Jung Kook (Big Hit Music)
Big Hit Music
Throughout 2023, Jungkook has proved that he is not just another popular member of BTS, but a breakout star in his own right. He has already released a pair of singles on his own this year, and both of them have broken into the top 10 on the Hot 100, helping him make history in a number of ways. Now, he’s hoping to break another record and become the first South Korean solo musician to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Jung Kook’s solo album Golden is expected to drop on November 3. It is easily one of the most highly anticipated collections expected this year and might earn one of the biggest debuts in the last few months of 2023. But just how well can the title perform, and will it be able to make its way to No. 1 on Billboard’s all-encompassing ranking of the most consumed albums and EPs in the U.S.?
Somehow, no solo artist from South Korea has topped the Billboard 200—yet. Several have come frustratingly close, including three members of BTS in 2023 alone, but this record is still waiting to be claimed. and Jung Kook is hoping to be the one to take it.
Earlier this year, Suga’s D-Day peaked at No. 2, bringing the rapper and singer back to the Billboard 200 on his own—and to a new high. A few weeks later, Jimin’s EP, Face, also stalled in the runner-up rung on the Billboard 200. In mid-September, fellow BTS member V also saw his short collection, Layover, stop just one rung shy of running the show. In December 2022, BTS singer RM saw his collection, Indigo, rise as high as No. 3 a few weeks after it was released.
Jung Kook stands out from those fellow BTS singers because of the massive success he’s enjoyed with his solo singles. After hitting the Hot 100 twice in 2022 under his own name, he stepped things up and rose even higher in 2023. His solo single “Seven,” a collaboration with rapper Latto, debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, making him only the second K-pop soloist to rule the ranking, coming in behind his BTS friend, Jimin.
A few months later, he returned to the upper reaches of the Hot 100 with the second official single from Golden, titled 3D. That cut, a duet with rapper Jack Harlow, opened at No. 5 on the tally.
While all seven members of BTS are incredibly popular on their own, Jung Kook has made clear that he can dominate the Billboard charts like no one else in his band. With a pair of major Hot 100 hits already featured on its track list, including the biggest solo hit yet from any of the BTS singers, Golden is certainly on its way to a lofty debut on the Billboard 200. The only thing potentially standing in his way of making history at this moment is competition.
On November 3, there are several high-profile albums set to release. In addition to Jung Kook’s first offering on his own, Jason Aldean will drop Highway Desperado, which features his first No. 1 single, “Try That in a Small Town.” On the same day, Jimmy Buffett’s first posthumous album, Equal Strain on All Parts, is also scheduled to arrive.
Whether Jung Kook can become the first solo star from South Korea to own the Billboard 200 with an album is yet to be seen, but he does stand a very good chance of doing so. Golden has already produced two major hits, and based on the sales performance of the solo projects from other BTS members, it seems like the title is destined to sell well. The world will simply have to sit back and wait and see just how well the project performs in its first week, and if it can beat the competition.
