After his last OST in 2021, BTS’s Kim Taehyung, known mononymously as V, released his debut album “Layover” on Sept. 8. The album serves as a testament to his artistic growth separate from BTS. Since creating music for HYBE Music since he was 15, his highly anticipated solo album experiments with different genres as he draws from his past to create a new “V.”
The title song, a 70’s-style romantic soul track, “Slow Dancing,” pays homage to V’s biggest musical influences — icons like Ruben Studdard, Frank Sinatra, and Chet Baker. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Taehyung detailed his journey with jazz which began with learning to play the saxophone at age 14. As he revisited the genre in his 20s, “it started to have a new meaning, because it wasn’t part of [his] work or studies,” V said “After hearing it more naturally, [he] started falling in love with the genre and seeing its merits.”
In the virtual world that V develops in the “Slow Dancing” music video, he and his friends lounge around without the pressure of the outside world. Alluding to K-pop idols’ lack of privacy, V pairs soft vocals with comforting visuals to show the world his escape from reality. The standout song of the album, R&B and jazz influences take reign to showcase his rich vocals, alongside a mesmerizing flute solo towards the end.
Meanwhile, the track “Rainy Days” shows V’s shift away from BTS’s typical DMX-esque hip-hop numbers as jazz–inspired melodies accompany his wistful, longing tone, especially through the pre-chorus. Capturing the sentiment that comes with a rainy day, he reminisces about an ex-lover. “Rainy days, I’m thinking ’bout you, what to say,” he starts.
The first proper heartbreak song from a BTS member since their hiatus manifests as the track “Blue,” which follows the cycles of a breakup. V’s frustrated tone comes through in a desperate, angry cry as he bangs on an apartment door that won’t open. Resignation marks the second stage of V’s grief, where he slumps onto an empty swingset and he sings “The stars tonight I borrowed from the moon all shine on you/But baby you’re still blue.”
Released on Aug. 9 as a preview of the album, the “Love Me Again,” music video exudes intimacy as the singer coos into a mic in a golden-lit cave. V’s soulful notes etched into his deeper register reflect on a past relationship he has yet to get over. As opposed to his previous BTS songs where his baritone was usually utilized for fast rap, “Love Me Again” uses its richness for a heartful serenade. Encapsulating loneliness, heartache, and nostalgia, V revives the sounds of soulful R&B and jazz to the K-pop scene with his debut. Fittingly, the album cover features his pomeranian Yeontan as a personal detail, tying together the album’s purpose as a scrapbook of both his private and public life. Like he told Rolling Stone: “The intent behind naming my first solo album, Layover, is to represent a starting point, like I’m just beginning to paint the picture that is Kim Taehyung.”
