Thank you, Mr. Secretary General, UNICEF ExecutiveDirector, Excellencies and distinguished guests from across the world.
My name is Kim Nam Jun, also known as RM,the leader of the group BTS. It’s an incredible honor to be invited to an occasion of such significance for today’s young generation.
Last November, BTS launched the LOVE MYSELF campaign with UNICEF building on our belief that true love first begins with loving myself.
We’ve been partnering with UNICEF’s endviolence program to protect children and young people all over the world from violence. And, our fans have become a major part ofthis campaign with their action and their enthusiasm. We truly have the best fans in the world. I’d like to begin by talking about myself. I was born in Ilsan, a city near Seoul, SouthKorea.
It is a really beautiful place with a lake,hills, and even an annual flower festival. I spent a very happy childhood there and Iwas judged as an ordinary boy. I used to look up at the night sky and I used to dream the dreams of a boy.
I used to imagine that I was a super herowho could save the world. In an intro to one of our early albums there’sa line that says, “My heart stopped when I was maybe nine or ten.” Looking back, I think that’s when I beganto worry about what other people thought of me and started seeing myself in their eyes.
I stopped looking up at the night skies, the stars. I stopped day dreaming. Instead, I just tried to jam myself into the molds that other people made. Soon, I began to shut out my own voice andstarted to listen to the voices of others. No one called out my name and neither didI. My heart stopped and my eyes closed shut. And so, like this I, we, all lost our names.
We became like ghosts. But, I had one thing and that was music. There was a small voice inside of me thatsaid, “Wake up, man, and listen to yourself.” But, it took me quite a long time to hearmusic calling my real name. Even after making the decision to join BTS,there were a lot of hurdles. Some people might not believe it, but mostpeople thought we were hopeless. And, sometimes, I just wanted to quit.
But, I think I was very lucky that I didn’tgive it all up. And, I’m sure that I and we will keep stumblingand falling like this. BTS has become artists performing in thosehuge stadiums, and we’re selling millions of albums right now. But, I am still an ordinary 24-year-old guy. If there’s anything that I’ve achievedit was only possible that I have my other BTS members right by my side, and becauseof the love and support that our ARMY fans all over the world made for us. And, maybe I made a mistake yesterday. But, yesterday’s me is still me.
My name is Kim Nam Jun, also known as RM,the leader of the group BTS. It’s an incredible honor to be invited to an occasion of such significance for today’s young generation.
We’ve been partnering with UNICEF’s endviolence program to protect children and young people all over the world from violence. And, our fans have become a major part ofthis campaign with their action and their enthusiasm. We truly have the best fans in the world. I’d like to begin by talking about myself. I was born in Ilsan, a city near Seoul, SouthKorea.
It is a really beautiful place with a lake,hills, and even an annual flower festival. I spent a very happy childhood there and Iwas judged as an ordinary boy. I used to look up at the night sky and I used to dream the dreams of a boy.
I used to imagine that I was a super herowho could save the world. In an intro to one of our early albums there’sa line that says, “My heart stopped when I was maybe nine or ten.” Looking back, I think that’s when I beganto worry about what other people thought of me and started seeing myself in their eyes.
I stopped looking up at the night skies, the stars. I stopped day dreaming. Instead, I just tried to jam myself into the molds that other people made. Soon, I began to shut out my own voice andstarted to listen to the voices of others. No one called out my name and neither didI. My heart stopped and my eyes closed shut. And so, like this I, we, all lost our names.
We became like ghosts. But, I had one thing and that was music. There was a small voice inside of me thatsaid, “Wake up, man, and listen to yourself.” But, it took me quite a long time to hearmusic calling my real name. Even after making the decision to join BTS,there were a lot of hurdles. Some people might not believe it, but mostpeople thought we were hopeless. And, sometimes, I just wanted to quit.
But, I think I was very lucky that I didn’tgive it all up. And, I’m sure that I and we will keep stumblingand falling like this. BTS has become artists performing in thosehuge stadiums, and we’re selling millions of albums right now. But, I am still an ordinary 24-year-old guy. If there’s anything that I’ve achievedit was only possible that I have my other BTS members right by my side, and becauseof the love and support that our ARMY fans all over the world made for us. And, maybe I made a mistake yesterday. But, yesterday’s me is still me.
