Lee Sung-jin, "I Directed My First MV All Because Of RM"

"The reason I decided to work on my first music video was purely because of RM." (Director Lee Sung-jin)

Director Lee Sung-jin shared a behind-the-scenes with BTS's RM on the 13th. The director directed the music video for RM's solo second album "Come back to me".

Lee is gaining global attention. He won this year's Emmy Awards for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director in the Miniseries/TV Movie category for Netflix's "Beef." "Beef" has also won awards overseas, including the Golden Globes.

This is his first time directing a music video. "Come Back to Me" MV was released on the 10th. It depicts RM, who is trapped in multiple time and space and meets a different version of "me" than the "me" he is now.

The reason for the project was RM. The director said, "I love BTS to the point of going to their concerts. There was no reason not to take the opportunity to work with such creative geniuses," he said.

The music video has been praised for its sensual visuals and cinematic imagination. "The colors of the light in the video are the same colors we used in the final episode of "Beef," the director explains.

"We wanted to visually express the message RM wanted to convey, and we also wanted to give an honest look at the different sides of him as a musician," he said.

Meanwhile, RM will release his second solo album, "Right Place, Wrong Person" at 1 p.m. on the 24th. It contains a total of 11 songs, including "Come Back to Me."

Q. How did you feel when you first heard "Come back to me"?

A. I thought it was a very addictive song. I really like RM's previous songs, but I was impressed and intrigued by the freshness of the song. Hearing something new and unexpected gave me inspiration for the video.

Q. Why did you accept the offer to work on the music video?

A. This was my first time directing a music video. The reason I decided to work on "Come back to me" was purely because of RM. I love BTS so much that I went to their "LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF" LA concert in 2019. And to be honest, RM was my favorite and most interesting member of the group. I'm also a fan of Balming Tiger's San Yawn, Hyuk Oh, and JNKYRD, who co-wrote the song, so there was no reason not to take the opportunity to work with these creative geniuses.

Q. How did you want to express the message of the song through the video?

A. I had a lot of ideas for the music video at the beginning, but I didn't have anything that I wanted to call 'this'. We had many conversations with not only RM, but also TEAM RM, the production team, and we were able to capture the theme and message. Through sharing our personal experiences with each other, we were able to better understand what we were trying to say, and we wanted to help RM visually express the message. RM is such a versatile artist that we wanted to showcase his many facets as a musician and actor as authentically as possible.

Q. What is the meaning of the door in the music video?

A. I'd like to leave this part open to interpretation, but I will add that the idea of utilizing the door came up during a conversation with RM and I think of it as the "cornerstone" that holds the music video together. The three lights on the door are also open to interpretation, but the colors of the lights are the colors used in the final episode of Netflix's "Beeg."

Q. Do you have any memorable moments from the music video shoot?

A. I remember the last day of shooting, right after we did the final take of the crane shot. My good friend Jake Schreier, who worked on "Beef", is the producer of the music video, and he edited it so that we could see the footage on the spot. So as soon as we finished shooting, we showed the rough cut to RM and the crew, and their reactions were so emotional. I'll never forget the smiles on their faces. I think this music video is the result of the hard work and talent of all the performers and staff, so it was a very rewarding moment to see the result as soon as we finished shooting.

<Photo=Bighit Music>

by. Meenyoung