RM’s ‘Wild Flower,’ ‘Indigo’ top iTunes charts in multiple countries

“Wild Flower,” the lead track of BTS leader RM’s solo debut album “Indigo,” topped iTunes top songs charts in 87 countries, the group’s agency said Saturday.

As of 9 a.m. Saturday, the song hit No. 1 on the charts in countries including the United States, Canada, France and Germany, according to Big Hit Music.

“Indigo” topped iTunes albums charts in 67 countries, including the United States, Germany, France and Italy.

Released Friday, “Indigo” is RM’s first individual project since October 2018, when he released a mixtape titled “mono.”

The album has a total of 10 tracks, including its main single “Wild Flower,” “All Day” and “Closer.”

RM said Friday his solo debut album “Indigo” is just like himself and will be another starting point in his nine-year musical career.

The rapper became the third BTS member to make an official debut as a solo artist with the drop of the album “Indigo” at 2 p.m., following J-Hope and Jin.

It marks RM’s first individual project in about four years since October 2018, when he released a mixtape titled “mono.”

“It was 2019 when I first conceived the idea of making ‘Indigo,'” RM said in a video released through his agency, Big Hit Music, to introduce the new album. “It’s an album that contains all my feelings, worries and thoughts, just like a diary.”

He said it will be more “Kim Nam-joon-like” than his previous unofficial releases and be “another starting point,” referring to his original Korean name.

It was in this context that he came up with the title, “Indigo.”

“To express my changed tendencies, colors and thoughts, I wanted to contrast with the black-and-white atmosphere of ‘mono.’ So, I wondered what it would be like to start my formal album with this natural basic color,” he said. Indigo is the basic color of jeans that comes from nature, he added.

RM said “Wild Flower” has lyrics about his wish to live just like a calm wildflower, not a flame that is flamboyant but disappears in an instant.

Cho Yu-jin, a vocalist of mixed K-pop band Cheery Filter, participated in the song as a featured artist.

“I think the story that I wanted to tell gained the potential for a broader approach when Cho’s rocking and powerful vocal was added to the song,” he said.

Also among the artists featured on the album are Erykah Badu, Anderson .Paak, Tablo of Korean hip-hop trio Epik High and British singer-songwriter Mahalia.

“While working on a song, there are songs that I feel like I have to complete alone, while there are songs that can have more completeness and vitality when someone’s color is applied together,” RM said. “This time, there were lots of songs that I wanted to add someone else’s unique frequency, narrative and sentiment, so I got to work with various musicians. I learned a lot while working with them.”

Yonhap