Despite his military enlistment, BTS’ V has made the long wait bearable for ARMYs with a new song to be released ahead of his birthday on 30 December.

On 26 December, BigHit, the K-pop group’s agency, announced that UMI would release a new song featuring the K-pop star, titled “Wherever U R.” The track will be out on 29 December (Pacific Standard Time).

UMI had hinted about the song on Christmas day in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Kim Tae-hyung, known professionally as V, is a member of the phenomenal mega-group BTS. Before the group’s hiatus due to its members’ mandatory enlistment in the South Korean military, V was able to release two singles — “It’s Definitely You” in 2016 and “Scenery” in 2019.

The 27-year-old singer made his official debut as a solo artist with the successful singles “Love Me Again” and “Rainy Days.” In September, he released his debut solo album, Layover, with the third single, “Slow Dancing.”

His debut album garnered international acclaim and was nominated for multiple categories at the MAMA Awards, including Best Vocal Performance, Best Male Artist, Artist of the Year and Song of the Year

V was among the last four remaining BTS members who entered military service in December. He enlisted on the same day as RM, on 11 December.

UMI is an American R&B singer-songwriter widely recognized for her songs “Remember Me” and “Love Affair,” which have collectively reached over 100 million streams on Spotify.