Here's How V Accidentally Auditioned To Be In BTS & Blew Everyone Away
BTS are social media giants. Not only have they been No. 1 on Billboard's Social 50 charts for 200 weeks straight, but they've also won Billboard's Top Social Artist award every year since 2017. These achievements show just how much fans love keeping up with the members' everyday lives. Since BTS just keeps getting more popular with every comeback, fans also like to reflect on how far the group has come since their 2013 debut. ARMYs will love to hear what V did before BTS because he actually had different plans than becoming an idol.
It's hard to imagine V doing anything else because he's such a natural-born performer. He has so much charisma on stage and his energy is contagious. When V performed his solo song "Intro: Singularity" on BTS' Love Yourself and Speak Yourself tours, fans couldn't help but swoon over his seductive charms and flawless vocals.
V's journey to superstardom is surprising because his undeniable talent nearly led him in a different direction.
Where did BTS' V grow up?
It's important to know where BTS came from in order to fully understand their success story. V, whose real name is Kim Taehyung, was born on Dec. 30, 1995, in Daegu, Korea (the same place as Suga). In July 2019, the Daegu government reportedly announced plans to dedicate a street for V in his hometown so fans can learn more about his roots.
Where did BTS' V go to school?
While in Daegu, V reportedly attended Daesung elementary school and Daegu Jeil High School. He eventually transferred over to Korea Arts High School after becoming a Big Hit trainee, where he met Jimin. They reportedly graduated together in 2014, a year after BTS’s debut.
V opened up about his high school days during an Oct. 1 episode of the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. "I was always the one who slept in and was late for school," V said, causing the guys to jokingly call him a "bad boy." V admitted Jimin would always wake him up to get ready for school.
Oh My Girl’s Seunghee, who also attended Korea Arts High School, said V was so dedicated to perfecting his dancing skills as a student. "V would practice dancing while looking at the reflection in the subway screen door. I’d watch him and be so surprised," she said, adding V succeeded in achieving his dreams because he put in so much effort.
After V graduated from Global Cyber University, where he majored in Broadcasting and Entertainment, V, along with RM, Suga, J-Hope, and Jimin, enrolled in Hanyang Cyber University for graduate school in July 2020. V is reportedly studying for an MBA in Advertising and Media.
What were BTS' V's hobbies?
In a November 2016 episode of the Korean variety show Star Show 360, V revealed he used to play saxophone in junior high. He loved the instrument so much that he would have pursued it professionally. When Jimmy Fallon asked him what career he would have chosen if he didn't join BTS, V didn't hesitate to say "saxophonist."
Who were BTS' V's early music inspirations?
In a 2018 behind-the-scenes video of BTS at the Grammy Museum, V said the first album he ever bought was Girls' Generation's 2009 EP Gee. Today, V is friends with a few members of the girl group, like Tiffany, Yoona, and Yuri, making everything come full circle.
Where did BTS' V train?
V's story of how he joined Big Hit Entertainment was different than the other members' journeys because he surprisingly didn't plan on becoming an idol at first. V only went to Big Hit's auditions to support a friend, but while he was there, an executive encouraged him to try out, too. V got permission from his Dad before he gave it a go on the spot. Interestingly enough, V was the only person from Daegu, Korea, who passed his audition that day.
Although V didn't plan on becoming a star, he's now exactly where he's meant to be.
