Music Review: BTS member Jung Kook’s solo debut, ‘Golden,’ is no-skip pop bliss
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/11/2023 (736 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jung Kook, the youngest member of the K-pop group BTS, released his triumphant debut solo album on Friday. The heavily Anglophonic “Golden,” a reference to his nickname of “the golden maknae,” (“golden youngest” in Korean), is one of the strongest pop debuts of the year, a direct reflection of his love of retro-pop sounds.
There was a period this summer where Jung Kook’s single with Latto, “Seven,” was inescapable; a sunshine-y UK garage number counting down all the days of the week in which he’ll love you, girl — or maybe he’d do something else, depending on whether you’re listening to the clean or explicit version of the track.
It hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Jung Kook only the second member of BTS — after Jimin — to reach that height as a solo artist. A “golden” artist indeed.
The hook on “Seven” is undeniable, one of many on “Golden.” Across this release, Jung Kook demonstrates a deep understanding of pop performance — and how, in the modern era, that requires innovative collaborations, heavily featured throughout his solo album.
Ed Sheeran plays guitar on “Yes or No”; Shawn Mendes co-wrote the piano ballad “Hate You.” Major Lazer is featured on the breathy-bass banger “Closer to You” and DJ Snake is on the Bieber-esq. dance-pop “Please Don’t Change.” Rapper Jack Harlow is on the single “3D,” which hit No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
It might be an unfavorable comparison in the current cultural moment, particularly in the conversation following the release of Britney Spears’ “The Woman in Me” memoir. But “3D” recalls the early, peak days of Justin Timberlake’s 2000s solo career — “Justified” and “Suit and Tie,” those Timbaland and Pharrell collaborations and onward.
At the time, JT’s musical talent was undeniable, and he was largely considered one of the greatest pop performers of recent history — and make no mistake, that’s the only JT tradition Jung Kook appears to be pulling from. (Well, that, and finding incredible success as a soloist separate from the group that made him an idol. But BTS is taking a break, while NSYNC broke up for two decades.)
The greatest song, however, is the latest single: the funky, Michael Jackson-channeling “Standing Next to You” may very well be one of the year’s most addictive pop singles.
And even then, it is one of many no-skip songs on “Golden,” an album of pop bliss.
___
This story has been updated to correct that Jimin had a No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 as a soloist.