BTS’ Jungkook welcomes ‘golden moment’ of his life with 1st solo album

Jungkook releases first official solo album, ‘Golden,’ on Friday, Nov.3, 2023. Image: Big Hit Music via The Korea Herald

Jungkook of BTS presents his journey since debuting on the K-pop scene, showing that he is now living the “golden moment” of his life, in his first official solo album, “Golden,” which dropped Friday, Nov. 3.

“Golden” carries 11 tracks and is led by the title track, “Standing Next to You.”

Jungkook’s previously released singles “Seven” and “3D” are also included in this album.

“The title track is of the retro funk genre and it sings about always staying together wherever and whenever. The performance for this song is the best of all the other solo performances I’ve ever done, so please look forward to it,” said Jungkook in a pre-recorded video shared with local reporters. “In this album, I tried to mix in my style and my interpretation of the old school, retro genre by adding trendy beats and making them easier to listen to.”

All of the tracks in this album are in English as Jungkook looks to target the global audience.

Despite the worldwide success of his solo singles “Seven” and “3D,” released prior to the official album drop, Jungkook remains humble over his accomplishments.

“I am still not used to being called a ‘global pop star’ but I hope to continue doing my best to live up to that title,” said Jungkook.

“I continue to challenge myself to perform on diverse stages and try out diverse genres. Some could say that’s greed but I think there are so many things that I haven’t tried. I will continue to move forward until I am satisfied with myself.”

This year marks the 10th debut anniversary of BTS, and during its 10 years, the group has become a worldwide K-pop sensation and wrote many firsts in K-pop history.

“Our fans are the greatest motivation for us to release a new album and to perform. Because of them, I am living my golden moment. I hope to continue this momentum along with my members. Our golden moment is not over,” said Jungkook.

The global pop star emphasized that BTS will definitely be back by 2025.

“We’ve grown stronger, releasing solo singles and albums. I promise you that BTS will be back even better. I think I look forward to that time more than my fans do,” said Jungkook. AP/ra