Layover (V album)

Layover (stylized as Layo(v)er) is the debut studio album by South Korean singer V of BTS. It was released on September 8, 2023, by Big Hit Music.

Layover
Studio album by V
Released	September 8, 2023 (2023-09-08)
Genre	Pop R&B jazz
Length	17:36
Language	English Korean
Label	Big Hit
Producer	Frankie Scoca Freekind Jinsu Park Absent Chronicles Monro
Singles from Layover
"Love Me Again" Released: August 10, 2023 "Rainy Days" Released: August 11, 2023 "Slow Dancing" Released: September 8, 2023

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Clash	8/10^[1]
NME	^[2]

Background and release

On August 2, 2023, it was reported that V started collaborating with NewJeans creative director Min Hee-jin for his upcoming studio project.^[3] Big Hit Music announced the album on their social media on August 7. The post was accompanied by a visualizer that included the album title and revealed the six tracks featured on the record.^[4] According to hints dropped by Big Hit, the album will largely focus on an "R&B sound" with "elements of pop".^{[5][better source needed]} Song descriptions range from R&B ("Blue", "Love Me Again" and "For Us") to "'70s romantic soul style" on the focus track "Slow Dancing".^[6] All of the tracks are set to arrive with their own music video.^[7] In an accompanying press release, Big Hit stated that V is set to "showcase amazing new performances" and will make several appearances alongside the album release. Upon the announcement, the singer mentioned that he wishes to "deliver" box sets of the album to his fans with "lots of love".^[8]

Music and lyrics

Layover comprises six songs, including the single "Slow Dancing" and B-sides "Love Me Again", "Rainy Days", "Blue", "For Us", "Slow Dancing (Piano Ver.)".

The record has been described as a pop, R&B,^[9] and jazz album "led by the soulful tones of V's voice."^[1]

Songs

It opens with "Rainy Days," an alternative pop and R&B track.^[10] Abbie Aitken of Clash described it as a lo-fi mix founded on YouTube, writing, "the realism of the artificial rain, the soft jazz, and a curious phone alert swiftly followed by the sound of typing all add to a feeling of cosiness and familiarity."^[1] The second track "Blue," is an old school R&B song^[11] that starts out with a simple guitar, then quickly transgresses into a combination of a drum and "gliding vocals."^[1] Third track, "Love Me Again, "is another R&B song,^[12] revolves around discussing the feeling of missing loved ones and the struggles of letting them go after a heartbreak.^[13] Followed with "Slow Dancing," a 1970s romantic soul sound with a simple jazz rhythm. Its lyrics were described as a "typical love story," where "one lover pining over another singing words such as 'it shouldn’t feel like this, hurts too much already."^[1] The closing track, "For Us," was picked as the most interesting track on the EP by Rhian Daly of NME, praising its production and "pitched-up vocal," writing, "its synth pads and bright piano immediately reminiscent of soft-focus ’70s live performances."^[2]

Promotion

On August 10, 2023, the official music video for the track "Love Me Again" was released. The official music video for the track "Rainy Days" was released the following day. The music video for the focus track "Slow Dancing" was released along with the album on 8 September. The music video for "Blue" was released on September 13. "For Us" was the last video released on 15 September. V later promoted the album on numorous music shows.^[14]

Commercial performance

According to Hanteo Chart, one of the biggest music sales trackers in South Korea, Layover sold over 1.67 million copies on its opening day, setting a new record for the highest first-day sales by any solo K-pop artist in chart history. By the end of its first week, the album's sales tallied 2,101,974 copies, marking the first time that any solo artist's album surpassed the 2-million-sales milestone in its opening week. Layover earned the highest debut-week sales by a solo K-pop album, breaking the record previously set by bandmate Jimin with Face (1.45 million copies),^[15] and the 10th highest first week total among all Korean albums, making it the bestselling solo debut in South Korean history.^[16]

In Japan, Layover debuted at number two on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart issue dated September 13, 2023, with 238,057 physical copies and 6,773 digital copies sold during the period dated September 4–10.^[17] It was the best-selling digital album and second best-selling physical album of its release week on the component Download Albums^[18] and Top Album Sales^[19] charts respectively. Layover also debuted at number two on the corresponding issue of the Oricon Albums Chart, for the same tracking period, topping the component Digital Albums Chart as well.^[20]

Layover debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 in the United States, with 100,000 equivalent album units earned in its first week (ending September 14, 2023). This figure comprised 88,000 pure sales; 9,000 streaming equivalent albums (12.95 million on-demand official streams); and 3,000 track equivalent albums.^[21] With this, V tied with bandmates Jimin and Suga^[a] as the highest-charting Korean solo artists in Billboard chart history.^[22]

Accolades

Layover was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2023 MAMA Awards while "Love Me Again" was nominated in the Best Vocal Performance – Male Solo and Song of the Year categories.^[23] The album was also nominated for the Million Top 10 award at the 2023 Melon Music Awards.^[24]

Track listing

Layover track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Rainy Days"	Donghyun Kim Freekind Gigi Masta Wu	Frankie Scoca Freekind	Scoca	2:59
2.	"Blue"	Absent Chronicles Catharina Stoltenberg Henriette Motzfeldt Jinsu Park	Gigi Motzfeldt Stoltenberg	Absent Chronicles Park	2:29
3.	"Love Me Again"	Kim Freekind Gigi	Freekind Park	Freekind Park	3:02
4.	"Slow Dancing"	Freekind Park	Kim Freekind Gigi	Freekind Park	3:07
5.	"For Us"	Freekind	Freekind Monro	Monro	2:51
6.	"Slow Dancing" (Piano Version)	Kim Freekind Gigi	Freekind Park	Freekind Park	3:08
Total length:					17:36

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Layover Chart (2023) Peak position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[25] 4 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[26] 7 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[27] 5 Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[28] 39 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[29] 19 French Albums (SNEP)^[30] 6 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[31] 4 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)^[32] 17 Italian Albums (FIMI)^[33] 12 Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[34] 2 Japanese Combined Albums (Oricon)^[35] 2 Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)^[36] 2 Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)^[37] 6 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[38] 3 Polish Albums (ZPAV)^[39] 2 Portuguese Albums (AFP)^[40] 2 South Korean Albums (Circle)^[41] 1 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[42] 41 Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[43] 4 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[44] 6 UK Album Downloads (OCC)^[45] 1 US Billboard 200^[46] 2

Monthly charts Monthly chart performance for Layover Chart (2023) Peak position Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[47] 2 South Korean Albums (Circle)^[48] 1 South Korean Albums (Circle)^[48] Weverse Albums version 4

Certifications

Certifications for Layover

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)^[50]	Gold	257,603^[49]
South Korea (KMCA)^[51]	Million	1,000,000^^
South Korea (KMCA)^[51] Weverse Albums version	2× Platinum	500,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

1. as Agust D

References

1. Aitken, Abbie (September 8, 2023). "V - Layover | Reviews". Clash Magazine. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
2. Daly, Rhian (September 8, 2023). "V – 'Layover' review: suave sophistication with a twist". NME. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
3. Ziwei, Puah (August 2, 2023). "BTS' V to work with NewJeans creative director Min Hee-jin for his solo album". NME. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
4. Kaufman, Gil (August 8, 2023). "BTS' V Announces Debut Solo Album, 'Layover'". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
5. McIntyre, Hugh (August 7, 2023). "BTS Member V Announces His Debut Solo Album 'Layover'". Forbes. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
6. "BTS' V announces his solo debut album Layover comprising 6 songs, will release on September 8. Check details here". Hindustan Times. August 8, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
7. Harrison, Scoop (August 7, 2023). "V of BTS Announces New Solo Album Layover". Consequence. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
8. Agarwal, Bhavna (August 8, 2023). "BTS member Kim Taehyung aka V to release his solo album 'Layover' on September 8: Details". India Today. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
9. Kim, Do-gon (September 8, 2023). "뷔, 인간 김태형" [V, human Kim Taehyung]. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Retrieved September 15, 2023.
10. Brandle, Lars (August 11, 2023). "BTS' V Turns on the Waterworks With 'Rainy Days': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
11. Blistein, Jon (September 15, 2023). "BTS' V Brings a Quiet Storm to 'Tiny Desk Korea'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
12. Madarang, Charisma (August 10, 2023). "BTS' V Releases Smooth Solo Single 'Love Me Again'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
13. "Love Me Again song: BTS' V turns into a heartbroken, but fashionable lover in retro-style music video". Hindustan Times. August 9, 2023. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
14. Madarang, Charisma (August 10, 2023). "BTS' V Releases Smooth Solo Single 'Love Me Again'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
15. Shim, S (March 31, 2023). "(LEAD) BTS Jimin breaks record for K-pop soloist with 'Face' selling over 1.45 mln copies in 1st week". Yonhap News. from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
16. Choi, Ji-won (September 15, 2023). "V of BTS tops solo album sales in Korea". The Korea Herald. from the original on September 15, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
17. 【ビルボード】Stray Kids『Social Path (feat. LiSA)／Super Bowl -Japanese ver.-』が総合アルバム首位獲得. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). September 13, 2023. from the original on September 16, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
18. 【ビルボード】V『Layover』がDLアルバム首位、星野源の最新EP『LIGHTHOUSE』は初登場2位 [V "Layover" tops DL Albums, Gen Hoshino's latest EP "LIGHTHOUSE" debuts in second place]. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). September 13, 2023. from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
19. "Top Album Sales [2023/09/13 公開]" (in Japanese). Oricon. from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
20. BTS・Vの初ソロアルバム『Layover』が初登場1位【オリコンランキング】 [BTS V's first solo album "Layover" debuts at number one [Oricon Ranking]] (in Japanese). Oricon. September 13, 2023. from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
21. Caufield, Keith (September 17, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo's 'Guts' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. from the original on September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
22. Shim, Sun-ah (September 18, 2023). "BTS' V debuts No. 2 on Billboard 200". Yonhap News Agency. from the original on September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
23. Grein, Paul (October 19, 2023). "Jimin & Tomorrow X Together Lead Nominations for 2023 MAMA Awards (Full List)". Billboard. from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
24. MMA2023: 부문별 투표 [MMA2023: Voting by Category]. www.melon.com (in Korean). from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023. (Note: Tap or click on each subheading to view nominees in the various categories e.g. tap or click on "올해의 앨범" to view nominees for Album of the Year.)
25. "Austriancharts.at – V – Layover" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
26. "Ultratop.be – V – Layover" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
27. "Ultratop.be – V – Layover" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
28. "V Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
29. "V: Layover - EP" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
30. "En exclusivité, voici les 10 premiers du Top Albums de la semaine ! 💿 Classement complet lundi 😉". SNEP. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
31. "Offiziellecharts.de – V – Layover" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
32. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2023. 37. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
33. "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 37 (dal 08.09.2023 al 14.09.2023)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
34. "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2023-09-18" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
35. "Oricon Top 50 Combined Albums: 2023-09-18" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
36. "Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of September 13, 2023". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved September 13, 2023.
37. "2023 37-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. September 15, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
38. "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
39. "OLiS - oficjalna lista sprzedaży - albumy" (in Polish). OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Note: Change the date to 08.09.2023–14.09.2023 under "zmień zakres od–do:". Retrieved September 21, 2023.
40. "Portuguesecharts.com – V – Layover". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
41. "Circle Album Chart – Week 36, 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved September 14, 2023.
42. "Spanishcharts.com – V – Layover". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
43. "Veckolista Album Fysiskt, vecka 38". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
44. "Swisscharts.com – V – Layover". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
45. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
46. "V Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
47. 月間 アルバムランキング 2023年09月度 [Monthly Album Ranking — September 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
48. "Album Chart 2023.09 Month". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
49. Oricon references for Layover sales:
    • Physical:
      • 月間 アルバムランキング 2023年09月度 [Monthly Album Ranking — September 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
      • 月間 アルバムランキング 2023年10月度 [Monthly Album Ranking — October 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. p. 5. from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
    • Digital:
      • [Weekly Digital Album ranking September 18, 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
      • [Weekly Digital Album ranking September 25, 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on September 20, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
      • [Weekly Digital Album ranking October 2, 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
      • [Weekly Digital Album ranking October 9, 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
      • 週間 デジタルアルバムランキング 2023年10月16日付 [Weekly Digital Album ranking October 16, 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
      • [Weekly Digital Album ranking October 23, 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. p. 2. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
      • [Weekly Digital Album ranking October 30, 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. p. 3. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
      • [Weekly Digital Album ranking November 6, 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. p. 3. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
      • 週間 デジタルアルバムランキング 2023年11月13日付 [Weekly Digital Album ranking November 13, 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. p. 2. from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
50. "Japanese album certifications – V – Layover" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved October 9, 2023. Select 2023年9月 on the drop-down menu
51. "South Korean album certifications – V – Layover" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association (KMCA). Retrieved November 9, 2023.