Umi and BTS` V have collaborated on a song
BTS member Kim Taehyung left for the military earlier this month, but he left a birthday gift behind for his fans. Taehyung (stage name V) celebrates his birthday on December 30, which is a special day for the BTS fandom, the ARMY.
Fans are missing the Bangtan members this holiday season as all seven of them are now fulfilling their mandatory military service. Celebrating the birthdays of the members without them makes it extra hard. V probably knew this, so he prepared a soothing song for heartbroken fans in advance.
The track, titled 'Wherever U R' comes as "a gift from Umi and Tae to you." This is V's first collaboration with Japanese-American singer-songwriter Umi.
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The single's release was being teased throughout the last couple of weeks, unveiling snippets of the soulful track online. The two artists have also frequently shared their admiration for the other's music, with Umi even sharing her renditions of V's 'Love Me Again' and 'Slow Dancing', tracks from his solo album Layover.
In 2023, the R&B singer embarked on her first tour around Asia, which saw stops in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Seoul, in support of her album Forest In The City. Umi also recently performed in Manila as part of Insignia's Concert Series.
Although V can't celebrate this birthday with fans as usual, that hasn't marred the excitement of the ARMYs. The K-pop idol also recorded a birthday message for his fans ahead of his military enlistment. The video was released on his birthday and brought his fan base the love that they were missing. The BTS member can be heard saying, "Hello today is my birthday! HA HA HA #HelloTodayIsMyBirthday #FromV #PresentThatIPreparedInAdvance#Surprise"
For the occasion, ARMYs took out all the stops to celebrate their K-pop idol. As it turns out, two fansites are airing birthday advertisements across a total of 5,328 convenience stores all over South Korea, spanning branches of stores like CU, GS25, and 7-Eleven. These ads are set to run from December 25 to 31st.