V (singer)


Kim Tae-hyung, known professionally as V, is a South Korean singer and songwriter. In 2013, he made his debut as a member of the South Korean boy band BTS, under Big Hit Entertainment. V has performed three solo songs under BTS's name—"Stigma" in 2016, "Singularity" in 2018, and "Inner Child" in 2020—all of which charted on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. Outside of his music projects with BTS, V had his acting debut in the 2016 television series Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth and contributed the single "It's Definitely You" to its soundtrack. He released his first independent song, the self-composed "Scenery", in 2019. In 2023, V made his official debut as a solo artist with the release of the singles "Love Me Again" and "Rainy Days". His debut solo EP Layover was released on September 8, 2023, accompanied by a third single, "Slow Dancing".

Early life and education

V was born Kim Tae-hyung on December 30, 1995, in the Seo District of Daegu, and grew up in Geochang County. He is the eldest of three children, with a younger brother and sister. He is of the Gwangsan Kim clan. V first aspired to be a professional singer in elementary school. With his father's support, he began taking saxophone lessons in early middle school as a means of pursuing a musical career.
He eventually became a trainee for Big Hit Entertainment after passing an audition in Daegu. After graduating from Korean Arts High School in 2014, V enrolled in Global Cyber University, graduating in August 2020 with a major in Broadcasting and Entertainment. As of 2021, he is enrolled at Hanyang Cyber University, pursuing a Master of Business Administration in Advertising and Media.

Career

2013–present: BTS

Pre-debut, V was the "secret member" of BTS: fans were unaware of his existence as his agency wished to keep him a surprise. He later stated that the concept made him feel lonely and uneasy at the time as he thought it was because he might be cut from the lineup. On June 13, 2013, he made his debut as a member of BTS on Mnet's M Countdown with the track "No More Dream" from the band's debut single album 2 Cool 4 Skool. V was first credited for music composition on The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1 extended play, as a co-writer and producer of the song "Hold Me Tight"; he also contributed lyrics for the song "Fun Boyz". On the band's follow up EP, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2, V's melody was used for the song "Run". He co-wrote and composed his first solo track "Stigma" for BTS's 2016 studio album Wings. He also released, unofficially, a cover of "Hug Me" with bandmate J-Hope, and "Someone Like You" by Adele.
In May 2018, V's second solo song, "Singularity", was released as a trailer for BTS's then-upcoming third studio album, Love Yourself: Tear. The track made its UK radio debut on BBC Radio on October 25. One month after its release, The Guardian added "Singularity" to its "Top 50 songs for the month of June 2018" playlist, and [Billboard |Billboard] included it in their critics' list of the "Top 50 BTS songs" at number 28. Overall, "Singularity" was generally well received by critics and mentioned on several year-end critic's lists. The New York Times ranked it twentieth on its list of "The 65 Best Songs of 2018" alongside "Fake Love", Los Angeles Times critic Mikael Wood named it the fourth "best and most replay worthy song of 2018", and Guardian critic Laura Snapes included it as one of her favourite tracks in her "Best Music of 2018: Albums and Tracks" list.
On October 24, 2018, V became one of the youngest recipients of the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit medal, awarded to him by Moon Jae-in, the President of South Korea alongside his BTS bandmates for their role in the spread of Korean culture.
V and J-Hope collaborated with Swedish singer Zara Larsson on the song "A [Brand New Day |A Brand New Day]" for the soundtrack album of the BTS World mobile game. It was released as a single on June 14, 2019, and debuted at number one on Billboards World Digital Song Sales chart. He next collaborated with bandmate Jimin on the song "Friends"—later used in the 2021 Marvel film Eternals—and helped compose and write his third solo song "Inner Child", both of which were included on BTS's 2020 studio album Map of the Soul: 7.
In July 2021, V was appointed Special Presidential Envoy for Future Generations and Culture by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, alongside his bandmates, to help "lead the global agenda for future generations" and "expand South Korea's diplomatic efforts and global standing" in the international community.

2016–present: Solo activities

In 2016, V made his acting debut with a supporting role in KBS2's historical drama Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth under his real name. He also collaborated with bandmate Jin on the duet single "It's Definitely You" for the show's soundtrack. In celebration of BTS's fourth anniversary, V released "4 O'Clock" on June 8, 2017, a song he co-produced with bandmate RM.
V released his first independent song, "Scenery", on January 30, 2019, through the BTS SoundCloud page. V wrote and composed the ballad and photographed the cover art himself. The track was produced by Big Hit producer Docskim, with additional contributions from Pdogg and Hiss Noise. It reached 100 million streams from 20 million in over fourteen days, a new record on the platform. Over the course of the two weeks following its release, "Scenery" broke the daily streaming record nine times. Seven months later, V released his second solo and first all-English song, "Winter Bear", through SoundCloud, accompanied by a self-directed music video via BTS's YouTube channel on August 9. He co-produced the track with RM, Hiss Noise, and Adora, and photographed the cover artwork under his pseudonym Vante.
In 2020, V contributed the indie pop single "Sweet Night" to the soundtrack of the JTBC drama Itaewon Class, released on March 13. Self-written and produced, it received generally favorable reviews for its composition, vocal performance and warm lyrics, debuting at number two on Billboards Digital Songs chart in the United States. On December 25, he released the Christmas-themed song "Snow Flower" featuring Peakboy. A second holiday song, "Christmas Tree", followed in December 2021 as part of the original soundtrack for the Studio N television series Our Beloved Summer. Released as a digital single on December 24, it debuted at number 79 on the Billboard Hot 100, earning V his first solo entry on the chart.
Switching over to television in 2022, V starred in the Disney+ reality series In the Soop: Friendcation with Peakboy, Park Seo-joon, Choi Woo-shik, and Park Hyung-sik; it premiered in July and ended in August.
He appeared in a second reality series, the Prime Video exclusive cooking-travel show Jinny's Kitchen, alongside Park Seo-joon and Choi, in February 2023. The following month, he was announced as a brand ambassador for the Indonesian investment company SimInvest and a global ambassador for the French luxury brand Celine. He became a brand ambassador for Cartier and the face of the Panthère de Cartier campaign in July. After that, Seoul Tourism announced V as the honorary tourism ambassador of Seoul 2023. "Scenery", "Winter Bear", and "Snow Flower" were made available on digital download and streaming platforms worldwide as official singles on August 28, ahead of V's debut solo EP Layover, which was released on September 8. Per Hanteo Chart, Layover recorded the highest first-week sales by a K-pop solo artist in history, with 2.1 million copies sold. In the US, it debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, tying V with bandmates Jimin and Suga as the highest-charting Korean solo artists in Billboard chart history. In December, Compose Coffee officially announced V as its brand ambassador. In the same month, the single "Wherever U R" by UMI featuring V was released.

Artistry

V possesses a baritone singing voice that has received a generally positive critical reception, with particular praise for his vocal range and "husky" tone. He gained wider vocal recognition for his performance of "Stigma", and was praised for his falsettos that showed off his vocal range and unique musicality. V's tonality on "Singularity", the opening track of BTS's Love Yourself: Tear, was noted as a prominent "tone setter" on the album by music critic Blanca Méndez. Similarly, Katie Goh of Vice deemed it as "one of V's best vocal performances." Karen Ruffini of Elite Daily stated in their article that "V... has no problem producing super soothing, low tones that are a key element in the overall sound for BTS", with Tamar Herman from Billboard also noting that V's lower range is a prominent piece of BTS's music. V's musicality is heavily influenced by his love for jazz and classical music. Eric Benet and Ruben Studdard are among his inspirations.
As a performer, V is known for his "duality", or his ability to evoke various emotions on stage. British journalist Rhian Daly, writing for NME, particularly noted this when discussing V's performance of "Singularity" during the Love Yourself: Speak Yourself World Tour, describing his movements as "precise and deliberate". Crystal Bell from MTV noted V's performances often work with live cameras in concert venues, and how he utilizes them to create subtle expressions during performances.

Impact and influence

V coined the phrase "I purple you" during BTS's fanmeeting in November 2016; since then, purple has become a symbol of BTS and their fans. UNICEF used the phrase in their anti-bullying campaign with BTS.
In 2018, Eugene Investment & Securities Co., Ltd. conducted analytical research on Google search trends relating to the K-pop industry. "V" ranked first on the chart as the most-searched keyword for the past five years in South Korea. In a survey conducted by Gallup Korea, V was chosen as the fourth most-preferred idol of 2019, previously ranking ninth in 2018. In 2021, he ranked as the most popular Korean celebrity in Japan for twenty-eight consecutive weeks.
Various artists have cited him as an influence and role model: The Boyz's Younghoon and Hwall; Golden Child's Jaehyun and Jangjun; MVP's Been; Rainz's Byun Hyun-min; Cravity's Serim; Ateez's Yeosang and Mingi; D-Crunch's Jungseung and Dyla; Lucente's Bao; Newkidd's Yunmin; Boy Story's Hanyu; Tomorrow X Together's Beomgyu; Produce X 101 contestants Koo Jungmo, Lee Taeseung and Mahiro Hidaka; and former Wanna One member Park Ji-hoon.

Personal life

Since 2018, V has lived in Hannam-dong, Seoul, South Korea, with his bandmates.

Health

In October 2018, during the Love Yourself World Tour concert in Paris, V had difficulty singing due to an illness and had to abstain from some of his parts during the concert. In October 2021, V's agency announced he would abstain from choreography during their Permission to Dance on Stage concerts due to a calf injury and would remain seated while singing.

Philanthropy

In March 2025, V donated through the Korean Red Cross to help in the recovery efforts from wildfires that occurred in the Ulsan, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam regions.

Military service

On November 22, 2023, Big Hit announced through Weverse that V, along with bandmates RM, Jimin, and Jungkook, had started the enlistment process to carry out his mandatory military service. He enlisted on December 11. Upon completion of his extended military training, he 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. He was formally discharged on June 10, 2025.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Other charted songs

Other songs

Writing credits

All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database unless noted otherwise.
SongArtistAlbumYear
"4 O'Clock"RM and Vrowspan="2" 2017
"95 Graduation"Jimin and V2014-
"Blue & Grey"BTSBe2020
"Boyz with Fun"BTSThe Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 12015
"Hold Me Tight"BTSThe Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 12015
"In the Soop"BTS2020
"Inner Child"BTSMap of the Soul: 72020
"Introduction: Youth"BTSYouth2016
"Outro: Circle Room Cypher"BTS2 Cool 4 Skool2013
"Run"BTSThe Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 22015
"Run" BTSThe Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever2016
"Run" BTSThe Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever2016
"Scenery"Vrowspan="2" 2019
"Snow Flower"V and Peakboy2020-
"Stigma"BTSWings2016
"Sweet Night"VItaewon Class Original Soundtrack2020
"Winter Bear"V2019

Videography

Music videos

Television

Music video appearances

Awards and nominations

Award ceremonyYearCategoryNominee/workResult
APAN Star Awards2020Best Won
APAN Star Awards2022Best "Christmas Tree"Nomitated
Asia Artist Awards2023Popularity Award – ActorVNomitated
Asia Artist Awards2023Popularity Award – Male SingerVNomitated
Circle Chart Music Awards2024Artist of the Year – AlbumLayoverNomitated
DDU Korean Drama Awards2022Best "Christmas Tree"Won
The Fact Music Awards2023Best Music – Fall"Slow Dancing"Won
The Fact Music Awards2024Best Music - Spring"Fris"Won
The Fact Music Awards2025Best Music - Winter"Winter Ahead"Won
Hanteo Music Awards2024Artist of the YearV
Hanteo Music Awards2024Global Artist Award – AfricaV
Hanteo Music Awards2024Global Artist Award – EuropeV
Hanteo Music Awards2024Global Artist Award – AsiaVNomitated
Hanteo Music Awards2024Global Artist Award – North AmericaVNomitated
Hanteo Music Awards2024Global Artist Award – OceaniaVNomitated
Hanteo Music Awards2024Global Artist Award – South AmericaVNomitated
iHeartRadio Music Awards2024Favorite Debut AlbumLayoverWon
Korea First Brand Awards2024Male Idol Variety StarVWon
Korea Grand Music Awards2024Trend of the Year K-pop SoloVWon
Korea Grand Music Awards2025Trend of the Year K-pop SoloVWon
MAMA Awards2022Best "Christmas Tree"Nomitated
MAMA Awards2022Song of the Year"Christmas Tree"Nomitated
MAMA Awards2023Album of the YearLayover
MAMA Awards2023Artist of the YearV
MAMA Awards2023Best Male ArtistVNomitated
MAMA Awards2023Best Vocal Performance – Male Solo"Love Me Again"Nomitated
MAMA Awards2023Song of the Year"Love Me Again"
MAMA Awards2024Fans' Choice Top 10 - MaleVWon
Melon Music Awards2017Best OST"It's Definitely You"Nomitated
Melon Music Awards2023Millions Top 10LayoverNomitated
Music Awards Japan2025Special Award: Oshi-Katsu Request Artist of the YearV
Seoul International Drama Awards2022Outstanding Korean Drama OST"Christmas Tree"Nomitated
Soompi Awards2018Best Idol ActorVWon
Soompi Awards2019Best ChoreographyWon
SEC Awards2024Asian Asian Artist of the YearVWon
SEC Awards2024International Album of the Year AwardLayoverWon
Seoul Music Awards2024Main Award VWon
Seoul Music Awards2024Fan Choice of the YearVWon
Seoul Music Awards2024Hallyu Special AwardVNomitated
Seoul Music Awards2024Popularity AwardVNomitated
Top Ten Awards2025Best Solo Idol VWon
UK Music Video Awards2024Best Pop Video – International"Fris"Nomitated
Universal Superstar Awards2024Universal Super ArtistVWon

State honors

World records