CHRISTMAS may be over but the gift-giving season continues, especially among fans of K-pop powerhouse BTS, as V is set to release a new song in collaboration with American singer-songwriter Umi.
On Tuesday, Umi, whose real name is Tierra Umi Wilson, announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the track will be titled “Wherever U R,” featuring the K-pop idol.
“[A] gift from [Umi] and Tae to you,” the 24-year-old singer said.
The new single will be released on December 29 at 9 p.m. (PST) and December 30 at 2 p.m. (KST).
Umi’s announcement came with a photo of what appears to be her desktop, with various applications opened including a note that read: “Looking back on a Sunday; pictures from the past now; sitting all in the basement; we should have conversation; i’ll call you more; but time moves so fast.”
She also posted a short video of her and V singing to “Wherever U R” on TikTok.
The official X account of BTS announced the release of “Wherever U R” as well. This comes after BTS member Jimin released a new song titled “Closer Than This” on December 22.
V, whose real name is Kim Tae-hyung, dropped a clue about the forthcoming track when he posted on his Instagram story a clip of him recording at a studio in November. This hyped up BTS fans, collectively known as ARMY, who shared screen recordings of his story on X.
Umi saw a clip of V’s recording session shared by a fan and replied to it with, “loading…” along with emojis of a face with hand over mouth and a shushing face.
On December 11, Umi bid farewell to the K-pop star as he began his mandatory military service with his co-member RM.
“Bye Tae. I’m wishing you the best in the army 🙂 I promise to take care of our song [and] share [your] message while [you] are away,” she said.
Previous, forthcoming projects
Prior to his military enlistment, V released his solo debut album “Layover” in September 2023, which consists of six tracks: “Rainy Days,” “Blue,” “Love Me Again,” “Slow Dancing,” “For Us,” and “Slow Dancing (Piano version).”
All seven members of BTS are currently undergoing their military service. They hope to reunite as a group in 2025.
Meanwhile, Umi dropped a new single called “why don’t we go” in November 2023 and “happy im” in August 2023.
These two songs will be part of her new extended play (EP) “talking to the wind,” which is set to be released on January 19, 2024. The album will consist of four tracks, including “love too much” and “not necessarily.”
