At 26, Jeon Jungkook has already been declared a bonafide global superstar. But the K-pop sensation will always trace his roots back to the cultural phenomenon that started it all: BTS. When the celebrated boy band comprising Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook announced a hiatus last June, it seemed only fitting. The individual members had long become bigger than the group and it was time to take their solo careers to the next level.
For Jungkook, it’s been a series of milestones ever since. For starters, the youngest BTS member, fondly nicknamed the “golden maknae” of the group, became the first South Korean artist to release and perform an official song for the FIFA World Cup. His collaboration with Latto on Seven, his first solo single, debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. This was followed closely by 3D, a funky charts-busting number with American rapper Jack Harlow, which got an exciting remix feat Justin Timberlake just a few hours ago.
The K-pop idol recently released Golden, a highly-anticipated solo album featuring top artists like Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes, Jack Harlow, Latto, Major Lazer, and DJ Snake. If you’re still a K-pop novice and wondering where to begin, we recommend these six glorious songs by Jungkook that will have you embracing the genre in no time.
- 3D (2023) – Everything about 3D, the Jungkook x Jack Harlow production with over 247 million streams on Spotify, screams preppy. In musical terminology, however, we’d have to narrow it down to pop, R&B, and rap. With the single featuring as a song in Golden and now, with an edgy Justin Timberlake remix, it wouldn’t be a stretch to call 3D one of the top five songs of 2023.
- Seven (2023) – From Armaan Malik, who listed it as his favourite K-pop song at the 2023 GQ Best Dressed event to Charlie Puth sharing it on the regular on his Instagram story, Seven can be declared a certified earworm. A more PG-rated version of the relatively explicit song by Jungkook and American rapper Latto has been released in Golden.
- Euphoria (2018) – While this a BTS conjunction, it’s Jungkook’s dulcet vocals that give the song its juice. With its distinctive piano leads and guitar riffs, Euphoria — a song about new beginnings and the onset of love — was called a “big statement piece” by Billboard and clocked in over 538 million Spotify streams.
- Left and Right (2022) – American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth’s buttery voice blends perfectly with Jungkook’s clear, dexterous voice in Left and Right, one of pop music’s greatest collaborations of recent times with a staggering 827 million streams on Spotify.
- Too Much (2023) – The combination of Jungkook, Australian rapper Kid Laroi, and British hip-hop star Central Cee presented a dynamic track about second chances. A seamless production ensued, which became one of the most-viewed videos on YouTube in a span of a single day.
- Stay Alive (2022) – Produced by fellow BTS member Suga, Jungkook’s Stay Alive is a soulful track about survival and resilience in a world that’s often out to get you. But more microscopically, it’s a song about how the septet will always have each other’s back through all the highs and lows.
