‘Golden’ Review: BTS’s Jungkook Enters Pop Princedom With His Solo Debut

BTS’s Jungkook has finally made his solo debut, releasing the highly anticipated album “Golden” on Nov. 3. Preceded by singles “Seven,” “3D” and “Standing Next to You,” “Golden” is a perfectly satisfactory pop album that — while not particularly innovative — provides a strong start to Jungkook’s solo career through a string of radio-friendly hits with the potential for global appeal.

Jungkook is the seventh and final member of the juggernaut K-pop boy group BTS to make his official solo debut — a long-awaited project that has become all the more necessary now that three BTS members have begun their mandatory military service, making a full group comeback unlikely until 2025.

Diverging from the releases of his BTS bandmates, “Golden” is an entirely English-language album that includes features from Western artists Jack Harlow, Major Lazer, Latto, and DJ Snake. It’s a clear attempt to appeal to the Western market, perhaps hoping to follow in the footsteps of BTS’s English-language singles “Dynamite” and “Butter,” both of which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 100 and achieved massive global success.

The album’s opener and second single “3D,” which features two rap verses from Jack Harlow, is a minimalist pop R&B track that describes the frustration of one-sided attraction toward an unattainable person. Jungkook’s combination of smooth falsetto and breathy vocals skillfully gives the song a mature sound that sets the tone for the rest of the album.

“Standing Next to You,” the album’s third single and title track, is the clear standout. The groovy, ’80’s-style disco-pop track about being able to survive anything alongside a lover demonstrates the full range of Jungkook’s soaring vocals. The melody is backed up by an explosive brass instrumental that fills out the song before fading into a funky outro. “Standing Next to You” is the epitome of what a retro pop hit should be, and one that’s sure to have mainstream staying power.

The singles on “Golden” are accompanied by B-sides that are all solid pop songs on their own, but tend to fade into sameness when strung together back to back. Many of the album tracks seem engineered in a lab to be perfectly suited for radio play, drawing from the signature sounds of pop stars such as Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber, and Ed Sheeran to craft songs like “Yes or No” and “Somebody.” Even the piano ballad “Hate You,” despite being an emotional song about a breakup, doesn’t build to the devastating heights that it could, instead maintaining a quiet, vaguely sad melody throughout. The songs aren’t memorable, but they’re inoffensive and pleasant to listen to, and there’s certainly a market for them.

An exception to the album’s lack of risk-taking is “Closer to You,” a collaboration with EDM DJ trio Major Lazer. The song — a seductive track that once again makes Jungkook’s breathy vocals center stage — displays unique production choices that capture listeners’ attention and keep it for the song’s entire duration.

“Seven,” which was first released as a single in July, is a UK garage pop track that features American rapper Latto and describes being with a lover seven days a week. Its singsong chorus of “Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday” might be goofy, but it comes with an earnestness that gives the song an earworm quality and endearing charm. It’s a welcome moment of individuality in an album that otherwise suffers from relatively generic lyrical content. For example, “Please Don’t Change” features a repetitive and uninspired hook of “’Cause I love you, yeah, I love you / Oh, I love you, love the way you are.”

As is common on K-pop albums, Jungkook has no writing credits on “Golden,” with his label HYBE instead employing a team of songwriters to put together the album’s 11 tracks — a whopping nine songwriters are credited on “Closer to You.” The group-project feel may have contributed to why its lyrics fall flat. When Jungkook sings “I just wait by the telephone / You ain't coming back and I should’ve known / And that's why I’m too sad to dance” in “Too Sad to Dance,” it doesn’t feel entirely genuine — especially considering the stigma K-pop idols face around dating, which means that Jungkook’s love songs clash with his carefully protected “eternally single” public image.

The album closer, “Shot Glass of Tears,” provides a strong ending to “Golden.” A slow song about the uncertainty of loving again after a breakup, “Shot Glass of Tears” has a nostalgic sound supported by vocal layering and production that builds throughout the song. In this final ballad, the emotion in Jungkook’s voice fully comes through, letting the listener feel the heartache with him as he sings, “Got a shot glass full of tears / Drink, drink, drink, say, ‘Cheers.’”

While not a bombshell debut, “Golden” is catchy pop pleasantry with a few exceptional tracks. It’s a solid launch to Jungkook’s solo career during BTS’s hiatus, securely establishing him as a successful artist in his own right.

—Staff writer Samantha H. Chung can be reached at samantha.chung@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @samhchung.