HYBE Labels
Jungkook called his first solo album GOLDEN in homage to the title his bandmate and leader gave him, signifying his role as the “golden maknae”. Upon taking some time to listen to his album, we can truly grasp the reason why he’s called that. GOLDEN impeccably showcases the brilliance of Jungkook’s talents, evidencing his remarkable vocal prowess, captivating stage performances, and unparalleled versatility.
Saying goodbye is tough for both those going and those staying. When we reflect on the last year, during which BTS members put effort into individual projects to share a part of themselves with ARMY worldwide, we can see they left their finest creations for those who cherish them. This is also valid for the youngest member of BTS and his solo endeavors. Now that we’ve seen everything he had prepared for his Golden era, it’s time to dive into his songs and share our thoughts with all of you.
Jungkook wanted to change his image from the cute and pure member of BTS, and he did it with songs like ‘3D‘ and ‘SEVEN‘. In ‘SEVEN’, he hints at giving someone a good time, whether it’s on any day of the week or in the third dimension in 3D. These songs were a huge success – ‘SEVEN’ became the fastest song to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify and topped the Hot 100 Billboard chart in its first week and ‘3D’ is going viral on TikTok.
Little did we know that Jungkook was just getting warmed up with his pre-release singles. The album’s main single, ‘Standing Next To You’, is like the perfect cherry on a delicious ice cream sundae. It’s the kind of track that only a fantastic pop artist can deliver. The music video made a lasting impression on those getting acquainted with Jungkook, drawing numerous comparisons to Michael Jackson since its release. His vocal and performance abilities have been praised so much. It only got better and better.
Jungkook’s decision to release an all-English album has sparked different opinions, but what stands out to us is the courage demonstrated by someone not entirely fluent in the language. It’s not every day you see an artist willingly step out of their comfort zone and produce such impressive work. In his album, the BTS member skillfully explores various genres, traverses the stages of a relationship, and showcases the strength and versatility of his own voice.
In Times Square filled with fans who had only heard rumors throughout the day about the singer performing a mini showcase there, Jungkook presented the main singles of the album GOLDEN and performed live for the first time ‘Yes or No’, a song written by none other than Ed Sheeran and ‘Please Don’t Change’ a collaboration with DJ Snake. The crowd already knew the lyrics to every song and loudly sang them back to the idol.
Right before enlisting, Jungkook released a video for ‘Hate You’, a song with written credits from Shawn Mendes. This heartbreaking love song talks about trying to hate a lover so it would be easier to forget them. Another heartbreaking song on GOLDEN and a personal favorite is ‘Shot Glass Of Tears’, the emotion on JK’s voice while singing it at his showcase in South Korea, along with a golden shower of sparks, turns it into the saddest and most magical moment of the show.
‘Closer’ featuring Major Lazer is a pop song with house music elements and a fun choreography that resembles a lot a dance class that Jungkook posted on his (deleted) Instagram account. ARMY recognized the dance moves and were quick to point it out on Twitter/X. Now, let me tell you about the most impressive song on this album: ‘Somebody’ starts with the singer playing with his own voice that some fans thought it was someone else singing, but in the showcase Jungkook proved how it’s performed live and even commented how hard it was for his to achieve that pitch. Even though the title ‘Too Sad To Dance’ makes us think that the song will be another sad ballad, it’s actually a fun song about a break up and all the mistakes made while dealing with it.
GOLDEN is without a doubt a masterpiece and it made Jungkook become the most listened K-pop act on Spotify proving that everything the maknae touches turns into gold. Let’s all say “thank you, Jungkook for this amazing album”. It’s definitely a gift that helps ease the pain we all feel for his absence.
Thank you for this ❤️