On 8 September 2023, V of BTS dropped his much-awaited debut solo album Layover with a music video of “Slow Dancing” — one of its tracks.
Layover is essentially an extended play (EP). It has six songs, two of which, the first cut “Love Me Again” and “Rainy Days,” were released in the run-up to the launch of the album in August. The other tracks in the album are “Blue,” “For Us” and a bonus track piano version of “Slow Dancing.”
V’s debut album was announced by BTS’ music label Big Hit Entertainment on 7 August, with the record title and names of all the six tracks including the bonus.
V, whose real name is Kim Taehyung, has previously released solo tracks “Stigma,” “Singularity,” “Winter Bear,” “Inner Child,” “Christmas Tree,” and “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.”
As reported earlier, V worked with Min Hee-jin, the chief producer and CEO of HYBE subsidiary ADOR which manages the all-girl K-pop group NewJeans, for his first solo album.
More about “Slow Dancing” and other tracks
Music video has a laid back feel
Big Hit has described “Slow Dancing” as a “’70s romantic soul style track” that is the “focus track” of Layover.
In tune with the relaxing rhythm of the song, the music video plays along with a vacation vibe.
It shows V in a car with a bunch of friends travelling through mountainous roads to a beach. They are seen chilling on a sailing yacht and simply enjoying the moments.
In one scene of “Slow Dancing” music video, V of BTS is seen swimming in the shimmering blue waters of the sea while admiringly looking at the sky. The video ends with V on the terrace of a building with what looks like his pet Yeontan.
Not surprisingly, the music video gained instant praise from both critics and fans alike. In just three hours of its release, the music video clocked over 2.4 million views and was trending at No.23 for music on YouTube.
Big Hit say Layover tracks to be played in specific order
Announcing Layover in August, Big Hit recommended that the tracks of the first album of BTS’ V be played in a specific order.
“To appreciate the album’s flow, we recommend listening to it in sequence from start to finish,” said the entertainment agency.
As such, the order of listening would start with “Rainy Days” followed by “Blue,” “Love Me Again,” “Slow Dancing,” and ending with “For Us.”
Commenting on the piano version of “Slow Dancing,” Big Hit said that it “offers a different allure from the original as a bonus track.”
(Hero image: BIGHIT MUSIC/@BIGHIT_MUSIC/Twitter; Featured image: BTS_official/@bts_bighit/Twitter)
Manas Sen Gupta writes at the intersection of tech, entertainment and history. His works have appeared in publications such as The Statesman, Myanmar Matters, Hindustan Times and News18/ETV. In his spare time, Manas loves studying interactive charts and topographic maps. When not doing either, he prefers reading detective fiction. Spring is his favourite season and he can happily eat a bowl of noodles any time of the day.
