Jung Kook is opening up about his debut solo album, Golden.
The 26-year-old K-pop star spoke with British GQ about what is was like recording without the members of BTS by his side, the mature themes in his music, which new song ARMY members will like the best, and much more.
During the interview, Jung Kook touched on the positives and negatives of recording without the creative input of his fellow BTS members.
“While working on the album by myself, and performing on stage alone, [I noticed] things about myself that I was unaware of — the good points and the areas I’m lacking in,” Jung Kook told British GQ. “In terms of music, I found myself realizing, ‘Oh I can do these kinds of things as well, huh?’ or ‘Ah, this is something I can work on.’ I found myself missing the members [of BTS] quite a bit.”
Golden, which dropped Friday (Nov. 3), features Jung Kook’s Billboard Hot 100 chart No. 1 hit single with Latto, “Seven,” as well as his new song with Jack Harlow, “3D.”
Of all the songs on the 11-track set, the superstar believes that BTS fans, known as ARMY, will gravitate most to “Standing Next to You.”
“The song itself is great, and as soon as I heard the song, I could picture myself on stage performing [it],” Jung Kook said. “The recording process was not easy, so it’s particularly memorable, too. It was so tiring that I did feel my soul almost leaving my body, but the process in itself was extremely fun. I think this will also be the one song ARMY are most amazed by.”
The singer-dancer also discussed the mature themes of his new music, as heard in the Latto collab “Seven,” when he promises, “Night after night, I’ll be f—ing you right.”
“You make the song guided by your feelings [and] where your heart leads you,” he told British GQ. “By following my heart and my feelings, I think I have been able to mature.”
Golden follows a string of previous solo singles from the K-pop star, including “Euphoria,” “My Time,” “Still With You” and “My You,” as well as collab singles with Lauv (“Who”) and Charlie Puth on the latter’s 2022 single “Left and Right.”
Jung Kook is stepping out on his own amidst BTS’ pause to allow the boys to report for South Korea’s mandatory military service. Suga, Jin and J-Hope have already enlisted. Suga, who began fulfilling his duty on Sept. 22, told fans to hang tight for the group’s planned 2025 return.
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