7 must-hear solo songs by BTS's RM

Before the world met RM from BTS, Kim Namjoon was just a teen writing down words and taking part in rap battles, loving the art of words and beats long before he got famous. But when he joined K-pop with BTS in June 2013, it started some talks, especially from Korean rap fans who didn't see how a true rapper could fit into the smooth, dance-filled idol scene.

What many didn't see, though, was that Namjoon wasn't leaving rap behind; he was changing its limits. Over time, with BTS's big rise and his own growth, he turned into a link between different music styles, weaving deep thoughts, talks on society, and poetry into the popular tune. His solo work isn’t just a side project for profit.

It is where his true thoughts come out, dealing with big ideas of who he is, being alone, getting better, and feeling part of something, with a soft strength. Instead of chasing trends, he chose vulnerability, blending deep introspection into his music. Kim Namjoon’s journey isn’t about staying within limits — it’s about redefining them.

He shows that a rapper’s voice doesn’t need to be loud to be heard worldwide — it just needs to be honest. As the key mind in BTS, RM shapes the band's feel with his sharp words and big impact on stage. He's well known as the main rapper and head of BTS, but his solo work shows a deeper, new side. Songs like Wild Flower and Come Back to Me aren't just hits; they show his growing skill and the deep feelings he adds to tunes apart from the band.

RM doesn't just perform; he writes a lot too. With over 215 songs to his name, listed by the Korean Music Copyright Association, he makes a big mark in music. His own album, Indigo, did more than just hit well with fans, it made room on world charts. It put him as the first K-pop solo star to be on the Billboard 200 for six weeks in a row. With BTS or solo, RM keeps moving past limits. He mixes true words with world charm.

Disclaimer: This article contains the writer's opinion. The reader's discretion is advised!

Here are the top 7 must-hear solo songs by BTS's RM

RM's own songs let us see into his thoughts when he's not in the BTS light, true, deep, and full of great music. His own music does more than show how he has grown; it shows how wide his skill is as an artist who is not scared to explore deep feelings, who he is, and the soft mess of day-to-day life.

Be it simple, sad songs or mixes of many styles, RM makes music that hits us at the core. Each song comes out with a clear goal, full of meaning, and driven by his own sound, both in his voice and his words. For those who want to know more about RM on his own, these songs are key to hear.

1) Forever Rain

RM's Forever Rain pairs up with sadness, moving along with it, and slowly shows a deep wish for calm in a fast life. The song doesn't face fame or stress head-on. Instead, rain stands for peace, a scene where time eases, looks shift away, and being alone feels safe, not heavy. Here, rain isn't just weather; it fights against the loud hopes placed on someone always seen.

The picture of an umbrella tells of his wish to step back, not to disappear, but to live by his rules, safe from the never-ending rush of the world around him. Even under this shelter, he remains bound — tied to duties that refuse to release him. In the thought of two folks meeting in the rain, there's a small light of hope, of shared thoughts in a world that feels too fast and too cold.

By using the words "forever rain" a lot, RM makes a beat that shows his want for a never-ending, slow place where thinking can happen. The song stays in the struggle between wanting to run away and knowing it won't last, and by doing this, it gives us a look into the deep thoughts of someone trying to stay gentle in a world that wants them to be tough.

2) Moonchild

RM's Moonchild, the third song from his 2018 mixtape mono, gives a soft look at feeling open and strong, quiet. Instead of seeing sadness as something to run from, the song digs into it, showing sadness not as a weak spot, but as a part of human life worth knowing. The song feels gentle, like a talk late at night, and it opens slowly with soft music that fits with the deep look of the words.

RM creates a world where night doesn’t just represent darkness; it turns into a safe place, a spot for those who feel most at home when the moon looks down. The song hints that staying in the dark isn’t losing, it's taking care of oneself. There's a focus on the good in getting by softly, on seeing times of calm in the heart of hard feelings.

Moonchild is more than just a name; it stands for anyone who likes being alone and gets power from seeing their own pain. The pictures of rain, dark, and city nights at dark show that getting better doesn't just happen in the day. RM's words are soft but lift you up: pain might always be there, but it's not all you are. By the end, the song doesn't push you to run from your sad feelings; it just lets you know you're not by yourself in feeling them.

3) uhgood

RM's song uhgood talks in depth about the tough task of matching who we are with who we want to be. He doesn't pretend to know everything. He uses the song to show the quiet sadness of not meeting our own hopes. It's more about the big load of trying to be perfect, and how trying to be great can turn into being tough on oneself.

It's like being very aware but starting to doubt oneself, too. The song carries a soft longing to close the unseen gap between who he shows to others and who he really sees when he looks at himself. The words show layers of self-doubt as RM fights with thoughts of not being good enough, even though he's a success, asking why being by himself doesn't feel calm. Yet in that hard spot, he finds strength.

Using images like rain in a desert, he shows life as something you can't guess but is still worth going through. The repeat at the end works like a chant, not showing loss but a strong move toward liking who he is. uhgood doesn't try to fix the pull between what's ideal and what's real, it just asks us to stay with it, and maybe find some peace in the doing.

4) Come Back to Me

RM's Come Back to Me, out before his 2023 solo work Right Place, Wrong Person, is a deep, personal song. It's full of soft, deep feelings. It was first performed live at the finale of Agust D’s D-DAY Tour in Seoul. This song is a big step in RM's changing art. It's not like most breakup songs. It isn't just a call back to a lost love, it's a talk with himself, but sounds like a cry for help, with talks of self, two-sided feelings, and the deep, unspoken need to belong.

The words come out like they were written in a secret book, where "I'm fine" means more than it says. It acts like a wall. That hard shell gives way to times where old joys meet raw feelings, showing the deep want to be with others, not as a flaw but as something everyone feels and is truly human. Small hints of change and time, like the seasons coming back, show what RM feels inside, where knowing oneself meets deep feelings.

The repeated main words are more than just a call; they turn into a chant for anyone dealing with missing someone and the hope of being together again. Accompanied by a dreamlike, looping music video, the song shows a look into a mind still looking for clear thoughts, still dealing with the mix of inner truths and being seen by others.

With Come Back to Me, RM doesn't just express longing; he invites listeners into the quiet, often messy search for who we are when no one's watching.

5) Always

RM's song Always, put out on SoundCloud in 2020, is a deep and heavy work that shows the parts of his mind. He does not use bright hope or normal pop forms in his words. He picks pure truth, talking about feeling alone, numb, and mixed up, things that come with being famous. Right from the start, the song shows a mind full of sadness. RM talks about wanting to pull away from life, showing not just a sad feeling but a deep tiredness of being.

RM does not use hopeful metaphors. Instead, he sees life as something forced, like a cup of coffee he didn't ask for but has to drink. This strange comparison shows how it feels to live a life that seems put upon you, not picked by you. He deals with feelings of being apart and not linked, asking if he was ever really known. These self-doubt moments get deeper as the song goes on, showing a repeated emotional tiredness where the hurt does not go away, it just takes new forms.

In his words, there's a deep hurt that shows he really wants his dad to see him. He asks over and over for his dad to get him, showing a deep need that's not filled. This makes clear that the need to feel seen can last even when the person you're talking to isn't there. The whole song, Always, doesn't try to fix the sadness; it just shows it. It acts as a raw look at RM's fight with who he is, his sorrow, and the sense of being lost in a place that often does not hear.

6) Dreamin'

RM's Dreamin' moves like a soft, deep talk in one's head, looking at the journey of keeping dreams alive even when the way isn't clear. This song doesn't show winning as a bright endpoint. It stays in the unsure parts, the heavy feel of doubt, and times when dreams seem too far. It's about staying in it for the long run; it takes more than hard work; it takes remembering.

Remember how much you have done, the young you who first hoped, and the hard times that made your dream. The song gets into that common feeling of wondering if it's all worth it, and answers softly: yes, it is. RM shows a true, open way in which he links his own growth to the stuff that moved him at the start.

Like how a single song, discovered by chance, could shift his entire worldview. Dreamin' isn't only a song to lift you up, it tells you that the dream is real in each hard moment, in every memory, and in all small wins that don't get big news. It's about valuing each step as much as the end result.

7) LOST!

In LOST!, he talks about the heavy feel of moving through life's unclear parts, where being free and lost meet. He does not just give a straight story. Instead, the track mixes bits of his own life, thoughts of the night, short joys, and open questions. It tells not only of being lost out in the world, but also inside oneself. RM shows times where being free doesn’t mean happy, it can feel odd, too.

Going to a club for the first time might seem fun, but deep down it stirs a restlessness he can't lose. This pull, of feeling both full of life and yet empty, is a soft pain in the song. Getting older seems strange too, showing how far he's gone; his young years turn to just memories, and hitting thirty comes without any clear guide.

Repeating the word 'lost' becomes both an admission and a mantra, showing how these feelings don't just fade, they go around, grow, and come back. The picture of boxing stuff up and looking at the sky isn't noisy; it's close, a picture talks of running away that never really gives peace. At its heart, LOST! talks to people, finding out who they are, linking up, and shifting, and RM steps into that unsure space instead of fixing it.

RM's songs, on his own and with BTS, show him talking to himself and the world. His music mixes open feelings with deep thought, touching on self, stress, being free, and the soft fights of growing up. He does not just write words; he makes maps of feelings that change with each new song.

From rough first songs to smooth, deep ones later, his growth in music matches his own path of wonder, questions, healing, and finding out who he is. What catches the eye is how he mixes deep thoughts with his own story, letting his music touch both the heart and many people all at once. RM's list of songs is more than just tunes; it's a rich tale of a person trying to grasp life with all its ups and downs, and asking others to join in.