BTS V Biography: The Maker

Profile

Item	Details
Stage name	V
Real name	Kim Taehyung
Born	December 30, 1995, Daegu, South Korea
Affiliation	BTS, BIGHIT MUSIC
Debut	June 13, 2013
Main fields	Singer, songwriter, actor

Summary

V is a member of BTS, a singer whose deep, low voice has given the group’s sound a texture all its own. Yet when you trace his career, you see someone who did not stop at singing: he went on to write songs, direct music videos and even shoot his own cover photos, becoming “a maker” in his own right. The boy who grew up in rural Geochang released his first solo album, Layover, ten years after his debut and took it to No. 2 on the US Billboard 200. On BTS’s fifth studio album, released after his military discharge, he included a song he wrote and composed himself. That song was later used to introduce South Korea at the 2026 G7 summit.

Chapter 1. The Boy from Geochang

V was born in Daegu on December 30, 1995, and grew up in Geochang County, South Gyeongsang Province.^[1] Nestled between Jirisan and Deogyusan mountains, the small town was a world away from the glitter of the entertainment industry.

He dreamed of becoming a singer from elementary school. His first tool for chasing that dream was not his voice but an instrument: he learned the saxophone to make music, and took classes at a dance academy to learn the moves he would need on stage.^[1] The jazz that later runs through his music can be seen as an echo of those years spent holding an instrument. Even now, he says he is drawn to art beyond music, from film cameras and the trumpet to painting.^[10]

His chance came unexpectedly. He went along with a friend to a Big Hit Entertainment audition in Daegu, was spotted there, and became a trainee.^[1]^[2] He had not gone intending to step onto a stage himself, so in that sense his start was close to an accident. He left Geochang and began his trainee life in Seoul.

As a trainee, he was the member fans did not know about. While other trainees introduced themselves one by one through videos and blog posts, he kept practicing out of public view for about two years and was revealed as a final member only just before debut.^[2] That quiet wait behind the stage can be seen to mirror the way he would later hold on to a song and refine it alone for a long time.

Chapter 2. Debut, and the Low Voice in the Group (2013–2015)

On June 13, 2013, BTS took the stage for the first time with “No More Dream” from their debut single album 2 Cool 4 Skool. It was also the moment V, kept out of sight until the very end, first appeared before the public.

In their early days, BTS’s music was built around hard-hitting hip-hop. Within it, V’s role was clear: as a sub-vocalist, he anchored the songs with his low register between the rap and the higher vocal lines.^[2] Rather than soaring, his voice tended to hold the center of gravity of a song, and his tone can be seen as an element that adds depth to the BTS sound.

During this period, V also appeared several times as a special host on terrestrial TV music shows. His ability to shift his expression and mood on stage in an instant can be seen as the foundation for his later acting and music video direction.

What drives him within the group comes through in a later interview. He said he tends to be motivated from inside the group rather than from outside, and that seeing his fellow members work hard makes him want to catch up. He described the members as “the people who make me work.”^[10]

Chapter 3. First Solo Song, First Acting Role (2016)

2016 was a year of firsts for V.

The first was acting. He played Han-sung in the KBS2 drama Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth, credited under his real name, Kim Taehyung.^[3] In the story of young Hwarang warriors of the Silla era, he played the youngest, a pure-hearted and cheerful Hwarang. The production team praised his warmth with the cast and crew on set.^[1] The drama’s soundtrack song he sang with fellow member Jin was also his first time recording for a drama.

The second was a solo song. BTS’s second studio album, WINGS, included a solo track for each member, and V’s was “Stigma.” He took part in both writing and composing it.^[4] Tinged with jazz and neo-soul, the song let him show on his own, for the first time, a range that moved from his low register up to a high falsetto. It was the first step for someone who had been a singer into the work of making songs.

That same year, at BTS’s third fan club fan meeting, he first used the phrase “I Purple You” (borahae).^[5] Violet is the last of the seven colors of the rainbow, he explained, so the phrase meant trusting each other and loving each other for a long time.^[5] Adding the meaning of trust to “I love you,” the phrase became a symbol linking BTS and their fandom, ARMY, and purple came to represent BTS wherever they performed.^[5] What he made, then, was not only songs.

Chapter 4. Starting to Make Things Himself (2017–2020)

From 2017 to 2020, V clearly became “a maker.”

The first sign was “4 O’Clock,” made with RM in 2017.^[2] Capturing the mood of four in the morning, it was a song he created from scratch with a fellow member and released.

“Singularity”: a voice that caught critics’ attention abroad. Released in 2018 as the trailer for BTS’s third studio album, LOVE YOURSELF 轉 ‘Tear’, “Singularity” is a neo-soul track. It became the first solo song by a K-pop idol to be played on BBC Radio in the UK, and it was named among The Guardian’s 50 best songs of the month.^[1] A solo track from an idol group known for dance and performance had caught the attention of music critics outside Korea on the strength of a voice alone. In October that year, he and his fellow BTS members received the Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit for spreading Korean culture and the Korean alphabet, Hangul, around the world. They were the youngest recipients of an Order of Cultural Merit.^[28]^[29]

“Scenery”: the first song he made alone. On January 30, 2019, V released his self-composed song “Scenery” for free on BTS’s SoundCloud account.^[6] It was not an official release but a song offered to fans like a gift, yet the sensibility of this quiet piano ballad captured many listeners. It passed 100 million plays on SoundCloud in just over two weeks, and in February that year it became the first SoundCloud-only track, rather than an official release, to be played on Korean radio.^[6] The radio host remarked that its lyrics read like a poem.^[6]

“Winter Bear”: from song to film and photograph. With “Winter Bear,” his first self-composed song in English, released that August, V’s making went beyond music.^[7] He directed and appeared in the music video himself and also shot the cover photo for the track.^[2]^[7]^[8] For his photography he used the name “Vante.” Writing, singing, directing and photographing all by himself, he showed a producer’s range.^[2]

“Sweet Night”: a song written for a drama. On March 13, 2020, “Sweet Night,” from the soundtrack of the JTBC drama Itaewon Class, was released. V wrote and produced it himself.^[9] Led by acoustic guitar, the indie-pop song captured the feelings of the drama’s protagonist while carrying the warmth of V’s own voice. In drama soundtracks, where singers usually perform songs made by others, he took part by creating the song himself.

That same year, BTS’s fourth studio album, MAP OF THE SOUL : 7, included his solo track “Inner Child.” Speaking to his younger self over a light Britpop rhythm, the song showed how far a singer known for his low voice had broadened his range of genres.

So how does he make songs? In a 2021 interview, he said it takes him at least three months to finish one.^[10] He writes ideas down in a diary, he said, but if a finished song still disappoints him when he listens again later, he tends to delete the whole thing.^[10] What he wants is to write songs he can play with confidence to anyone, whether fans or friends.^[10] This standard may also help explain why he has released relatively few self-composed songs.

Chapter 5. Standing as a Solo Artist (2021–2023)

“Christmas Tree”: his first Billboard Hot 100. On December 24, 2021, “Christmas Tree,” from the soundtrack of the drama Our Beloved Summer, was released. It entered the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming V’s first solo entry on the chart and the first Korean drama soundtrack song ever to make the Hot 100.^[11]^[12] The song also reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart.^[13]

That year he also pushed himself beyond his own voice. When he could not handle the high notes as he wanted while recording BTS’s “Butter,” he said he was angry with himself and practiced again and again.^[10] It is a moment that shows a singer whose strength was his low register refusing to stay within that strength.

In this period V also expanded his activities beyond music. He appeared on the Disney+ variety show In the SOOP: Friendcation in 2022 and the tvN variety show Jinny’s Kitchen in 2023, and also served as an ambassador for international fashion brands.

Layover: his first solo album. On September 8, 2023, ten years after his debut, V released his first solo album, Layover. ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin served as executive producer, leading the music, choreography, design and promotion.^[14] Min said she hesitated at first because of her schedule but was drawn in by V’s attitude, passion and voice.^[16]

A layover is a brief stop on a journey. V hoped the album would be a moment to look back on whether he was heading in the right direction and to remind himself of his final destination.^[15] Preparing the album, he started over from vocal basics and said he learned a great deal about himself in the process.^[15] Built around the title track “Slow Dancing,” the album’s six tracks are grounded in pop R&B,^[14] focusing on the texture of his voice rather than flashy performance. He described it as “an album filled with the charm of Kim Taehyung as a person.”^[14]

The results showed he was no longer just “a member of a group.” Layover debuted at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200^[17] and set the all-time record for first-week sales by a K-pop solo artist on the Hanteo Chart.^[18]

Chapter 6. Military Service (2023–2025)

On December 11, 2023, three months after his first solo album, V enlisted at the Army Training Center in Nonsan.^[19] He applied to and served in the Army Military Police Special Duty Team (SDT), which requires passing a demanding selection process including physical tests, document screening and interviews.^[19]^[20]

Work bearing his name continued during his service. In January 2024, IU’s “Love wins all” music video was released, putting him back on screen as an actor for the first time in years since Hwarang.^[30]^[31] His digital single “FRI(END)S,” prepared before enlistment, came out in 2024, and “Winter Ahead,” sung with Park Hyo-shin, was released the same year.

On June 10, 2025, V was discharged in Chuncheon together with fellow member RM.^[21]^[22]

Chapter 7. Today

In August 2025, two months after his discharge, he threw the ceremonial first pitch at a Los Angeles Dodgers home game at Dodger Stadium.^[32]^[33] After that, his time turned back to BTS. In January 2026, the members announced their comeback to fans first through handwritten letters on Weverse, and BIGHIT MUSIC officially announced a March 20 release.^[23]

Released on March 20, 2026, BTS’s fifth studio album Arirang reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 and held the top spot for two consecutive weeks, a first for K-pop.^[24] On April 9, the group opened the Arirang World Tour in Goyang.^[25]

On this album, too, V was a maker. The track “Into the Sun” was written and composed primarily by V, starting from a melody that came to him on the way back from a workout.^[26] At the G7 summit held in Évian, France, in June 2026, the song was used in the welcome video produced by host country France, in the segment introducing the President of South Korea.^[26]^[27]

The boy who played the saxophone in Geochang found his path almost by chance at an audition he attended with a friend, then waited two years as an unrevealed member. After debut, he began as the group’s low voice and became someone who writes songs, directs films and takes photographs. And a melody he made has now become music that introduces South Korea. V’s story as “a maker” is still being written.

At a Glance

Music (solo)

Year	Title	Release	V’s role
2016	“Stigma”	BTS WINGS	Lyrics, composition
2017	“4 O’Clock” (with RM)	Digital release	Co-created
2018	“Singularity”	BTS LOVE YOURSELF 轉 ‘Tear’	Vocals
2019	“Scenery”	SoundCloud	Self-composed
2019	“Winter Bear”	Digital release	Self-composed, music video direction, cover photo
2020	“Sweet Night”	Itaewon Class OST	Lyrics, composition, production
2020	“Inner Child”	BTS MAP OF THE SOUL : 7	Vocals
2021	“Christmas Tree”	Our Beloved Summer OST	Vocals
2023	Layover	First solo album	Vocals
2024	“FRI(END)S”	Digital single	Vocals
2026	“Into the Sun”	BTS Arirang	Lyrics, composition

Screen

Year	Title	Type	Role
2016–2017	Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth	KBS2 drama	Han-sung
2022	In the SOOP: Friendcation	Disney+ variety	Cast
2023	Jinny’s Kitchen	tvN variety	Cast
2024	“Love wins all” (IU)	Music video	Lead

Records and honors

Year	Details
2018	Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit (with BTS; youngest recipients of an Order of Cultural Merit)
2019	“Scenery” passes 100 million SoundCloud plays
2021	“Christmas Tree” enters the Billboard Hot 100 (first solo entry); No. 1 on Digital Song Sales
2023	Layover No. 2 on the Billboard 200; record first-week sales for a K-pop soloist on Hanteo
2026	BTS Arirang No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (two consecutive weeks, a K-pop first)

Sources

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