In the winter of 1995, on December 30, a baby with a boxy smile bright enough to light up everyone's day was born. He grew up with his grandparents on a family farm, going to school every day as a social butterfly. His love for music led him to learn the saxophone with encouragement from his father, and when he accompanied his friend to a BigHit audition, he got cast and was the only one who passed from his hometown of Daegu. Moving to Seoul with a buzz cut and no clue of what was ahead of him, he would be crowned as The Most Handsome Man In The World eight years after he debuted, becoming the “Idol Textbook” in the K-Pop industry, bagging hundreds of awards and several nominations in the Grammy Awards. His name is Kim Taehyung.
Because of his extraordinary personality and talent, his place in the group was hidden until their debut was announced. It was a strategy made by the man behind BTS, Bang Sihyuk, who explained that Taehyung had great charms both appearance-wise and personality-wise and that him being revealed the last would be impactful.
Taehyung is the group’s baritone. His vocal journey has developed beautifully over the years, starting from being in charge of the growls and grunts in their songs, to belting beautiful high notes in “The Truth Untold,” “Stigma,” “Inner Child,” “Friends,” and many more. He’s an avid admirer of jazz and blues music, playing and posting songs from highly respected musicians like “All of Me” by Frank Sinatra, “I Fall in Love Too Easily” by Chet Baker, “Autumn in New York” by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, “It’s De-Lovely” by Tony Bennet and Lady Gaga, and more. Recently, as a Christmas gift to the ARMYs, Taehyung uploaded a cover of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Bing Crosby on BTS’ SoundCloud and YouTube account.
His love for jazz is not only evident in his solo songs and projects. He also learned to play saxophone and piano when he was younger and recently made time to learn the trumpet. These three instruments are some of the main and most prominent sounds we can hear in jazz and blues music. He also took some time to learn Violin during their tour. His low and sultry vocal is also the cherry on top of BTS’ songs, especially the ballad and more mellow songs. Though he doesn’t have many lines in the group songs compared to the main and lead vocals, he fills those gaps with solo projects, ranging from song covers to OSTs and self-written singles.
Being named the “Idol of Idols” and “Idol Textbook” by the K-Media, Taehyung recently has, more or less, around 55 K-Pop idols who look up to him as a role model. His duality, as the ARMYs like to call it, is one of the top reasons for that. He’s versatile on stage, putting on more meaning to the songs he sings with various expressions. Beomgyu of TOMORROW X TOGETHER once said how he practiced his facial expression by watching Taehyung’s performance and trying it out in front of the mirror. Jake and Jay from ENHYPEN have also admitted their admiration towards Taehyung’s stage presence and fashion sense.
Talking about fashion sense, Taehyung has spectacular taste. While the rest of the world is leaning towards a minimalist look nowadays, Taehyung could be seen sporting a “maximalist” look. Throwing various patterns here and there and wearing bright and eye-catching colors, he doesn't mind being the center of attention. There’s a running joke between ARMYs about how Taehyung could be seen wearing suits while the other members were wearing casual clothes. He fits perfectly with vintage clothes and the 8 Photo-Folio that was released recently portrays him as a 19th-century British gentleman. Almost everything about him screams vintage, from his taste in fashion to his choice of music and art.
Image Credit: BigHit Music
His career in BTS started as a vocalist, but throughout the years, he has been crowned as one of the group’s lead dancers, songwriters, producers, and the only member who bagged an acting role with his character in Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth, a historical K-Drama back in 2016. The first song he has ever written was “Hold Me Tight” from the group's third EP The Most Beautiful Moment in Life pt.1, and he continued to release self-produced singles like “Scenery,” “Winter Bear,” and “Snow Flower.” He is also the mastermind behind “Blue and Grey,” and his version of this song was played during the first season of “BTS: In the Soop” Season 1. Taehyung and BigHit Music have also hinted at his upcoming solo album and activities in 2023. We cannot wait for his next creation that, with no doubt, would be 100% different from the BTS V. We hope all the preparation goes smoothly, and wish all the best for him.
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Written By: RAM
Edited By: Aury
Checked By: ESMA
