Through varying song hits in the form of soundtracks and self-written music — years’ worth of budding expectations have accumulated up to Kim Taehyung’s (also known as BTS’ V) most awaited, career-defining moment. There is no better moment than now to study Taehyung as an artist with the past, present, and Layover.
In Retrospect
A good portion of the media conversation surrounding Layover is Taehyung’s heydays as a member of BTS and the path he has had to forge for himself — not only as a contributing artist in the group, but also as an individual. I have my own rambling sentiments and responses on this, but I will simply say this:
That, from the very beginning of his career in BTS, Taehyung was, and is, one of the greatest and most gifted solo artists and performers.
In spite of certain limitations imposed have obscured his spotlight before — determined mostly by company management and execs — in letting him showcase his range of skills in group work — I personally believe this has only been a while and that Taehyung’s loyal followers have always seen the light in him.
(You really can’t obscure someone who naturally shines as bright as the sun.)
As a result, Taehyung’s devotees and admirers are already well-versed in his artistry. From the classic conventions of It’s Definitely You, the sound-definitive and sophisticated Stigma and Singularity, the creative ambition in Scenery and Snow Flower, lyrical and conceptual brilliance in Blue & Grey, Winter Bear, Sweet Night and Inner Child, to the peak professionalism and mastery for Christmas Tree.
There is also Taehyung’s consistency with themes and elements he enjoys the most in exploring — nostalgia, world-weariness, longingness, time, color, visual art, and analogue, among others.
For an individual with an already well-defined artistry prior to their official solo debut, the bar is set sky-high.
Layover is a continuation of what Taehyung has developed for himself over the years while ushering in a period of introspection and artistic growth.
Meditations-in-Progress on Taehyung’s Layover
01. Rainy Days
This is personally the freshest sound out of all songs in Layover due to the more contemporary soul and jazz composition of the song, with several traces of Taehyung’s analogue signature. It features Taehyung’s baritone in another light — more bass, contemporary, fresh, subdued yet hypnotic. All the more, contextualized in this sound. Rainy Days has a cadence that sounds more spoken, relying on vocal rhythm, phrasing, inflection, and lilt. There is purpose for this, though. I can’t help but be reminded of the great late Nujabes from this song — the instrumental is a carefully detailed fusion that creates an overall calming, tranquilizing effect.
Why it’s a big deal: Historically, Taehyung is known for emotionally charged and assertive vocal flexes (vocal king things) — how he deals with Rainy Days shifts away from this a bit to present a singing style that delivers something different — his je ne sais quoi.
02. Blue
Layover begins to unsettle its listeners with Blue with its old school, edgier, darker R&B. Hearing Taehyung using mostly his head-dominant mixed voice — almost using a husky and whisper-like projection — contrast and offset to this, the rough yet melodic electric guitar unifying this — making it an intriguing listen. The song also uses a bit of audio-technical modification on some of the vocal layers, making his voice more muffled and white noise-distorted as if coming through radio waves. It’s a beautifully eerie stopover that smoothly paves the way for the next track.
03. Love Me Again
My personal favourite, for the very obvious reason of how it showcases Taehyung’s wide range (in the vaguest sense of the word, too). The song lends itself to dreamlike moods of R&B with its cave-like reverb (in which, is actualized in the MV), minimalist guitar, and layers of gorgeous vocals. For Taehyung vocal enthusiasts out there, this song pretty much has everything — from vocal height, flexibility, and to musicality.
The chorus is just so syrupy and sweet in his mixed voice, there’s also some frontal resonance going on here that makes that tone.
In the true Taehyung fashion, the second verse always leaves pleasant surprises and details. I think the second verse has more texture and flavor in terms of his intonation and dynamics. His chest notes in the second verse sound a lot more whispery than the first. it’s not just the tone, but the volume he puts in makes a difference with the emotion too. He also uses some vocal fry textures when he sings on the lower end of the octave.
There’s just so much to love about it that it warrants its own analyses for each part. As this is the song that Taehyung officially debuts with, it was just the ideal introduction to the embodiment of who he is and his characteristics as a now officially debuted soloist — indeed, a vocal king that commands any song by his own technique.
04. Slow Dancing
Retro sounds have come a long way in the pop music scene. Much bulk of these nostalgic reiterations in the current landscape of pop (and K-pop especially) have more misses than hits to me.
Taehyung’s Slow Dancing is perfection! The bright synths and flute outro were just so on-point. Instantly reminded me of pink skies and vaporwave, not even mentioning how the music video subtly elements of the aesthetic. Taehyung’s singing matches all of these images in my head — airy, dreamy, romantic — all by using that incredibly wide tonal spectrum found in his mid-to-upper range. Much like the tones of the MV, there’s ennui and ephemerality in his vocal delivery, reflective of its romantic and escapist lyrics. The piano version amplifies all of this, the underlying sadness in Slow Dancing much more prominent with the piano outro.
The perfect ender for the fleeting summer.
05. For Us
Interestingly situated between the two versions of Slow Dancing, For Us feels like an intermission of a storyline. The highly pitched intro ironically grounds the listener back to reality from the dreamy, beachy shores of Slow Dancing. Taehyung’s longing falsetto is so prevalent, and the lyrics are not subtle of his heartache and pining. There’s much going on in the middle of the track — the minimalist instrumental with its occasional blares, the cassette tape movement signaling a key change, before settling into this chill ballad and then to a piano solo. The piano outro sets up for another round of Slow Dancing.
Despite singing the same lyrics, the lyrics also imply that the high-pitched vocal at the beginning is a separate entity from Taehyung. “Now I’m in California,” the other sings, while Taehyung at the near end — “Now you’re in California.”
I can’t help but interpret that part/s of For Us is somewhat a record of a conversation or messages from the past. It mirrors two characters with mutual yearning, but inevitably having to separate. I feel it seems debatable if the two characters in the song are actually missing each other at the same time. Or perhaps, one has moved on, the other has not? The first half of the song prior to the cassette tape sound possibly indicating that it’s of the past — this is however purely subjective speculation.
This song, overall, is such a unique and curious experience to go through.
“It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.”
Layover as a debut album instantly reflects Taehyung’s depth and insight that calls for considerable contemplation, over and over, hence why I called the section prior to this closing remark as “…in-progress.”
The tracklist is meticulously arranged in such a way it takes the listener on a personal, introspective trip.
An itinerary through feelings of longing, sorrow, and love, each song setting up one after the other in its musical composition.
Layover also depicts a person in which time has frozen for them, yet is inevitably being carried by the flow and rules of time. Layover’s purely aural narrative is quite clever, too. As per the Cambridge English Dictionary:
layover (n.) — a short stay in a place that you make while you are on a longer trip to somewhere else.
Each song in Layover feels like a stopover. Taehyung lingers and simmers in them— almost hesitant to leave, move on. And yet by the end of it, he does. I love how such classic philosophy is imbued into this debut. The album officially presents the artist that his fans have all known and loved, but also teases sides of him yet to be fully delved into.
Taehyung has officially debuted, and there’s no stopping his velocity — that in which, he has the speed and direction already on where he wants to go — from here on.
Footnote: Initially, I wanted to also share here how each song is aiding with the narrative/s in the music videos, but I shall save my words on those for another musing that focuses on Layover’s visuals and concepts as a collective.
Layover is out now on Spotify and Apple Music. Follow V for more of his music.
