Jungkook, BTS’s youngest member, has embarked on a solo journey with the release of his first solo album GOLDEN. After the band announced a temporary hiatus in 2022 to pursue individual projects and fulfill their military service requirements, fans were eager to see what the members would do. GOLDEN arrives on the heels of pre-release singles “Seven (feat. Latto)” and “3D (feat. Jack Harlow).” Its title is derived from Jungkook‘s nickname, “golden maknae,” a nod to his reputation for excelling in everything he does. GOLDEN is edgier and more mature than anything he has done before, delving into themes of intoxication and sex.
“If you were able to sense the maturity, then that is good,” he tells reporters during a video call from Seoul. Promoting as a solo artist brings new challenges for Jungkook, who has experienced a whirlwind of success with BTS. GOLDEN marks his first full record in English, a deliberate choice to push his boundaries. But making that choice wasn’t easy for him. “I was thinking, ‘Is it okay for a Korean to not release Korean songs at all?’” he confessed. He only forged ahead when he realized he wanted to connect with people beyond language.
“When you think about pop stars, they’re these really cool singers that you’d look up to since your childhood,” he said. “Of course, things have been changing a lot. But I still have that pop-star image stuck in my head since my childhood. And I want to be a cool guy that gives off that amazing vibe.”
Jungkook on songwriting
GOLDEN features collaborations with renowned producers Andrew Watt, Cirkut, David Stewart, Ed Sheeran, and Major Lazer. Its 11 songs range from acoustic numbers to synth-pop earworms to trendy R&B. Jungkook acknowledges the explicit nature of their lyrics, but insists they should be seen as separate from his personal life. “Lyrics are just lyrics, and images are just images,” he says. “I just wanted to try diverse genres and styles and work on my own sound. As of now, that is still my goal. I want to work on different stories.”
Jungkook used to think it was important for artists to write their own material. He has written and produced songs for BTS; in fact, at least two tracks he planned for his solo release ended up on the group’s albums. But for GOLDEN, he chose to focus on performance skills and vocal techniques. “At this moment, there’s nothing I want to write about. So I was thinking, ‘Do I really need to invest my time into creating a song from the beginning to the end?’”
But he hasn’t ruled out songwriting completely. “On the other hand, when the moment comes when I do want to share my story, I do think it’ll be a song with honest lyrics that I want to share with my fans.”
Golden moments
As Jungkook steps out on his own, the title of his album represents his journey of hard work and self-discovery. “The term ‘golden’ started with the nickname that Namjoon coined. At first, I wasn’t very confident so that term was quite overwhelming for me. But as I grew up and went through so many various changes, the term ‘golden maknae’’ became a source of pride for me. This album includes the whole journey of my hard work and passion, starting all the way from my debut days, from finding my self-confidence to owning this nickname of ‘golden.’ On top of that, it also includes all the moments leading up to now. I use this term ‘golden moments.’ It’s an album that encompasses all these golden moments leading up till now.”
Jungkook has his own definition of success. “I don’t think success is determined by other people’s perspectives,” he says. “Just experiencing self-satisfaction, being happy, experiencing difficulties, being frustrated—I think in all those moments, ‘success’ is always mixed in with it. For me, instead of chasing success, it’s enough to be satisfied.”
On that note, he’s proud to say he’s satisfied with what he’s achieved thus far. “I am satisfied. I do have some things I wish I had done, but I did my best. You could think of it like that,” Jungkook concludes. – K-Pop News Writer
Featured Image: Jungkook looks like a proper pop star in the concept photos for ‘GOLDEN,’ released by BigHit Music. Source: Weverse.