Jung Kook did not flinch when ‘Seven’ raised eyebrows. RM did not either. In fact, the BTS leader says he stepped in when label executives wanted the lyrics toned down, arguing that Jung Kook was fully grown and did not need his image softened. Looking back now, that call looks even bigger, since ‘Seven’ became one of the most talked-about solo releases tied to a BTS member and turned into a massive streaming force.
In a new BTS cover story, Jung Kook opened up about the now-famous explicit line in his 2023 collab with Latto, making it clear he never saw the lyric as a problem. “I wasn’t embarrassed,” he said. “I just felt, ‘So what?’” RM then jumped in with his side of the story and recalled pushing back when there were concerns behind the scenes.
“I told the label, ‘Please don’t change! Why not? He’s all grown up.’” RM said, explaining that he told the label that Jungkook should be able to have lyrics with swear words.
RM Backed Jung Kook’s Grown-Up Image
That quote says a lot about where Jung Kook was at the time. For years, fans watched him go from BTS’s youngest member to a global pop star trying out a more adult image. ‘Seven’ made that shift impossible to miss. The track featured Latto and included the lyric, “You know night after night I’ll be (explicit) you right, seven days a week,” which quickly became one of the most discussed parts of the song.
Jung Kook’s reaction now makes it clear he was never second-guessing it. He was comfortable with the song, the tone, and the message. RM, meanwhile, seems to have recognized that holding him back would have felt forced.
‘Seven’ Became Too Big to Ignore
Whatever doubts existed early on, the numbers buried them. In October 2023, ‘Seven’ became the fastest song to hit 1 billion streams in Spotify history. It also reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Global 200, giving Jung Kook one of the biggest solo moments of his career.
Latto later said working with him felt “surreal” and admitted she felt pressure before jumping on the track. “I’m like, ‘Are you sure you want me?’” she said. “He reached out to me for a reason. Let me just go in there and do what I do best.” She also praised the response to her verse and said the support around Jung Kook felt like “artist goals.”
RM also shared that Jung Kook was once invited to perform with Usher ahead of the 2024 Super Bowl, but the plan did not work out because his military service was about to begin.
Taken together, the interview offers a sharper look at a key BTS era. Jung Kook was ready to push forward, RM backed him, and ‘Seven’ became the kind of hit that made the whole debate look unnecessary.
