This past Friday (September 8), V finally released his debut solo collection, an EP titled Layover. The BTS singer is one of the last in the septet to produce a complete project outside of his work with the band that made him famous, and now he’s headed for a healthy start on the Billboard charts in a few days. But while he’s all but assured a solid debut, fans shouldn’t expect a leader out of V.
Music industry publication HitsDailyDouble predicts that next week, V’s Layover will launch inside the top 10 on the Billboard 200, the weekly ranking of the most-consumed albums in the U.S. The title could open at No. 3, according to the outlet. The prediction also includes a figure of between 90,000 and 100,000 equivalent units shifted.
When Layover opens inside the top 10 on the Billboard 200, V will become the latest member of BTS to break into the highest tier on the tally. So far, fellow singers from the group Suga, J-Hope, RM and Jimin have all either debuted titles in the competitive region or risen into the space. Once V joins this club, only two other members of the boy band will be left to score a top 10 title: Jung Kook and Jin.
V’s top 10 start on the Billboard 200 is sure to be impressive, and in some ways historic, but fans shouldn’t count on him having a real shot at hitting No. 1. While his set is going to be a strong seller, it can’t compete with Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts. The young singer-songwriter’s sophomore set is one of the most highly-anticipated of 2023, and it is already off to an incredible start. HitsDailyDouble predicts that Guts will easily conquer the tally with more than a quarter of a million copies shifted.
Layover was preceded by a pair of singles, with “Love Me Again” breaking onto the Hot 100. “Rainy Days,” which was released just hours later, missed out on the important chart by a little bit.
Now that the EP is out, a third single, “Slow Dancing,” has also been unveiled. That track will also stand a good shot at hitting the Hot 100 as well, and perhaps even becoming the biggest hit from the title. Whether any of the other tunes can find space on the ranking of the most-consumed songs in America is yet to be seen, but there’s a chance that V may be headed for the biggest week of his solo career yet.
Read the full article here