Being afraid that Army would not have new music to listen to during the group's hiatus,
BTS members have been taking turns releasing solo projects over the past year.
However, one member has been noticeably absent, making many fans and netizens question, “Where
has V been for the past year?”
V is the only member of BTS who hasn't released any music in the past year
In 2022, the BTS began their hiatus due to mandatory military service, and the global
boygroup's activities became a topic of concern among the public.
After their management company, HYBE, announced that the group would temporarily halt their
activities to focus on solo projects, Army and the whole K-pop fans community expressed
their worries about not knowing when they could see all seven members on stage again,
and when the solo activities of each member would begin
Understanding their fans' feelings, BTS members have been releasing various solo music projects
to fill the gap during this time, like Jimin with “Like Crazy”, J-hope with “On The
Street”, Suga with his first solo album “D-day”, etc.
However, many fans still feel regretful that V did not appear in this series of products.
Despite the constant music releases from other BTS members over the past year, V has only
been "busy" with photoshoots, attending events, and promoting brands.
In the summer of 2022, the male idol revealed that he was preparing for a solo project that
will take four years to complete.
Such a long time was to accumulate experience from working with the group, as well as to
improve and polish skills like singing, stage mastery, and more, to deliver the highest-quality
music product to his fans.
V said, "In the past four years, there have been times when I hesitated with my personal
activities.
And now, I am in the process of doing it.
I want to do everything when I have the chance, so I talked to the director.
I will work hard to send the Army the best quality songs."
In addition, he also revealed that he has many ambitions and wants to try himself in
many different music genres and styles.
Therefore, he also tried to shoot eight music videos with unique styles.
However, in the end, V narrowed it down to produce the best quality product.
Is HYBE intentionally making V go missing?
However, nearly halfway through 2023, fans have yet to see any music releases from the
male idol.
Some speculate that HYBE and V are still in the process of preparing for the release of
the highest-quality product.
Others are more pessimistic and believe that HYBE is "abandoning" V, and not treating him
fairly compared to the other members.
Recently, a group of V's fans has started the hashtag "HYBE respect Taehyung" on Twitter
to protest the lack of respect and attention given to his solo activities.
They believe that since the time the group temporarily halted activities for Jin's military
enlistment, the company did not announce an official solo schedule for V, while the other
members' solo activities were clearly announced to the public.
Fans also point out the company's neglect in promoting V's activities despite his impressive
achievements.
On the other hand, the official Twitter account of HYBE actively promotes and posts about
the solo activities, appearances and interviews of the other members.
It's not the first time that V has been neglected by HYBE.
In January 2019, V released his solo song "Scenery" but the company didn't make any
announcement about the release and didn't include it on the playlist of top music platforms.
Then, in August 2019, V released another solo song called "Winter Bear," and the company
also didn't actively promote it or schedule any official activities to promote the song
as they did for other members.
This forced V's fansite to organize their own promotion on social media and BTS fan
forums.
Some ARMYs believe that HYBE should treat all members fairly and respect V's efforts
and achievements in music.
Despite facing harsh criticism from V's fandom, HYBE didn't make any official statements.
Fortunately, the company has started to listen to feedback.
After the Celine pop-up event on March 30th, HYBE shared an article titled "V(BTS) appointed
as Celine's global ambassador" on their SNS.
It was the first time that V was officially featured on BTS and HYBE's SNS as "Celine
Boy".
Is V not capable enough to go solo?
There are also opposing opinions that V hasn't released a solo project in the past year due
to his limited capabilities.
How can he release an official album if he hasn't demonstrated enough vocal ability?
For a long time, V has been known for his unique voice in Kpop with a rare baritone
tone, which won the hearts of many fans.
However, his vocal skills have sometimes disappointed netizens as many believe that V can't sing
well and is actually “tone-deaf” eventhough he’s among the vocal-line of BTS.
This controversial topic was so severe that most of the comments were pointed at V and
people also questioned whether he is really a singer or not.
After “enjoying” V's high notes, part of the audience, including 'die-hard fans'
of BTS, were quite disappointed and even went as far as to say that their ears hurt from
V's singing.
On the other hand, some others sympathized with V, saying that it's hard for him to hit
high notes because he has a naturally deep voice.
Besides, neutral fans hoped that V would focus on his strengths instead of trying to sing
in a tenor range that is not his natural range.
Can we trust V's debut solo album?
While there have been obstacles and mixed opinions, the public can definitely trust
in V's debut solo album.
He has shared that his goal for his debut solo album is to create the perfect product
and has been tirelessly working on it day and night.
He has also assured fans that he "will definitely not disappoint them."
V has personal musical preferences and desires to showcase a diverse range of musical images,
which may explain why the preparation for his solo debut may take longer.
In an interview with Vogue Korea in October 2022, he stated, "I try to express my love
and admiration for music whenever I can, even now.
So you might be able to hear something interesting from me soon."
The male idol also mentioned that he wants to try a music genre that he has not explored
before, something different from the style that he has shown.
Although it's just some hints dropped by V, both Army and the Kpop fans community have
the right to hope for a grand and high-quality solo album, which would be worthy of the long
wait.
So, do you think V will ever make a solo debut or will he redirect his career to another
field?