7 Things You Might Not Know About BTS V’s Solo Songs
In a new interview with Weverse Magazine, BTS‘s V discussed his creative process, artistry, and the stories behind his most beloved solo songs. Here are 7 things you might not know about V’s music!
1. “Winter Bear” could have had different lyrics.
V’s 2019 song “Winter Bear” opens with, “She looks like a blue parrot/
Would you come fly to me?” The blue parrot is a twist on the bluebird of hope.
The lyrics originally said ‘blue bird’ instead of ‘blue parrot’ instead of blue parrot. A bluebird, of course, is a symbol of hope. I twisted the expression slightly and changed it into a parrot. A blue parrot could be a symbol of hope, its background, or the time you have it. I found something hopeful in my mind at the time so that expression kept coming to mind.
— V
2. V recorded “Singularity” in the dark.
Producers Pdogg and Slow Rabbit arranged V’s vocals for this 2018 solo. Pdogg revealed that V recorded “Singularity” with the lights off to make the song sound “seductive.”
It’s extremely hard to groove to a song like ‘Singularity’ when the rhythm’s got a sort of lay back and there are so many intricate parts. Most of all, it had to feel seductive, so we even turned off all the lights when we recorded it.
— Pdogg
3. The protagonist in “Stigma” gets a happy ending.
V’s first solo song, “Stigma,” is one of his most heartbreaking. “I wanted to portray someone young,” he said. “still growing up, crying out in anguish—that feeling of wanting to thrash about and tell the world you’re tired and fed up.”
The song’s protagonist feels trapped, but according to V, not all hope is lost.
…the young person in ‘Stigma’ passed through ‘Singularity’ and ‘Inner Child’ and grew up.
— V
4. The title of “Sweet Night” was coincidental.
The lyrics for “Sweet Night,” V’s Itaewon Class OST, pay homage to the show, but the title? That was “pure luck.”
I had the title ‘Sweet Night’ before it was ever part of the Itaewon Class soundtrack. I was eating with one of the actors and happened to play the song for them. It was called, ‘Danbam,” [literally, ‘sweet night’], just like the pub in the show. It was pure luck. (laughs) The lyrics were written after the song was chosen for the soundtrack, so I put in some references to the show.
— V
5. The “angels” in “Snow Flower” are medical professionals.
The COVID-19 pandemic was on V’s mind when he and his friend Peakboy created V’s 2020 song, “Snow Flower.”
It was a hard time for everybody, so I wanted the lyrics I wrote to sound comforting. The part that goes, ‘there’s a lot of white angels all over this year,’ came from an idea we had talking with the artist featured on the song [Peakboy], which was to show thanks for all the medical staff who are working tirelessly through the pandemic.
— V
Through “Snow Flower,” V also wanted to express the significance of making memories with the people you care about.
And then, where it says, ‘it’s a special event to see you come here at this cold time of year,’ I tried to convey how big a deal making memories with someone is, and I thought how nice it would be if this song I made was like a special event for someone else, too.
— V
6. “Blue & Grey” was born from V’s own pain.
BTS’s 2020 track “Blue & Grey” was originally intended to be on V’s future mixtape, nicknamed KTH1 by fans. Its lyrics express the pain and hardship V personally struggled with during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
I was feeling anxious when COVID-19 started to get serious because I didn’t know when I’d be able to see ARMY again. I settled on a scheme of ‘Blue & Grey,’ using blue from the English expression, ‘I feel flue,’ meaning depressed, and the feeling that all the color had drained from my vision, and I was only seeing in monochrome. I think the song reflects my style and works to deal with the psychological pain I was feeling.
— V
7. V directs each of his songs as if it’s a film.
A film is made up of many moving parts, and a director is responsible for overseeing them all. This includes the film’s dialogue, visuals, and sound effects. Like a director, V thinks about his lyrics and music, but he also sets the mood with other sounds.
I hoped ARMY would picture something for themselves when they listen to my music, even if there was nothing specific to look at, just like listening to a movie soundtrack reminds people of images from the movie itself.
— V
In “Scenery,” for example, it was V’s idea to include the sounds like wind, wind chimes, walking on snow, and a camera shutter. He also included whistling in “Sweet Night” to “convey a sense of longing.”