Cover BTS members’ solo and group OSTs have quietly rewritten K-drama soundtrack history (Photo: Christopher Polk/Dick Clark Productions/Getty Images)
BTS members’ solo and group OSTs have quietly rewritten K-drama soundtrack history (Photo: Christopher Polk/Dick Clark Productions/Getty Images)
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From soaring ballads to heartfelt anthems, these BTS OSTs became unforgettable companions to some of the most beloved K-dramas and films
BTS’s musical legacy extends well beyond the group’s albums and world tours. Over the years, the members have also become the voices behind some of K-drama’s most memorable original soundtracks. Across romance, fantasy, historical epics and coming-of-age series, they have built an impressive catalogue of original soundtracks that stand on their own—earning chart milestones, industry recognition and enduring popularity beyond the dramas they accompanied.
These songs often reveal a different side of each artist, favouring intimate storytelling and emotional restraint over stadium-sized spectacle. From V’s record-setting Christmas Tree to Jin’s celebrated ballads, these BTS OSTs demonstrate how their influence extends well beyond the group’s discography, enriching some of Korean television’s most unforgettable stories while becoming fan favourites in their own right.
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‘Yours’ (2021) by Jin: the award-winning OST that showcased vocal versatility
Above Jin's (Kim Seok-jin) 'Yours' became the first Korean OST on Spotify's Global Chart
As the main theme for tvN’s mystery drama Jirisan, Yours is a sweeping rock ballad that works through contrasts, with Jin’s delicate lower register building steadily into soaring, crystalline falsettos that feel genuinely cathartic. The orchestral arrangement swells with strings and piano, lending the track an almost cinematic grandeur that suits the drama’s high-altitude, high-stakes setting.
It became the first Korean OST in history to enter the Global Spotify Chart, debuting at No 45 with over 1.4 million streams in 15 hours, and its artistic merit was recognised when it represented South Korea’s best theme song category at the 2022 Asian Academy Creative Awards.
‘Christmas Tree’ (2021) by V: the history-making acoustic holiday ballad
Above 'Christmas Tree' marked V's (Kim Tae-hyung) first solo entry on the Billboard Hot 100
Released on Christmas Eve 2021 for the romance drama Our Beloved Summer, this lyrical track layers V’s warm, rich baritone over a minimalist arrangement of acoustic guitar and delicate violin. The song captures a bittersweet kind of longing—the ache of missing someone during the most nostalgic time of year—and V’s hushed, unhurried delivery makes every note feel deeply personal.
Christmas Tree made history as the first-ever Korean drama soundtrack to enter the US Billboard Hot 100, debuting at No 79. The song has long outgrown its seasonal roots, crossing 500 million Spotify streams in May 2026 and earning a place on Billboard’s list of the finest Christmas songs of the 21st century.
‘With You’ (2022) by Jimin and Ha Sung-woon: the record-shattering duet of heartache
Above Jimin (Park Ji-min) and Ha Sung-woon's duet 'With You' swept iTunes charts worldwide
Featured in the tvN K-drama Our Blues, this ballad captures the raw, desperate pain of holding together a broken relationship. Jimin’s airy, emotionally charged upper register floats above Ha Sung-woon’s steadier, warmer tone, creating a push-and-pull dynamic that mirrors the lyrical tension between two people unwilling to let go. The production is stripped back and intimate—piano, strings and space—letting the vocals carry all the weight.
Within four hours and 42 minutes of release, the track hit No 1 on iTunes’ Top Songs chart in 100 countries, breaking the speed record held by BTS’s own Dynamite, and later topped iTunes charts in 119 countries.
‘Close to You’ (2025) by Jin: the dreamy space-romance ballad
Above Jin's 'Close to You' for 'When the Stars Gossip' won Best OST in 2025
Released in January 2025 for the sci-fi romance series When the Stars Gossip, Close to You is a slow-tempo English-and-Korean ballad written by Kim Kyung-hee and Nam Hye-seung. The lyrics evoke deep connection and celestial longing, the feeling of reaching across vast distance for someone you cannot quite touch—a perfect thematic mirror for the drama’s space-set romance. Jin’s vocal performance is restrained and tender, his tone warm against a spare, shimmering arrangement that never overpowers the emotion.
It soared to No 2 on the Worldwide iTunes Song Chart and won Best OST at the 2025 Asia Star Entertainer Awards.
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‘Sweet Night’ (2020) by V: the soulful acoustic gift for a best friend
Above V's (Kim Tae-hyung) 'Sweet Night' topped iTunes charts in over 100 countries
Personally written and produced by V, this cosy indie-pop song was recorded for Itaewon Class at the request of its lead, V’s real-life close friend Park Seo-joon. That personal connection comes through in every detail: the track feels less like a commissioned OST and more like a late-night voice note from someone who genuinely cared about the story. Warm acoustic guitar, gentle humming and a soft violin create a cocoon of sound—intimate, unhurried and quietly beautiful.
It topped iTunes charts in over 100 countries and remains one of the most emotionally resonant Korean OSTs ever recorded.
‘It’s Definitely You’ (2016) by Jin and V: the high-energy BTS duet
Above Jin (Kim Seok-jin) and V's (Kim Tae-hyung) 'It's Definitely You' was their first vocal duet
Serving as the soundtrack for Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth—the historical drama marking V’s official acting debut—this energetic pop-rock track crackles with an infectious, youthful energy that feels almost at odds with the drama’s Silla Dynasty setting, and all the better for it. It was the first official vocal-unit collaboration between Jin and V, and their voices make for a genuinely thrilling pairing: V’s deep, velvety baritone anchors the track while Jin’s bright, soaring high register lifts it skyward. The result is dynamic, warm and endlessly replayable—a debut that hinted at how far both would go as solo artists.
‘Don’t Leave Me’ (2018) by BTS: the dark, high-octane police thriller theme
Above BTS's 'Don't Leave Me' became the group's seventh No 1 on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart
This alternative hip-hop and electronica track served as the opening theme for the Japanese remake of the police procedural Signal. Produced by UTA, it is one of the group’s most sonically intense soundtrack contributions: distorted synths and pounding percussion underpin rapid-fire rap verses, while the vocal hooks cut through with an urgency that perfectly mirrors the show’s time-bending, high-stakes mystery. It is the kind of track that grabs you before the drama has even begun.
The song debuted at No 1 on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart, the group’s seventh time atop that chart.
‘Film Out’ (2021) by BTS: the cosmic, time-bending Japanese rock ballad
Above BTS's 'Film Out' marked the group's first Japanese-language entry on the Hot 100
Co-written by Jungkook alongside Iyori Shimizu of J-rock band Back Number, this emotional soft-rock ballad served as the ending theme for Signal the Movie. Film Out closes the movie in reflection: acoustic guitar and piano dissolve into swelling strings as the group’s vocals move through grief, longing and something close to acceptance. The Japanese-language lyrics, shaped by Shimizu’s gift for melancholic precision, give the track a distinctly literary quality.
It debuted at No 81 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking BTS’s first-ever Japanese-language entry on the chart, while also topping Digital Song Sales.
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After more than a decade in lifestyle media, Clifford has mastered the art of writing seriously about things that are fun—and writing fun things about people who take themselves very seriously. At Tatler Asia, he helped steer its flagship lists, Tatler’s Most Influential and Asia’s Most Stylish. And today, he leads T-Labs, Tatler Asia’s content innovation hub, where he continues the noble pursuit of lifestyle storytelling, spinning stories on wealth, entertainment, necessary style, Hallyu, Hollywood, beauty and more for audiences across Asia.
