V (BTS)

Before his debut, V was kept as BTS’ “secret member,” with his agency concealing his existence to surprise fans. He later admitted that this secrecy left him feeling lonely and uncertain, fearing he might be removed from the lineup. On June 13, 2013, he officially debuted with BTS on M Countdown, performing “No More Dream” from their single album 2 Cool 4 Skool.

V’s first credited work in music composition came with The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1 (2015), where he co-wrote and produced “Hold Me Tight” and contributed to the lyrics of “Fun Boyz.” He also composed the melody for “Run” on The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2. His first solo track, “Stigma,” was co-written and composed for BTS’ 2016 album Wings. During this period, he also shared unofficial covers of “Hug Me” with J-Hope and Adele’s “Someone Like You.”

In May 2018, V released his second solo track, “Singularity,” as the trailer for BTS’ album Love Yourself: Tear. The song gained critical acclaim, earning spots on multiple year-end lists, including The New York Times’ “Best Songs of 2018” and The Guardian’s monthly top 50 playlist. It also made its UK radio debut on BBC Radio in October 2018.

On October 24, 2018, V and his BTS bandmates were awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by South Korean President Moon Jae-in for their contributions to spreading Korean culture.

In June 2019, V and J-Hope collaborated with Swedish singer Zara Larsson on “A Brand New Day” for the BTS World mobile game soundtrack, which debuted at number one on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart. He later co-wrote and composed “Inner Child” and collaborated with Jimin on “Friends,” both featured on BTS’ 2020 album Map of the Soul: 7. “Friends” was later included in the 2021 Marvel film Eternals.

In July 2021, V and BTS were appointed Special Presidential Envoys for Future Generations and Culture by President Moon Jae-in. Their role was to promote global diplomatic initiatives and enhance South Korea’s international presence.

In 2016, V made his acting debut under his real name, Kim Tae-hyung, with a supporting role in KBS2’s historical drama Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth. He also collaborated with bandmate Jin on the duet single “It’s Definitely You” for the show’s soundtrack.

To mark BTS’ fourth anniversary, V released “4 O’Clock” on June 8, 2017, a song he co-produced with RM. His first independent track, “Scenery,” followed on January 30, 2019, via BTS’ SoundCloud page. V wrote and composed the ballad, also photographing the cover art himself. The song broke streaming records, reaching 100 million streams in just 14 days. In August 2019, he released his first all-English solo track, “Winter Bear,” accompanied by a self-directed music video on BTS’ YouTube channel.

In 2020, V contributed “Sweet Night” to the Itaewon Class soundtrack, which received praise for its composition and vocals, debuting at number two on Billboard’s Digital Songs chart. Later that year, he released the holiday track “Snow Flower” featuring Peakboy. His next seasonal single, “Christmas Tree,” was released in December 2021 as part of the Our Beloved Summer soundtrack, becoming his first solo entry on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 79.

V expanded his television presence in 2022, starring in the Disney+ reality series In the Soop: Friendcation alongside Peakboy, Park Seo-joon, Choi Woo-shik, and Park Hyung-sik. In 2023, he appeared in the Prime Video travel-cooking show Jinny’s Kitchen with Park Seo-joon and Choi Woo-shik. That year, he also became a brand ambassador for SimInvest, Celine, Cartier’s Panthère de Cartier campaign, and Seoul Tourism.

On August 28, 2023, “Scenery,” “Winter Bear,” and “Snow Flower” were officially released on streaming platforms ahead of his debut solo album Layover, which launched on September 8. The album set a new record for the highest first-week sales by a K-pop soloist, selling 2.1 million copies, and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, tying him with BTS members Jimin and Suga as the highest-charting Korean soloists. In December, V was named brand ambassador for Compose Coffee, and he featured on the single “Wherever U R” by UMI.

Impact and influence

V introduced the phrase “I purple you” during a BTS fan meeting in November 2016, turning purple into a symbolic color for the group and their fans. The phrase was later adopted by UNICEF in their anti-bullying campaign with BTS.

In 2018, Eugene Investment & Securities Co., Ltd. analyzed Google search trends in the K-pop industry, with “V” ranking as the most-searched keyword in South Korea over the previous five years. In Gallup Korea’s annual surveys, he ranked as the fourth most-preferred idol in 2019, up from ninth place in 2018. By 2021, he was the most popular Korean celebrity in Japan for 28 consecutive weeks.

V has influenced many artists who cite him as a role model, including Younghoon and Hwall of The Boyz, Jaehyun and Jangjun of Golden Child, members of MVP, Rainz, Cravity, Ateez, D-Crunch, Lucente, and Newkidd, as well as TXT’s Beomgyu, Boy Story’s Hanyu, and former Wanna One member Park Ji-hoon. Contestants from Produce X 101, including Koo Jungmo, Lee Taeseung, and Mahiro Hidaka, have also expressed admiration for him.

Military service

On November 22, 2023, Big Hit announced via Weverse that V, along with RM, Jimin, and Jungkook, had begun the enlistment process for mandatory military service. He officially enlisted on December 11. After completing extended military training, V was assigned to the Ssangyong Unit of the 2nd Corps on February 8, 2024, serving under the Special Task Force of the Military Police Corps.