Jungkook recently released his first studio album, Golden. But if you live under a rock, and don’t know who he is, let me tell you.
Jungkook is the youngest member of the K-pop supergroup BTS, and he has smashed the charts with his singles “Seven (feat. Latto)” and “3D (feat. Jack Harlow)”. So when Jungkook announced his first solo album, fans were beyond happy, especially with the announcement of the album’s featured artists.
Golden was released on November 3, 2023 and fans went wild over the title track, “Standing Next to You”. This song stands alone as the best track on the album. It didn’t take long for his dance for this song to catch a trend on Tiktok. This brought more attention to the whole album itself.
The title Golden, comes from Jungkook’s nickname “Golden Maknae,” which means “golden youngest”, as he is the youngest and most talented in all areas of the group. But the meaning doesn’t stop there, as this was a “goodbye” gift from Jungkook to the Armys. Before each member enlisted in the Korean military, they all released solo albums for the Armys to enjoy, as they won’t be back as a group until late 2025.
This album does not miss one bit. If anyone knows how to make an album that has a perfect balance between ballads and pop, it’s Jungkook. Plus his sweet vocals and emotional feel add a special touch to an album, which we often don’t see from artists like him.
Golden is more of a pop album than a K-pop one, which makes a little bit more sense, as Jungkook released a few pop songs before recording this album. However, if he had sung a few songs in Korean, it could have elevated this album in a more intimate way.
In an interview with PICKON, Jungkook did mention that this album was prepared for the overseas music market, so it makes more sense for the album to be all in English. And yet, the lack of Jungkook’s home language keeps the album from reaching its greatest heights.
BTS members never go without a story or a meaning behind an album. Therefore, Golden encapsulates a ton of emotion from Jungkook, whether it’s from a sad ballad like “Hate You” or a sensual song like “Closer to You (feat. Major Lazer)”.
As for the song with the meaning that sticks out the most, it has to be “Hate You”. Sure it might be one of the saddest songs on the album, but its underlying message is so significant. This song refers to hating someone you used to love, in order to get over them. At one point, Jungkook sings, “Maybe hating you’s the only way it doesn’t hurt,” which shows the emotion that Jungkook wanted to capture within this song.
Now knowing BTS and their outside-of-the-box promotions, we were most definitely expecting something from Jungkook, who held a FREE mini-concert in New York Times Square at TSX. This was a way to showcase some of his songs and dances for all the Armys in the NYC area.
But that wasn’t Jungkook’s only stop in NYC. He also made the TV debut of his song “Standing Next to You” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He has also released some amazing performance videos and MVs, so the Armys will never be unfed with breathtaking content.
Overall, this album has exceeded expectations from fans and even non-fans, especially with the song “Standing Next to You”. Fans hope for more to come in late 2025 when all members are back from enlistment.
