Marc Spiegler: Hi this is Mark Spiegler and you’re listening to Intersections: The Art Basel Podcast; supported by UBS. This episode marks the first show of our second season, and we’ve had a lot of truly well-known people on this podcast. But it’s safe to say that none of them is as world famous as Namjoon Kim. He’s better known as RM, the leader of the K-Pop band BTS for almost a decade. And in the last few years, BTS has become a truly global force far beyond Korea, with an impact that transcends the music world. Because of his star status, Namjoon’s cultural influence is enormous.
So, when he started collecting art five years ago and being very public about it on his social media, it had a real impact for the artists, galleries and museums that he has supported. This is the first podcast that Namjoon has ever done in English, and the topics you’ll hear him discuss include: the rise of Korea as a cultural force, how an artist builds their legacy, and his plans to open a collection space in Seoul, Korea.
An unexpected thing happened just as we were preparing to release this episode. BTS shocked the music world with a major announcement; the groups members will be focusing on solo projects. But according to their management, they plan to remain active in “various different formats.” What this all means for BTS and Namjoon Kim, remains to be seen, but without a doubt this development casts his highly reflective comments in this interview, especially those concerning personal legacy and solo projects in a very different light. If you enjoy this conversation, please review and favorite Intersections wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you.
Marc: Namjoon Kim, welcome to Intersections.
Namjoon: Hi!
Marc: Tell us where you are today, just to give our listeners something to hang their thoughts around
Namjoon: I’m in Seoul, because I live in South Korea, Seoul. And here it’s seven pm. I’m in my studio, this is our label studio. It’s my little studio -and there’s a little painting back over there, so, yeah
Marc: Let’s start at the beginning. I read in the interview preparation that you were introduced by a grade school teacher to Eminem; probably towards the beginning of his career?
Namjoon: It was thirteen, when I first listened to Eminem, I believe. And it was actually ‘Without Me’ and it was the movie, of course, ‘8 Mile’. It was a hit and for an adolescent kid, the rap and the face, and the acting he showed in the movie was so sensational. So, I thought like “oh man! I wanna be like him! I wanna do the nice English rapping someday like him. I wanna do some cypher, I wanna write the lyrics.” But before that, the fun thing is that when I was like ten or in elementary school, I really wanted to be a poet or a writer. So meeting Eminem and Nas, my dream of being a poet actually naturally moves to being a rapper.
Marc: Tell me -because I think it’s a fairly industrial complex in Korea- tell me how you entered the music system. Did you succeed right away? When did you start?
Namjoon: Okay, so, I got to know Eminem and Nas at thirteen years old, and from fourteen, I started to write my own lyrics and there was some online community -amateur musicians and rappers showing their lyrics and their music. It was really bad but it was really pure. So, I just got into the community showing my stuff and studio works, and then started my hobby. And I became sixteen! actually I just wanted to enter the system. Like you said, I wanted to enter an underground label in Korea. So, I actually sent my resume, my music, and then I got in but the final test was to have a real performance with the musicians. But I was like sixteen, I forgot my lyrics up on stage. I was so nervous, so, I sucked and I just felt like “oh man, I have no talent for this offline thing.” In the studio I think I was talented, I was great. But the stage was a whole different thing so, yeah, that happened and I entered high school and I just cut my hair. “Okay, this is my way, I should study. I should be a good student.”
But destiny is really funny because that performance I sucked at there was a famous rapper in Korea, and he saw my performance. He actually laughed at me because I forgot my lyrics but, I think he saw my potential I guess at that time. And he called me later like, “this company, Hybe, and the CEO, Mr. Bang, is looking for some young kids who can write lyrics and love rapping.” And I told him that I gave up already. I didn’t tell my parents but, I secretly met him and it happened like this.
Marc: What was his name?
So, when he started collecting art five years ago and being very public about it on his social media, it had a real impact for the artists, galleries and museums that he has supported. This is the first podcast that Namjoon has ever done in English, and the topics you’ll hear him discuss include: the rise of Korea as a cultural force, how an artist builds their legacy, and his plans to open a collection space in Seoul, Korea.
An unexpected thing happened just as we were preparing to release this episode. BTS shocked the music world with a major announcement; the groups members will be focusing on solo projects. But according to their management, they plan to remain active in “various different formats.” What this all means for BTS and Namjoon Kim, remains to be seen, but without a doubt this development casts his highly reflective comments in this interview, especially those concerning personal legacy and solo projects in a very different light. If you enjoy this conversation, please review and favorite Intersections wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you.
Marc: Namjoon Kim, welcome to Intersections.
Namjoon: Hi!
Marc: Tell us where you are today, just to give our listeners something to hang their thoughts around
Namjoon: I’m in Seoul, because I live in South Korea, Seoul. And here it’s seven pm. I’m in my studio, this is our label studio. It’s my little studio -and there’s a little painting back over there, so, yeah
Marc: Let’s start at the beginning. I read in the interview preparation that you were introduced by a grade school teacher to Eminem; probably towards the beginning of his career?
Namjoon: It was thirteen, when I first listened to Eminem, I believe. And it was actually ‘Without Me’ and it was the movie, of course, ‘8 Mile’. It was a hit and for an adolescent kid, the rap and the face, and the acting he showed in the movie was so sensational. So, I thought like “oh man! I wanna be like him! I wanna do the nice English rapping someday like him. I wanna do some cypher, I wanna write the lyrics.” But before that, the fun thing is that when I was like ten or in elementary school, I really wanted to be a poet or a writer. So meeting Eminem and Nas, my dream of being a poet actually naturally moves to being a rapper.
Marc: Tell me -because I think it’s a fairly industrial complex in Korea- tell me how you entered the music system. Did you succeed right away? When did you start?
Namjoon: Okay, so, I got to know Eminem and Nas at thirteen years old, and from fourteen, I started to write my own lyrics and there was some online community -amateur musicians and rappers showing their lyrics and their music. It was really bad but it was really pure. So, I just got into the community showing my stuff and studio works, and then started my hobby. And I became sixteen! actually I just wanted to enter the system. Like you said, I wanted to enter an underground label in Korea. So, I actually sent my resume, my music, and then I got in but the final test was to have a real performance with the musicians. But I was like sixteen, I forgot my lyrics up on stage. I was so nervous, so, I sucked and I just felt like “oh man, I have no talent for this offline thing.” In the studio I think I was talented, I was great. But the stage was a whole different thing so, yeah, that happened and I entered high school and I just cut my hair. “Okay, this is my way, I should study. I should be a good student.”
But destiny is really funny because that performance I sucked at there was a famous rapper in Korea, and he saw my performance. He actually laughed at me because I forgot my lyrics but, I think he saw my potential I guess at that time. And he called me later like, “this company, Hybe, and the CEO, Mr. Bang, is looking for some young kids who can write lyrics and love rapping.” And I told him that I gave up already. I didn’t tell my parents but, I secretly met him and it happened like this.
Marc: What was his name?
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