In a recent Rolling Stone cover interview, V reflected on reuniting with the other six members after years of solo work and military service, saying he initially wondered whether everyone’s stronger sense of self might change the group dynamic. Instead, he said the opposite happened: the members “amplified each other” and ended up making a better, more polished album together. He also revealed that the full process of getting all seven members back together to work on the new BTS album took about five years, adding that the scale of the comeback still has not fully sunk in for him
V says military service deepened his desire to perform
One of the most revealing parts of the interview was how directly V spoke about what the group’s break felt like from the inside.
He said that during military service, no matter how badly he wanted to perform, release music, sing, or dance, those things were simply not possible. Because of that, he tried to temporarily let go of “V of BTS” and focus instead on living as Kim Taehyung. He explained that he used the time to rebuild both body and mind by exercising, reading, listening to music, and reflecting on what kind of person he ultimately wants to become.
That period appears to have changed him in visible ways too. V said working out made him feel different both outwardly and inwardly, and that this physical change helped give him a more confident presence. He also shared, half-jokingly, that he can bench press up to 105 kilograms, though he described himself as “a baby” compared with the elite athletes in his army unit.
Why Layover mattered so much to him
V also opened up about the meaning of his solo album Layover, describing it as a project that arrived when he felt the need to look back on his path as V of BTS.
He said the title reflected how he sees life not as a straight line, but as something with pauses and changing directions. The album, he explained, was his way of showing that he loves many different kinds of music, including jazz, classical, and alternative sounds, and that he wanted to share those colors with ARMY and listeners. He added that without Layover, he felt he might have remained boxed in as only a dancer and singer, unable to fully reveal the different shades of himself as an artist.
That same mindset seems to have carried over into BTS’s new group work. V said there is not a single song on the new album that does not feel like his style, and that he approached the project as another genre color he wanted to pursue wholeheartedly. More than anything, though, he said he cannot wait to perform the songs live, because that is when he truly knows whether a track belongs to him.
“Everyone’s ego is stronger now” but the album got better
Perhaps the most striking takeaway from the interview was V’s honesty about how the group dynamic has evolved.
He acknowledged that after each member built an individual solo career, everyone’s ego naturally became stronger. He thought that might create more friction when BTS reunited. Instead, he said the members came back surprisingly open-minded, with deeper character and more maturity, and that this made the album better rather than more difficult. He even said he learned a lot by watching the other members’ individual paths and now wants to absorb each member’s greatest strength into his next solo album.
That answer helps explain why this comeback feels so interesting. V is not describing a group trying to recover an old balance. He is describing seven artists returning with stronger identities and somehow becoming even more cohesive because of it.
V is still open to more genres and more acting
V also made it clear that he has no intention of limiting himself artistically.
When asked whether he might someday release a more chart-oriented pop solo album, he said yes, calling it a kind of music he loves and would like to pursue at some point. He answered a question about acting in a similar way, saying that his mindset toward acting is the same as his mindset toward music: he wants to try many things he cannot experience in real life, and if given the chance, he hopes to take on many different kinds of roles in the future. He even singled out Etta James’ “At Last” when asked to recommend one jazz artist to fans.
In the end, the interview paints a clear picture of where V stands now: more self-aware, more musically open, and more certain that growth does not have to weaken a group identity.
If anything, he seems to believe the opposite.
For V, the members returned with stronger individual voices and that may be exactly why BTS sounds stronger now.
Editor’s Insight
he most interesting part of V’s interview is that he does not describe BTS’s return as a reset. He describes it as an upgrade. After years of solo work, self-reflection, and even trying to live for a while as Kim Taehyung rather than “V of BTS,” he seems to be returning to the group with a clearer sense of self and he suggests the other members are too. That is probably why his words about the album feeling “more polished than before” land so strongly: they make this comeback sound less like nostalgia and more like evolution.