KTH1

As many may be aware by now, I have been converted and I am now a big fan of Korean group BTS. Yes, I am now part of the BTS Army. While I am what my niece calls a fan of OT7 (all 7 of the guys), I also have my bias (favorite -- ah the things that I have learned in this fandom). Apparently, there is such a thing as a bias,  and a bias-wrecker, which means the other member of the group that makes you want to change your mind on who your actual bias is. People who follow me on social media would probably be able to figure out that Suga is my bias...but the thing is, I love Taehyung/V too. I can’t say that he’s the bias-wrecker though...I love both guys equally. If there would be a bias-wrecker, it would be Jimin, but only because as I have said before, he feels like he could be my son in my past life. A male version of me, sort of. 

Anyway, I will blog about Suga in a later post, but this time I want to share why I am a fan of V, also known by his real name Kim Taehyung. When I first discovered BTS, I remember referring to him as the other Jungkook because JK was the only guy whose name I knew (he was my niece Sam’s crush). As I started listening to them more, Sam introduced me to a playlist of songs that he sang a lot on and songs that he actually wrote himself. I have to admit, I fell in love with his singing voice immediately. 

There is something about the quality of his voice that I love so much. That deep tone is so soothing to hear, it feels comforting to hear him singing those slow songs for BTS (and in his solo songs). It’s just a really beautiful voice. It’s the kind of voice that feels as comforting as a cup of hot chocolate on a rainy day (as you look out the window and enjoy the weather...yes, a bit much, but that's how it feels like for me). If he sings a love song, it feels like a voice I would slow dance to with the man that I love (whoever he is -- I haven’t met him yet). Forgive me for being overly romantic, but that’s just what his voice does for me. 

By me saying that his voice is soothing/comforting and romantic, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t give off other qualities with his voice. He can sound hot and sexy when he wants to (like in the song Singularity) and tough and bad-ass if the song calls for it. 

Another thing that I admire about him is that he is a good songwriter. He has written songs that have been in BTS albums such as Stigma, Inner Child, and Blue & Grey. I loved Inner Child the first time I heard it -- I didn’t understand the words, but I enjoyed listening to him sing it. When I read the translated lyrics, I was blown away by the story behind them. I thought it was very introspective and it was something that I think a lot of people can relate to. I know I can.

One proof that I enjoy his writing is that his solo efforts have been the ones that I listen to daily. It’s not that I go, “oh I have to listen to him today to support him.” It's actually more, "I can’t go a day without hearing his voice and his songs." I keep listening to them over and over again (and sometimes I even sing along). 

V also has a song called 4 o’Clock that he did with RM. If I’m not mistaken this is a song he wrote about Jimin when they had a fight and met up at that particular time. I love how that song feels so sweet and romantic, even if it started off inspired by a fight about dumplings, haha (or so I heard).  

For his completely solo songs, the first one I heard was Winter Bear. It’s such a good song to listen to after a long day. It’s so comforting (yes, I say that word a lot to describe his voice...can’t help it).  I dare you not to calm down after hearing a song like that. I feel like if I could go for a drive with the top/windows down this would be the song I’d do it to. I’ve even practiced yoga to this song, that’s how calming it is for me.

Another song that I am in love with is Scenery. There’s something about the longing in his voice as he sings about wanting to make someone his. Honestly, the way he sang it made me wish he was singing it to me, it’s that good!  It just gives me all sorts of feelings listening to it. I’ve even written a scene for one of my writing projects that was based on what I felt after listening to this song. I’ll share that in a future post. 

Then there’s the song called Snow Flower, this is probably my favorite right now. I listen to it often, and I’ve had someone comment that it seems to be a holiday/Christmas song that I’m listening to in August (hahaha)...I don’t really care. I just love the sound of this one so much that it doesn’t matter if it’s supposed to be listened to only during that particular holiday. I realized I have been listening to it way too much when I had a dream that this was playing while I was slow-dancing with my (yet to be identified) future husband as I carried our baby in my arms. Man, that was such a good dream!

There is also one song from V that I sing along to often. It’s the song Sweet Night from the Itaewon Class soundtrack. I love the lyrics and the story of the song. The melody is also great to sing along to. It goes without saying that his singing here is, as expected, really good.

According to many fans that I have encountered online, V is working on a mixtape called KTH1. Reading about it on Twitter, so many people are saying that because of the quality of his voice, his songwriting, and his popularity with fans globally, KTH1 is a much-awaited mixtape. Can’t say that I blame people for saying that. If his solo songs are any indication of the kind of songs he can come up with, I am sure that his mixtape would be really good. In fact, Blue & Grey, which is one of my favorite BTS songs, was supposed to be part of KTH1 because it was written by V himself. 

During a recent Zoom meeting that BTS had with selected fans, V said that he originally had 15 songs but that he threw out (as per translation) 13 of them, and that he was taking a break from the mixtape. I guess that means that people like me would have to wait a while until KTH1 is released.

As someone who is also doing a personal project (although, of course, not on the same level as he is), I know how it feels to be pressured about what people expect from you. I have outlined several books that I want to write but I haven’t gotten around to publishing anything. The pressure to live up to people’s expectations after seeing my outlines and hearing the concept of my books can be very intimidating. I have written and deleted chapters of these books many times over because of this. There’s this feeling sometimes that I was writing it for the sake of what people would think and not what I want it to be creatively. It really affects how you do things. Sometimes I feel so blocked because of it.

If I can feel that way about my projects, what more for Taehyung who has the whole world waiting on him, expecting amazing things? I feel for him, I really do.  I am happy that everyone thinks highly of him and that people are excited to listen to his songs but at the same time, I don’t want him to be burdened by people’s expectations of him. It could stifle his creativity and put too much pressure on him. I wouldn’t want that for him. 

This break he’s taking from the mixtape might be good for him. I hope he comes back to the studio ready to lay down the songs that we’ve been waiting for. Until then, I hope he takes his time. I’m sure I speak for everyone else when I say we’ll be here when he’s ready.