first say I think it was like 12 years ago and like 2013 or 14 and I got to know the the collective the crew, our future of Tyler the creator and Frank Ocean are all swash. and I just got to love their vibes and so I was not very rich at that time. So all I could buy was the the t-shirt of G Wang >> and it looks when I look at the picture of those times, it's ridiculous because I'm wearing like pink socks and the donuts with a t-shirt. I mean, but I I kind of like it because >> it reminds me of the times that I was really more pure and and younger. And I just got to realize that if you hate something too much, then you kind of like it.
38:09 >> Yes, that's so so true. If you really hated, >> then you just got no interest. >> That's such a brilliant point. It's always there's something in there, isn't there? >> Yes. So, it's ironically it's my favorite. >> The pink socks. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> And are there certain garments that make you feel better when you're feeling low? >> I call it in Korea maybe. me and my friends call it like the hills and I have my hills.
38:48 >> M >> and they are I think the nature is always the best therapist. 70% of Korean land is made of mountains. So we could go hiking in every cities. So mountains, rivers, and the sea. We also have sea in Korea too. So they are my teachers and therapists. And mostly the friends because I don't like myself sometimes when I'm when I feel like I'm too obsessed with the relationships.
39:36 >> >> Mhm. >> Like I always ask myself like, could you just please be on your own for a second? Why do you always need somebody to talk to or to go for a trip? Just could you just let yourself be alone for like a week? And because I felt I sometimes feel I mostly feel really hard to be just do nothing and just be on my own.
40:13 >> So, but friends I think sometimes they're everything. >> Family and friends >> and art of course, music, architecture, books and art. There are lots of hills that I always have to rely on. And that's the exact point. I just finally find myself like I'm too weak. I always need those hills.
40:49 >> Yes. I suppose part of being strong is to recognize weakness or what people call weakness. But it's just it's just a different mode, isn't it? is a different place as long as you don't speaking for myself sink down too far and then this so far to come up and yes I think being strong starts from unmeating your witness weakness and your defacts and flaws.
41:30 >> I have too many flaws. You're quite a hard taskmaster on yourself. >> Maybe because I grew up in Korea and Korea is such a a very intense country. But that was the you know that's where the contradiction comes through because that's the exact point what made Korea this career.
42:03 >> So >> I love it but I hate it >> at the same time. >> But I suppose that's also the signature of an artist. I mean, I read this little book about Jackimetti once and he >> he tortured himself about his >> work and was always undoing it and >> fixing it. >> Yeah. And but if you can bear to be like that, it's it's incredible.
42:38 >> Yes. sometimes I just don't know any ways but anyways else but pushing yourself too hard to the edge. >> I mean, it's it's it's really too much overwhelming sometimes, but eventually I want I want to be a different person. I want to get away from this. Yeah, someday.
43:10 >> Well, it's good things are fa phases and you're such a young person and you've done so much. So, and you seem as though when you set your mind to something that you you go towards that. So, I'm looking forward to to seeing your next on the cover of your new album Arang BTS are all wearing these permutations of an elegant suit that could almost be a uniform and it's glamorous and it suggests the confidence to be subtle and do you feel like subtlety is a more representative of where you are at the moment?
43:56 Yes, because we had to admit that we are very confused and we just can't reach reach a like a certain very obvious consensus of visions or tastes or dreams. names. So, it was a very conf confused album.
44:32 I think I'm I'm still very confused. And I think about subtlety a lot, but yeah, like I I just don't really know. it's it's very subtle but so we wanted to be very straight forward but we failed but we did know that we were going to fail. That was maybe these the place that the subtlety comes from.
45:09 >> Mhm. and those conflicts and the shakings. It's I think it's where I am right now in 2026. I want to be very certain and straight, but I think I always fail. I mean, I think it's the most incredibly beautiful picture because it seems to have all this it seems to capture the past of each member. And even though, you know, there are certain similarities in the way that you're all dressed, there's this individuality that really shines out of each person. And I I think it's really beautiful. and and I I was I mean I suppose there is no such thing as certainty in a way. So and that's got to be good because it means things can evolve and you know as somebody with with a lot of ideas that it's just a bit nerve-wracking to feel >> yes >> feel like that >> and cuz you come across as someone with immense focus and inner strength and what does self-discipline mean to you and when does it feel strengthening and when did it when does it feel restricted?
46:43 Sometimes I feel like I'm too much of a like a control freak for myself. >> Just like you must not get lazy. You It's not the time to chill out. Like for example, I think the tour is the final is one of the final completion of a of a musician because it's a total package of music performance, choreographies and visuals and most importantly the fans and we we have this such communion eye to eye and face to face. But once the tour starts, I was forgetting about this because it's been almost 7 years that we haven't been on tour because of the co and the military.
47:41 >> Oh yes. >> And so it was in a while >> and the tour started 3 months ago and I got to realize like I just man I have so much time >> >> without but it's such a I have it's such a I have to use a lot of lots of energy to do to do this.
48:12 >> So most of the time except the actual concert I'm like exhausted. >> Yeah. But I always try to go out like for example here I'm in London so I'm planning to go to a Haywood Gallery to see the Anish Cap exhibition and >> I jump too much and the tour so my legs they always hurt so much so it's really hard to walk just walk M >> but I always push myself like >> when when could you see this place or exhibition if it's not now?
49:00 >> But so my self-discipline is just always about those two things like am I controlling myself too much? No, it's okay you could chill out. It's been 15 years. You always waited for this moment. No, the world is flowing too fast. You have to push it more. No, you have to chill out, bro. Please chill out.
49:32 So so a friend of mine told me I just hope you live the life of an undercover like even more like push it to the edge even more like >> when you are entertain just do all those stuff like a pop star like a perfect like like you could do it even better and better. You just you should enjoy it. But when you just come back to your like a private time, just be yourself. Say anything. Spit it out. I just you could be you could do both roles even more and more and better and better. Just don't try to combine it together. I think that's where your insecurity comes from. And that helped me really much.
50:44 >> But it's really hard just to do that sometimes. >> It's a great bit of advice, I must say. And is there a particular garment that you find attractive on somebody that you're romantically interested in? >> yes. I think about it a lot >> and I think I also I kind of want to see like the contradictionary image from somebody because like if somebody could be very very serious but very very ridiculous and humorous at the same time. Maybe I think I might fall in love with some that that person.
51:39 >> That's so nice. >> Yes. because I don't know why. Maybe if I could be with that kind of person for a long time, I could I feel like I might have a really really like a like a h happy life and happy times with you know like such full of content, you know, >> talking about >> maybe the social issues >> from like political things and just to Like which beer do you prefer the most, Belgian or German?
52:20 >> Yeah, >> I prefer Korean. Something like that. >> Yeah, >> I think I find find such riz. when I see somebody's very very a duality. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. The duality. And if you fancy someone and don't like something they're wearing, does it kill your attraction? >> I think I used to when I was young because I was like, fashion is everything. Like clothes, it's the best way to express yourself.
53:03 But, you know, Rick already taught me on fashion neurosis. There's there was the lesson. And I think as I got a little bit older, I've learned how to really really respect somebody's taste. and a way of expressing themselves.
53:38 >> I was talking that I'm that I'm learning about it like years ago, but now I think I could say that I became a person like that even more. And for that part, that is the exact part that I want to become like that even more and more. And fashion is the clothes.
54:14 It's really important because we just habitually judge other people just by the looks and the fashion. >> Yeah. >> So, nobody wants to be judged >> easily. So, >> cuz on your album Arang, you have a song called Normal. Yes. And I wondered what rituals do you have to create normality when there's less of it around in your life? And cuz I noticed on your video when you were showing the art that you made your bed and I wondered if that was one of your rituals and what rituals you use to ground yourself >> to turn off, right?
55:07 the word you know sometimes a language or a single word could define your entire world. So just my obsession with a word normality. >> Yeah. >> That was the way the one of the best way to like get away from it. like you should be normal. you should just be one of them because I am living like a strange life.
55:47 >> Mhm. But as I got to like obsessed with the like, oh, I want to be like a normal person. Like I just want to be one of them. And as I got so obsessed with it, but it I just I think it just runs away from me even more. >> Yeah. So, I just I'm I'm trying to stop thinking about normality.
56:17 >> Yeah, it's a really good idea. >> You should turn yourself off. You should be private. You should be You should not be noticed. I just I am trying to get away from it. >> I mean, it's the most incredible album. I I've really immersed myself in it and >> been enjoying it so much. and and your process is so rigorous and and the effect is both optimistic and full of freedom and inclusion and I love the song Hooligan and it has these captivating melodies and also what sounds like metallic >> I mean I imagine swords clashing like ancient sounds and how do you bring all these things together I mean it's an impossible question to answer as I'm asking it. But it's so you have all these kind of beautiful things happening and then the effect is just very very direct and definite and goes straight into the heart.
57:27 We had a lot of friends and partners who helped us so much. We did the session for an album like three, four months and we stayed in LA and we luckily had a chance to work with such like great musicians and artists that could help expand our world. M >> and Huligan is also one of my favorite >> is it? Oh yes.
58:05 >> Yes. It's produced by it's a track by Elancho and he did a lot of music for Rosalia. >> Wow. >> So he's a very very extraordinary and special sound maker. Yeah. >> So he brought all those strange and never heard of sound to the session. >> Yeah. >> And I remember Chong Cookook and Chonguk and J Hope did make those amazing like no-brainer top lines for and also like came up with the word hooligan. M such a >> so the credit is like I think I did a such a small part of for this album because the team itself got so much bigger than before and and even the other members they also have done their own solo careers and they grew up so much so I rely I count on them so So, I'm a very very lucky person and I've learned so much through the process of making the album. And I think I could do better when it comes back to my solo album the next. So, yeah, it's a beautiful back and forth, I guess.
59:49 Well, thank you so much RM for being on Fashion Neurosis and it's just been wonderful to listen to you and to connect with everything that you've talked about. It's >> really >> it's such an honor to be here >> and I might be the first Korean. I am so honored to have you and >> and I just think there's something magical that you've done with your music that that you manage to touch people from such a huge age range and that you that is really a huge talent the talent of a leader that you clearly manifest.
60:31 Thank you so much. >> Thank you so much. I always wanted to have a podcast experience and it I think it's my first time >> really. >> Yes. I've done thousands of interviews of magazine videos and like music content >> but a format of a you know bumping into somebody's home >> casa and talking with Bella which is an amazing person and this is this was one of my deepest and the most honest and happiest est interview that I've ever done.
61:14 >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you. It means so much.
Summary
- RM shares his fashion choices, highlighting his connection to Prada and the influence of his stylist friend.
- He emphasizes the importance of humility in his career and the need to stay grounded amidst fame.
- RM discusses the duality of his identity and the struggle to reveal or conceal aspects of himself in public.
- He expresses admiration for artists like Rick Owens and shares how their work has impacted his understanding of fashion.
- The conversation touches on his experiences with loneliness and the burden of leadership within BTS.
- RM reflects on the role of art and literature in shaping his worldview, mentioning authors like Haruki Murakami and Hermann Hesse.
- He describes the creative process behind his solo album "Right Place, Wrong Person" and the collaborative nature of making music with BTS.
- RM acknowledges the challenges of maintaining normality in his life and the rituals he uses to ground himself amidst the chaos of fame.
Questions Answered
What influences your clothing choices and how do they relate to your identity?
The speaker discusses their choice of clothing, specifically a Prada shirt recommended by a stylist friend. They express that clothing can help free one from self-consciousness and reflect their natural self.
How does art, particularly music, help in revealing personal struggles?
The speaker believes that art, especially music, is a powerful way to express and confront personal demons and hardships, making it relatable to others.
How do you manage the pressures of being a leader in the pop industry?
The speaker reflects on the tension between their responsibilities and the need to explore and appreciate art outside their busy schedule. They emphasize the importance of relaxation and stepping away from constant pressure.
How do past experiences shape your current self-perception?
The speaker shares a nostalgic memory of their younger self and how it reflects their growth. They discuss the irony of hating something but still finding value in it, which contributes to their identity.
How do you balance personal desires with the pressures of public life?
The speaker discusses the struggle of managing personal relationships and the need for self-reflection. They emphasize the importance of being true to oneself while navigating the complexities of fame.