V Hints at Poppier Solo

V says his next solo album will be “more pop” than his 2023 debut, pointing to a clear change in direction after *Layover*. (rollingstone.com) The comment came in Rolling Stone’s BTS cover package, published April 13, 2026, as the magazine began rolling out seven solo covers and Q&As after a new group interview. (rollingstone.com) V’s earlier solo work was framed very differently. In a September 8, 2023 Rolling Stone interview, the magazine described *Layover* as “jazz-inspired,” built from slow-burning rhythm and blues and soul-pop textures. (rollingstone.com) That 2023 release had six tracks — “Rainy Days,” “Blue,” “Love Me Again,” “Slow Dancing,” “For Us,” and a piano version of “Slow Dancing” — and Big Hit Music announced it on August 7, 2023 before the September 8 release. (rollingstone.com) The timing matters because BTS has just re-entered a full-group cycle. Rolling Stone’s April 2026 cover story says the band has reunited around a new album, *Arirang*, after the members completed South Korea’s mandatory military service. (rollingstone.com) V has been positioning his solo catalog as separate from the group’s biggest English-language pop hits for years. In the 2023 profile, Rolling Stone tied his musical identity to reflective songs such as “Scenery,” “Winter Bear,” “Blue & Grey,” “Sweet Night,” and “Christmas Tree.” (rollingstone.com) *Layover* also arrived with strong commercial results, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 100,000 equivalent album units in its first week, including 88,000 physical album sales, according to Yonhap’s summary of Billboard data. (en.yna.co.kr) So the new remark is less about whether V can carry a solo release and more about what kind of record he wants to make next. After an album built on muted moods and retro textures, he is now publicly signaling a brighter, more direct pop lane. (rollingstone.com, rollingstone.com)