While BTS simmers, Jung Kook is red hot.
After the hard work, the K-pop star can now watch the numbers trickle in following the release of Golden, his debut solo album. Based on midweek data, it’s set to debut at No. 3 in the U.K., for what would be the highest charting solo release from a BTS member. The album includes “Seven” with Latto, which last month set a new record for the fastest entry into Spotify’s one billion streams club, at 108 days. As at Monday, Nov. 6, the single is platinum certified by RIAA.
Expect a whole lot more to come.
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Jung Kook stopped by NBC‘s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday for a chat, a dance, a slice of pizza, and a glimpse at the road ahead.
“Of course I want to do a world tour as a solo artist, but I don’t think I have enough songs for that,” he tells the late-night host. “So I want to complement them more and make more songs. And maybe when I’m ready, I can do the tour in full swing.”
That mission statement should get ARMY buzzing. Golden is here, now, and it’s got something for everyone, he assures Fallon. Indeed, it tops this week’s new music poll on Billboard, with 88% of the vote.
“I wanted to have this universal emotion, love. Everyone can relate to it,” he says of the album. “I wanted to show the change of this emotion. And also in terms of the versatility. I wanted to become a solo artist who can pull off a lot of genres and that’s what I try to do here.”
During his guest spot, the pop star discussed the origin of the name “Golden” (he’s the “golden youngest” in BTS, a nickname coined by RM), his proudest achievements (ARMY and BTS. “If it weren’t for them I would not be what I am today”), and the response from his fellow bandmates when he first played them the LP (“They just said, ‘It’s great.’”).
Yung Kook also joked about the surprise hit that was the Weverse video of him sleeping, a clip that captured some six-million sets of eyeballs. Those folks who tuned in, it was “something a little unexpected,” he explains in English, before switching to his native tongue: “actually its’ a little embarrassing”.
The 26-year-old artist also stuck around to perform album track “Standing Next to You,” a song that “could best show my vocals and performance as an artist. Of course it had to be the main track for my album,” he reckons.
Watch the interview and performance below.
