Jungkook is the youngest member of the mega-group BTS and the last to debut as a solo artist. With eleven songs, his debut album, Golden, runs at just under 32 minutes. The album features two pre-release singles, the record-breaking “Seven” (feat. Latto) and “3D” (feat. Jack Harlow) which sees the return of David Stewart (part of the team who penned BTS’s “Dynamite”) and the single, “Standing Next to You”, released at the same time as the album. Releasing an all-English album was a deliberate decision on behalf of Jungkook, who has long expressed a desire not to be limited by linguistic boundaries. And despite having written his own songs in the past, the multi-talented star also decided not to be restricted by the known, instead eagerly seeking out the unknown. As a result, Golden is an album full of moments in which the artist tries on a variety of different guises, chameleon-like shifting seamlessly from electro-pop to ballads and funk. It is an ambitious affair that demonstrates Jungkook’s versatility alongside his star quality.

The album title is a direct reference to Jungkook’s status as the ‘golden maknae’ in BTS, who despite being the youngest, is one of K-pop’s best vocalists and dancers, as well as showing an aptitude for filmmaking with his ‘Golden Closet’ shorts. At the time of writing, Golden is the first album by a K-pop soloist to sell over two million copies on Hanteo (one of Korea’s domestic charts) and looks likely to chart well in album charts across the world. 

Despite the variety of genres, the most identifiable influence on Jungkook is that of Michael Jackson, as demonstrated through the use of vocal hiccups and in the intricate choreography of the lead single, “Standing Close to You”. The impact that Michael Jackson had on global music, and in particular, pop, cannot be overstated. In the aftermath of his untimely death, Japanese fans took part in an impromptu memorial and flash-mob in Yoyogi Park, Tokyo, on 27^th June. He was one of the first artists to truly transcend boundaries, inspiring generations of people with his unique talent, and remains a meta-signifier of continuity between African-American and Asian-American communities despite the occasional flare-up of tensions between the two. The narrative of self-determination as put forward by the Black Power Movement in the 1960s, united two marginalised groups, giving rise to the Asian American Movement and the fight for civil rights. It is no surprise given this that Bruce Lee and his trademark kung-fu moves would find a symbiotic home amongst black audiences in the 1970s, as a narrative where people of colour were heroes rather than villains, displacing the typical white hero and their seemingly unalienable position at the centre of the film narrative. In South Korea, as in Japan, Michael Jackson remains the king of pop as shown by the fact that on the seventh anniversary of his death, he was remembered through an art exhibition, titled “Homage to Michael Jackson 2016-Dancing the Dream” at Gallery Fifty Fifty in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam, Seoul (24 June – 5 July) with a flash mob and candlelight memorial organised by fans (“Remembering Michael 2016 – I’ll Be There”) for its opening on Saturday. 

Whether anyone can take Jackson’s crown is doubtful, as his legacy is as much imbued by his death as it was by his life, but on Golden, Jungkook steps up like the young pretender that he is, showing the type of vocal virtuosity that Jackson is remembered for, as well as enacting Jackson’s signature moves with precision and aplomb. The album is a dance of two halves, with desire and passion structuring the first six songs from “3D” (feat. Jack Harlow) through to “Please Don’t Change”. It is a dance of longing for intimacy, for the recognition of one’s selfhood in the gaze of the other as in “Closer to You (feat. Major Lazer) when Jungkook sings: “Feelin’ like I’m floatin’ / Something’s in the air tonight / We’re speaking’ with emotions / Won’t look away / Love me at my lowest”. 

The dance shifts to a slow one, both melodic and melancholic in the second half of the album, with “Hate You” written by Shawn Mendes, being a particular highlight. The song shows Jungkook at his best, through his ability to sing with emotion, veering into melodrama shot through with pain: “We weren’t perfect but we came close / until I put all of our pain under the microscope / And I still can’t face it / I’m still in love, for what it’s worth”. While this is possibly written about Mendes’ well-documented love affair and break-up with Camila Cabello, Jungkook makes the song his own, convincing the listener that he has lived through a painful break-up, and that the tears that have been shed are indeed, his. Arguably while Jungkook can turn his talents to any genre, switching it up stylistically and vocally, as seen here, it is the slower songs which stay with the listener, well after the last note has faded away. The final song on the album is the clean version of “Seven”, creating a circular movement from beginning to end, through repetition and difference, wherein the complex dance of love, either known or yet to be known, begins again, despite the fact that the ending potentially may well be the same.

On Golden, Jungkook shines as brightly as the title of the album, emerging as a global pop star to be reckoned with. And while an artist is not defined by their ability to write songs, but rather their ability to make songs their own, it will be interesting to see the type of music that Jungkook makes in the future. Will he continue down this path of gathering together the best producers, lyricists and writers, and curating an album from their words, and refrains, or will he carve out his own identity through his own words and life experiences.  While the future is yet to be written, there can be no doubt that in the present with Golden, Jungkook announces his arrival on the global pop scene with flair and panache. 

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Written by Dr Colette Balmain

_{View of the Arts is an online publication that chiefly deals with films, music, and art, with an emphasis on the Asian entertainment industry. We are hoping our audience will grow with us as we begin to explore new platforms such as K-pop / K-music, and Asian music in general, and continue to dive into the talented and ever-growing scene of film, music, and arts, worldwide.}