BTS' V soars with Layover as the only K-Pop album to land in British magazine’s best of 2023

BTS' V aka Kim Taehyung, recently earned recognition in a renowned British entertainment magazine for his album Layover. TimeOut magazine released its 2023 The 30 Best Albums list, which highlights the year's greatest albums and includes editorial picks. But, in a surprising moment, V emerged as the only K-pop artist to find a major spot in the list.

Also read: BTS’ Jungkook's Seven is ‘crushing It’ on Spotify, becomes second most streamed K-pop act in record time

BTS’ V earns Best Albums top spot

On December 16, it was revealed that the creator of Rainy Day, with his six-track debut EP Layover, secured the 19th position on the '30 Best Albums of 2023.' Notably, fans were surprised as Jungkook, another BTS member who has consistently topped the UK musical chart for months, was not included. Taehyung now finds himself in the company of renowned Western artists like Lana Del Rey, Olivia Rodrigo, Sam Smith, Troye Sivan, and more on the list.

This achievement is significant, as the Winter Bear singer secured a prominent position in the English-speaking music scene. "Out of the seven members of Korean super band BTS, V was the last to release his solo music – the artist has admitted to binning several works-in-progress – but boy, was the wait worth it.” Wrote TimeOut

British media praises BTS’ V for his husky tone

Offering a preview of all tracks from Layover, the media company expressed that the album was well worth the anticipation. They emphasized his charismatic presence and highlighted that each of his songs is meticulously crafted with special meanings. “His debut six-track EP lends his husky, sweet baritone to jazz-leaning R&B tunes with a clear nostalgic influence. Personal favourites? Slow Dancing , a soulful track that glides as beautifully as its eponymous activity; and For Us, with its intriguing key change midway through. If you like modern jazz singer Laufey, or even the neo-soul legend Maxwell, no doubt you’ll enjoy V’s work too."

More about BTS’ V’s Layover

Layover's first-week sales soared past 2 million copies, smashing records and making it the all-time best-selling album in 23 years. The Christmas Tree star also became the first Korean soloist to have all the tracks from the single album charting on Billboard's Global Excl. US chart for 2 consecutive weeks. The album includes six songs: Rainy Days, Blue, Love Me Again, Blue, Slow Dancing, and Slow Dancing (piano version).