With BTS’ V gracing the cover of POP this issue, what is the ‘H’oy’ challenge he’s now embarked upon?

Should BTS members Jimin and Jungkook be concerned about the coverage that their fellow band member V (Kim Taehyung) is receiving ever since he announced his solo works? We don’t think so, in fact we are positive that all the members of BTS are supportive after the “Love Me Again” singer graced the cover of the Autumn/Winter edition of British fashion magazine POP.

Once again demonstrating how luxury bands and fashionistas are looking over to South Korea for the next big trend (more on that later), V’s inclusion on the cover marks only the second time that a male has graced the front of Katie Grand’s publication. He joins only Sir Elton John in that distinct honour, with the issue set to go on sale in September 2023.

The magazine shared images from his photoshoot through the social media channels, going as far as to caption their Instagram post featuring the images with “V, the sexiest member of BTS, follows Elton John as a solo male POP cover. Our 30 page portfolio shows V channelling some Adam Ant, lots of New Wave leather angles and - screams! - London punk eye make-up."

We would of course have to refer to our editor-in-chief Marina Licht if she agrees with the sentiments of the publication, of course. But it’s a huge compliment for V, as he looks set to release his newest single from his debut release “Layover,” due out September 13 2023. HYBE Corp released a teaser video for his new single, “Blue,” yesterday afternoon, but you may have noticed him cropping up over TikTok for a different reason.

It turns out that V was the latest K-Pop star to embark on the “H’oy” challenge, which has become a bit of a trend on the social media platform over the past few weeks. Given he’s undertaken photo shoots and promotion for his debut solo record, it makes sense he was a little later than other K-Pop stars to embark on the challenge

What is the “H’oy” challenge sweeping TikTok?

“H’oy” is an abbreviation of “Hype Boy,” a single released by current K-Pop group du jour NewJeans back in 2022 with some innate choreography that you would expect from a K-Pop group.

But it’s taken on a new lease of life on TikTok after videos of other K-Pop musicians, most of which on HYBE Corp’s books, have been seen dancing along to a certain section of the song. That, much like many things on social media, took off with the hashtag “#hypeboychallenge” and then shortened to “hoychallenge.”

NewJeans, with a new audience thanks to their recent success on the Billboard charts, recently posted a video over the weekend with them also embarking on the challenge - but it was the inclusion of V and a number of easter eggs dedicated to the idol that gave the challenge and the meme a new lease of life.