Golden (Jungkook album) explained

Golden
Cover:Jungkook - Golden.png
Caption:Digital cover
Type:studio
Artist:Jungkook
Language:English
Genre:Pop
Length:31:48
Label:Big Hit
Producer:

Golden is the debut studio album by South Korean singer Jungkook of BTS, released on November 3, 2023, through Big Hit Music. Primarily a pop record and an all English album, it was met with generally favorable reviews from critics. It features guest appearances by Jack Harlow, Major Lazer, Latto and DJ Snake.[1] The album was supported by the pre-release singles "Seven" and "3D", as well as "Standing Next to You", which was released concurrently with the album, and "Yes or No", which was sent to Italian radio in 2024.

Background and promotion

In July 2023, Jungkook spoke to Variety about his first solo album, saying at the time that he was working on it but that it was too early to "mention anything specific".[2] That same month, he released the single "Seven" featuring American rapper Latto, which debuted atop the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top 10 in numerous other countries.[3] Jungkook released another single, "3D" featuring American rapper Jack Harlow, on September 29.[4]

Big Hit Music announced the 11-track album on October 3, including the previously released songs "Seven" and "3D".[5] Golden takes its theme from the "golden moments" of Jungkook as a solo artist.[6] A press release further dubbed him the "Golden Maknae", referring to his status as the youngest member of BTS with a "unique timbre that will captivate listeners worldwide".[7] In promotion of the album, Jungkook is set to deliver "special stage performances and making various appearances alongside the release".[8] The tracklist was revealed on October 15, including the third single released alongside the album, "Standing Next to You".[9] On September 13, 2024, the album track "Yes or No" was sent to Italian radio as the album's fourth single.[10]

Live performances

Jungkook made a surprise concert at Times Square in New York City on November 9 and performed five tracks from the album: "Standing Next to You", "Yes or No", "3D", "Please Don't Change", and "Seven".[11] [12] [13]

Documentary

A film documentary titled I Am Still, chronicling an eight-month period of Jungkook's foray as a solo artist, beginning around the time of "Seven" and culminating with Golden, was announced on August 14, 2024.[14] The singer previously teased the project in July.[15] Distributed by Trafalgar Releasing, the film was released to theatres in 120 territories worldwide on September 18.[16]

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 to ratings from publications, the album received a weighted mean score of 75 based on six reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Rhian Daly of NME appreciated that Jung Kook "embodies each song's emotions and style with ease; a musical chameleon becoming each new sound". As best tracks she chose "what feel like classic pop king anthems", therefore "3D", "Yes or No", "Hate You" and "Too Sad to Dance", while she criticized "Somebody" for the use of the robotic processor. Overall she found that Golden manages to "capture Jungkook's multifaceted artistry, charismatic vocals and irresistible pop appeal in 10 easily palatable songs primed for commercial success", but also that "it doesn't feel like an album he and he alone could have released", concluding that however "the 2020s have found their pop king and 'Golden' more than secures him the throne".

AP Newss Maria Sherman called it "one of the strongest pop debuts of the year" and an "album of pop bliss",[17] while for David Smyth of Evening Standard, the album "ticked a lot of boxes for pop lovers" and "what elevates it is his fluid, expressive voice, which consistently raises chart-friendly material to a higher plane". Consequences Mary Siroky found that "the bright spots in the album are truly dazzling, while some of the b-sides aren't very memorable in comparison, and for that reason, the album feels quite top-heavy — the first five tracks are clear bangers, but the energy dips through the back half of the record", concluding that "even in the less enduring moments in Golden, Jung Kook remains interesting, wielding his voice with athletic precision".[18]

For Ed Power of I, "Seven" and "3D" at the beginning of the album give the impression that "Jungkook's solo career will be big on recycled ideas and NSFW lyrics", but "happily, that impression proves misleading. Golden traces the arc of a romance from infatuation to heartache. As the mood darkens, the tunes improve". According to The Observers Michael Cragg, "Golden is full of bright spots, but only fully shines on occasion", "taking off when Jung Kook can focus on his honeyed falsetto" on "Standing Next to You" and "3D", while the use of sounds already experimented by singers such as Craig David and Justin Timberlake "highlight Jung Kook's struggle to find his own sound and identity".

The Guardians Alexis Petridis wrote that "it's well-made, hooky – but nevertheless, Golden is an album bound to leave more agnostic listeners pondering what the fuss is about. [...] it just sounds like decent mainstream pop: there isn't anything happening sonically that sounds particularly unique or fresh", and called "Standing Next to You" "the only real misfire" that "starts fabulously – a big, splashy, live-sounding intro that could have stepped off Daft Punk's Random Access Memories – then devolves into pallid mid-tempo disco-house". IZMs Han Sung-hyun panned Golden, claiming it lacks individuality and "feels like listening to an algorithmically generated playlist".

Paste ranked the album number nine in their list of The 20 Best K-pop Albums of 2023.[19]

Accolades

Golden won Album Bonsang at the 38th Golden Disc Awards[20] and Artist of the Year – Album at the 13th Circle Chart Music Awards.[21]

Commercial performance

Golden entered music charts in 25 countries and topped the South Korean, Belgian, French, Lithuanian, and Japanese album charts. It reached the top-10 in 14 countries including Australia, France, and Germany, and debuted at number three in the United Kingdom, becoming the highest-charting album by a Korean solo artist.[22] In the United States, it debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 210,200 equivalent album units. This figure comprised 164,800 pure sales (128,500 CDs and 36,300 digital downloads), making it the top-selling album of the week; 29,800 SEA units (equaling 41.59 million on-demand official streams of its 10 songs); and 15,600 track equivalent (TEA) units.[23] As of November 2023, it has sold over 2.4 million copies worldwide.[24] Golden sold 244,000 copies in the United States during 2023 and ranked as the 10th bestselling CD album of the year according to Billboard.[25]

According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)'s Global Music Report for 2023, Golden was the fourteenth most-consumed album across all formats, and the seventh best-selling album worldwide, having sold 2.7 million units in less than two months.[26] [27]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2023)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[28] 2
French Albums (SNEP)[29] 1
Greek Albums (IFPI)[30] 17
Icelandic Albums (Tónlistinn)[31] 24
Italian Albums (FIMI)[32] 3
Japanese Combined Albums (Oricon)[33] 1
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[34] 1
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[35] 1
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[36] 2
Slovak Albums (ČNS IFPI)[37] 8
South Korean Albums (Circle)[38] 1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[39] 14

Monthly charts

Chart (2023)! scope="col"
Position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[40] 1
South Korean Albums (Circle)[41] 2

Year-end charts

Chart (2023)! scope="col"
Position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[42] 60
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[43] 196
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[44] 154
French Albums (SNEP)[45] 141
Global Albums (IFPI)14
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[46] 47
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[47] 18
Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon)[48] 8
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[49] 15
South Korean Albums (Circle)[50] 8
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[51] 90

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormat(s)VersionLabel
VariousNovember 3, 2023StandardBig Hit
United StatesNovember 4, 2023Digital downloadVoice memo[52]
South KoreaNovember 8, 2024VinylStandard[53]
JapanNovember 18, 2024
EuropeDecember 13, 2024
United States

Notes and References

  1. Web site: BTS star Jungkook announces debut solo album Golden. NME. Krol. Charlotte. October 3, 2023. October 4, 2023.
  2. Web site: BTS Jung Kook Debut Album 'Golden': Release Date, Details. J-14. en-US. Wickes. Hanna. October 30, 2023. November 6, 2023.
  3. Jung Kook's 'Seven,' Featuring Latto, Blasts In at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100, Followed by Jason Aldean. Billboard. en-US. Trust. Gary. July 24, 2023. November 6, 2023.
  4. Jung Kook & Jack Harlow Join Forces for New Song '3D': Here's the Release Date. Billboard. en-US. Iasimone. Ashley. September 24, 2023. November 6, 2023.
  5. Jung Kook's First Solo Album 'Golden' Release Date Announced. Billboard. en-US. Kaufman. Gil. October 3, 2023. November 6, 2023.
  6. Web site: Jung Kook of BTS Announces New Solo Album GOLDEN. en-US. October 3, 2023. November 6, 2023.
  7. Jung Kook Sets November Release Date for Debut Album 'Golden'. Rolling Stone. en-US. Paul. Larisha. October 3, 2023. November 6, 2023.
  8. Web site: BTS' Jungkook announces solo album GOLDEN, reveals release date. Hindustan Times. en. October 3, 2023. November 6, 2023.
  9. Jung Kook Recruits Jack Harlow, Latto, Major Lazer and DJ Snake for New Album 'Golden'. Rolling Stone. en-US. Kreps. Daniel. October 15, 2023. November 6, 2023.
  10. Fontana . Stefano . September 9, 2024 . Jung Kook – Yes or No (Radio Date: 13-09-2024) . September 9, 2024 . EarOne . it . September 11, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240911014300/https://earone.com/post/750e4dcf8b28 . live.
  11. Web site: Jung Kook Takes Over Times Square With Surprise 'Golden' Performance. Rolling Stone. Mier. Tomás. November 9, 2023. November 13, 2023. November 13, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231113201334/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/jung-kook-times-square-golden-new-york-city-1234874385/. live.
  12. Web site: BTS' Jungkook holds surprise concert in Times Square. The Korea Times. November 10, 2023. November 13, 2023. November 13, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231113134609/https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2023/11/398_362946.html. live.
  13. Web site: BTS member Jungkook surprises Times Square crowd with a mini-concert. GMA Entertainment. Javier. Kristian Eric. November 12, 2023. November 13, 2023. November 13, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231113134609/https://www.gmanetwork.com/entertainment/showbiznews/news/107082/bts-member-jungkook-surprises-times-square-crowd-with-a-mini-concert/story. live.
  14. 'BTS' Jung Kook to Premiere New 'I Am Still' Documentary in Theaters Worldwide. Garcia. Thania. August 14, 2024. Variety. https://web.archive.org/web/20240814212826/https://variety.com/2024/music/news/bts-jung-kook-to-i-am-still-documentary-theaters-1236107097/. August 14, 2024. live. August 25, 2024.
  15. Web site: BTS' Jungkook teases new project 'I Am Still'. Yeo. Gladys. July 12, 2024. NME. https://web.archive.org/web/20240712114049/https://www.nme.com/news/music/bts-jungkook-i-am-still-cinemas-3774284. July 12, 2024. dead. August 25, 2024.
  16. 'Never Thought of Myself as a Genius': Jung Kook Grapples With Fame as a Solo Artist in 'I Am Still' Trailer. subscription. Richardson. Kalia. August 21, 2024. Rolling Stone. https://web.archive.org/web/20240821210907/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/jung-kook-bts-i-am-still-trailer-1235084704/. August 21, 2024. live. August 25, 2024.
  17. Web site: Music Review: BTS member Jung Kook's solo debut, 'Golden,' is no-skip pop bliss. AP News. Sherman. Maria. November 3, 2023. November 19, 2023.
  18. News: Jung Kook Plays with Pop Stardom on Golden. Consequence. Sikory. Mary. November 3, 2023. November 19, 2023.
  19. The 20 Best K-pop Albums of 2023. Paste. Opie. David. December 21, 2023. December 23, 2023.
  20. Web site: ko:'4관왕' 세븐틴·'2관왕' 뉴진스, 나란히 대상 쾌거 "거창한 상에 당당할 수 있도록" [38회 골든디스크](종합). 'Four-time winners' Seventeen and Two-time winners' NewJeans wins the grand prize "To be able to win a huge prize" [38th Golden Disc] (Comprehensive). https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=117&aid=0003799105. Naver. My Daily. ko. Kang. Da-yoon. January 7, 2024. January 7, 2024. January 7, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240107091548/https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=117&aid=0003799105. live.
  21. Web site: ko:NCT 드림, '2023 써클차트' 디지털 앨범상...올해의 가수상은 20팀(종합). NCT Dream won the '2023 Circle Chart' Digital Album Award... Singer of the Year Award goes to 20 teams (Comprehensive). https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=009&aid=0005242871. Naver. Maeil Gyeongje. ko. Lee. Da-gyeom. January 10, 2024. January 10, 2024.
  22. Web site: BTS star Jung Kook's GOLDEN is highest-charting album by a Korean solo artist ever. Official Charts. Smith. Carl. November 10, 2023. November 10, 2023.
  23. Taylor Swift's '1989 (Taylor's Version)' Spends Second Week Atop Billboard 200. Billboard. November 12, 2023. November 20, 2023.
  24. Web site: Jungkook's 'Golden' breaks Billboard 200 chart history, sets 6 massive records. The Daily Star. November 13, 2023. November 15, 2023.
  25. Morgan Wallen's 'One Thing at a Time' Is Luminate's Top Album of 2023 in U.S.. Billboard. Caulfield. Keith. January 10, 2024. January 11, 2024.
  26. Seventeen's FML announced by IFPI as biggest-selling Global Album of the Year. . February 27, 2024. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. https://web.archive.org/web/20240227151009/https://www.ifpi.org/seventeens-fml-announced-by-ifpi-as-biggest-selling-global-album-of-the-year/. February 27, 2024. live. April 2, 2024.
  27. Taylor Swift, Seventeen and Morgan Wallen top IFPI Global Album Charts. . March 28, 2024. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. https://web.archive.org/web/20240328105657/https://www.ifpi.org/taylor-swift-seventeen-and-morgan-wallen-top-ifpi-global-album-charts/. March 28, 2024. live. April 2, 2024.
  28. Web site: ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart. Australian Recording Industry Association. November 13, 2023. November 10, 2023.
  29. Le SNEP. SNEP. snep. 1722976938162016319. November 10, 2023. En exclusivité, voici les 10 premiers du Top Albums de la semaine ! Classement complet lundi . Exclusively, here are the first 10 of the Top Albums of the week! Full ranking Monday. fr. https://archive.today/20231112041334/https://twitter.com/snep/status/1722976938162016319. November 12, 2023. live. no. November 12, 2023.
  30. Web site: Top-75 Albums Sales Chart – Week 48/2023. IFPI Greece. el. December 7, 2023. December 6, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231206162554/https://www.ifpi.gr/charts_el.html. live.
  31. Web site: Tónlistinn – Plötur – Vika 45 – 2023. The Music – Albums – Week 45 – 2023. Plötutíðindi. is. November 12, 2023. November 11, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231111073850/https://plotutidindi.is/tonlistinn/. live.
  32. Web site: Album – Classifica settimanale WK 45 (dal 03.11.2023 al 09.11.2023). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. it. November 11, 2023.
  33. Web site: Oricon Top 50 Combined Albums: 2023-11-13. Oricon. ja. November 10, 2023. November 10, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231110031522/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/coa/w/2023-11-13/.
  34. Web site: Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of November 8, 2023. Billboard Japan. ja. November 8, 2023.
  35. Web site: 2023 45-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100). AGATA. lt. November 10, 2023. November 10, 2023.
  36. Web site: NZ Top 40 Albums Chart. Recorded Music NZ. November 13, 2023. November 11, 2023.
  37. Web site: SK - Albums Top 100. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. cs. November 13, 2023.
  38. Web site: Circle Album Chart – Week 44, 2023. Circle Chart. ko. November 9, 2023.
  39. Web site: Veckolista Album, vecka 45. Sverigetopplistan. November 11, 2023.
  40. Web site: Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2023-11. Oricon. ja. December 13, 2023. December 13, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231213034603/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/m/2023-11/. live.
  41. Web site: Circle Album Chart – November 2023. Circle Chart. ko. December 7, 2023.
  42. Web site: Ö3 Austria Top40 Jahrescharts 2023. November 8, 2019 . Ö3 Austria Top 40. de. December 28, 2023. December 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231228085855/https://oe3.orf.at/charts/stories/oe3austriatop40longplay/. live.
  43. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 2023. Ultratop. nl. January 7, 2024.
  44. Web site: Rapports annuels 2023. Ultratop. fr. January 7, 2024.
  45. Web site: 2023: La dynamique de la production et de la consommation musicales en France. SNEP. fr. January 8, 2024. January 13, 2024.
  46. Web site: Album Top 100 - digitális és fizikai értékesítés alapján - 2023. MAHASZ. hu. January 25, 2024. January 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240125132708/https://slagerlistak.hu/archivum/eves-osszesitett-slagerlistak/album/2023. live.
  47. Web site: ja:【オリコン年間ランキング2023】King & Prince、「シングル」「アルバム」ともにミリオン達成で「音楽」3ジャンルで首位 YOASOBI「アイドル」が3冠. https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/66026/3/. Oricon. 3. ja. December 20, 2023. December 19, 2023. December 20, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231220012310/https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/66026/3/. live.
  48. Web site: ja:【オリコン年間ランキング2023】King & Prince、「シングル」「アルバム」ともにミリオン達成で「音楽」3ジャンルで首位 YOASOBI「アイドル」が3冠. https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/66026/5/. Oricon. 5. ja. December 20, 2023. December 19, 2023. December 20, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231220012352/https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/66026/5/. live.
  49. Web site: Billboard Japan Hot Albums Year-End 2023. Billboard Japan. December 24, 2023.
  50. Web site: Album Chart 2023. Circle Chart. January 12, 2024.
  51. Web site: Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2023. hitparade.ch. December 31, 2023.
  52. Web site: Golden. Official BTS Music Store. https://web.archive.org/web/20231104083100/https://shop.bts-official.us/collections/golden. dead. November 4, 2023. November 7, 2023.
  53. Web site: [NOTICE] Jung Kook GOLDEN Vinyl Record Pre-Order]. October 2, 2024. Weverse. https://archive.today/20241016180246/https://weverse.io/bts/notice/22703. October 16, 2024. live. October 17, 2024.

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