BTS: Birthday boy Kim Namjoon changed his stage name from Rap Monster to RM for this reason

BTS leader RM, who celebrates his birthday on Sunday, was originally known as Rap Monster. Here's a look at what prompted him to change his stage name.

BTS leader RM, whose real name is Kim Namjoon, turned 27 (he's 28 according to the Korean culture) on September 12. The South Korean rapper was the first one to be recruited into the seven-member group and has led them since. He was launched with the stage name Rap Monster.

BTS leader RM's original stage name was Rap Monster. 

However, in 2017, Kim Namjoon announced that he was doing away with the stage name Rap Monster and would use the name RM instead. In a letter posted in BTS' official fan cafe, he explained that RM seems more in accordance with the music's he's aiming to create and also provides a wider spectrum.

“I’ve been promoting under the name Rap Monster for about five years, since the end of 2012. It was a stage name that I naturally came to be called among our company family members and my members, after a line in a song I’d made as a trainee, and I think I became very fond of it. But once I started promoting, the name ‘BTS’s Rap Monster’ was a bit long, and I’ve become keenly aware of the fact that it’s become different from [what I want] to put at the front of the music I’ve made for the past five years, and the music I want to share in the future,” he wrote, as reported by Soompi.

“It’s possible that it’s a bit awkward to be changing my stage name, which I’ve been called since before my debut, and you may feel like it’s unfamiliar. However, I would be sincerely grateful if you would welcome me after I’ve started with a new name following a long time of consideration,” he concluded the letter.

With RM turning a year older, BTS fans have been showering him with wishes and love on social media. He took to Twitter and shared three pictures of himself along with a note of gratitude. He said he's happy he could be with fans on his birthday and thanked them for their love. “I'll become more sufficient 'me',” he said, as translated by fans.