There are some BTS songs that feel different when you hear them years after they were written. For RM, “Tear” and “00:00 (Zero O’ Clock)” are two of those songs. During BTS’s ARIRANG World Tour stop in Toronto, RM shared a deeply personal reflection about the emotional state he was in when he worked on the two tracks.
Standing in front of fans in 2026 and hearing thousands of voices sing lyrics he had written during one of the more difficult periods of his life appeared to give the songs an entirely new meaning.
“’Tear’ and ‘Zero O’ Clock’ give me, you know, so much ... into memories.” RM
RM explained that returning to those songs brought back memories of the period in which they were created.
“When I was working on the tracks, I was really in a bad time, you know, fighting stuff, fighting demons.” RM
It was an honest glimpse into the emotional weight that can exist behind BTS's music. BTS's discography has always been filled with songs that explore complicated emotions, from uncertainty and loneliness to heartbreak, fear, growth, and hope.
“Tear,” released on BTS's 2018 album Love Yourself: Tear, has long been recognized by fans as one of the group's most emotionally intense songs. The track carries a sense of heartbreak and emotional exhaustion, and RM's recent comments offer another perspective on why the song remains so powerful years later.
For him, the memories aren't simply attached to the music. They are attached to the person he was when he created it. When artists revisit older songs, they can sometimes feel as though they are meeting an earlier version of themselves. The emotions that inspired the music may have changed, but the words remain exactly as they were.
That appears to be what RM experienced during the Toronto concert. “Fighting Demons” RM's description of that period was particularly striking. He said he was “fighting stuff, fighting demons” while working on the tracks. Rather than going into specific details about what he was experiencing at the time, RM's words left room for fans to understand the broader emotional struggle behind the music.
And perhaps that's part of why BTS's songs have remained so meaningful to listeners. Fans don't necessarily need to have lived through exactly the same experiences as the members to recognize the emotions in the music. Pain, uncertainty, loneliness and the desire to make it through difficult moments are universal.
A song written during one person's difficult chapter can eventually become part of someone else's survival story. RM also mentioned “00:00 (Zero O'Clock),” another BTS song that has become especially meaningful to fans.
Released on Map of the Soul: 7 in 2020, “00:00 (Zero O'Clock” carries a message about reaching the end of a difficult day and believing that tomorrow can begin again. Its central idea is simple but powerful: when the clock reaches midnight, everything resets.
For someone who was struggling when the music was created, returning to the song years later can naturally bring back memories of that earlier emotional state. But 2026 provides RM with something he didn't have when those songs were originally written, distance. Years have passed. The circumstances have changed. And BTS are once again standing on enormous stages together.
Perhaps the most emotional part of RM's reflection came when he looked at the present rather than the past. After talking about the difficult period during which he worked on the songs, RM reflected on the experience of being back with fans in 2026.
“But it's really great to see you guys again in 2026 after all these things gone and singing lyrics with you guys.” RM
That sentence transforms the meaning of the moment. The songs may have been born from difficult memories, but performing them in 2026 means something completely different. RM isn't standing alone with those memories anymore. He's standing on stage with BTS. And in front of him are thousands of fans who know every word.
There is something incredibly powerful about artists returning to songs they wrote years earlier. The words stay the same. The artist doesn't. RM in 2026 is not the same person who worked on “Tear” or “00:00. (Zero O'clock)” He has experienced new chapters, new challenges, personal growth, BTS's individual activities, military service, and eventually the group's return to the stage.
That changes the way an old song can feel. What once represented pain can eventually become evidence that the difficult period was survived. What once felt like an ending can become part of a much longer story. And that's exactly what makes the ARIRANG tour so meaningful for longtime BTS fans.
ARMY (BTS fandom) have changed Too. The emotional connection works both ways. The fans listening to RM in Toronto aren't necessarily the same people they were when “Tear” and “00:00 Zero O'Clock” were released. Some fans may have discovered BTS years later. Others may have listened to those songs during their own difficult moments.
Some may have grown up with the group. Others may have experienced significant life changes since those songs first entered their playlists. So when everyone sings those lyrics together in 2026, there are thousands of individual stories meeting in one place.
RM's memories become connected to the memories of ARMY. That's one of the extraordinary things about music. From fighting demons to singing together. RM's Toronto comments offer a beautiful reminder of how much time can change the meaning of a song. Years ago, he was working through difficult emotions and putting them into music.
Years later, he's standing on a massive stage, hearing fans sing those same words back to him. The circumstances have changed. The members have grown. The fans have grown. But the music remains. And perhaps that's the quiet victory hidden inside the moment.
The songs that once carried memories of a difficult period can now be performed as part of a celebration of having made it through. For BTS and ARMY, the ARIRANG era represents a new beginning. But moments like RM's reflection in Toronto show that moving forward doesn't mean forgetting the past. Instead, the past becomes part of the journey.
“Tear” and “00:00 (Zero O'clock)” are no longer simply songs connected to a difficult period in RM's life. They are now songs he can stand on stage and sing with the people who have stayed with BTS throughout the years. And perhaps that is the most beautiful part of his message.
The memories are still there. The songs are still there. But the difficult chapter has passed. Now, RM gets to sing those same words surrounded by BTS and ARMY in 2026. And after everything they've been through, that makes hearing “Tear” and “00:00 (Zero O' Clock)” together feel less like looking backward—and more like proof of how far they've come.
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