Golden (Jung Kook album)

In July 2023, Jung Kook spoke to Variety about his first solo album, saying at the time that he was working on it but that it was too early to "mention anything specific". That same month, he released the single "Seven" featuring American rapper Latto, which debuted atop the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top 10 in numerous other countries. Jung Kook released another single, "3D" featuring American rapper Jack Harlow, on September 29. Big Hit Music announced the 11-track album on October 3, including the previously released songs "Seven" and "3D". Golden takes its theme from the "golden moments" of Jung Kook as a solo artist. A press release further dubbed him the "Golden Maknae", referring to his status as the youngest member of BTS with a "unique timbre that will captivate listeners worldwide". In promotion of the album, Jung Kook is set to deliver "special stage performances and making various appearances alongside the release". The tracklist was revealed on October 15, including the third single released alongside the album, "Standing Next to You". On September 13, 2024, the album track "Yes or No" was sent to Italian radio as the album's fourth single. Live performances Jung Kook made a surprise concert at Times Square in New York City on November 9 and performed five tracks from the album: "Standing Next to You", "Yes or No", "3D", "Please Don't Change", and "Seven". Documentary A film documentary titled I Am Still, chronicling an eight-month period of Jung Kook's foray as a solo artist, beginning around the time of "Seven" and culminating with Golden, was announced on August 14, 2024. The singer previously teased the project in July. Distributed by Trafalgar Releasing, the film was released to theatres in 120 territories worldwide on September 18. ==Critical reception==

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 to ratings from publications, the album received a weighted mean score of 75 based on six reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". while for David Smyth of Evening Standard, the album "ticked a lot of boxes for pop lovers" and "what elevates it is his fluid, expressive voice, which consistently raises chart-friendly material to a higher plane". For Ed Power of I, "Seven" and "3D" at the beginning of the album give the impression that "Jung Kook's solo career will be big on recycled ideas and NSFW lyrics", but "happily, that impression proves misleading. Golden traces the arc of a romance from infatuation to heartache. As the mood darkens, the tunes improve". Accolades Golden won Album Bonsang at the 38th Golden Disc Awards and Artist of the Year – Album at the 13th Circle Chart Music Awards. ==Commercial performance==

Golden entered music charts in 25 countries and topped the South Korean, Belgian, French, Lithuanian, and Japanese album charts. It reached the top-10 in 14 countries including Australia, France, and Germany, and debuted at number three in the United Kingdom, becoming the highest-charting album by a Korean solo artist. In the United States, it debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 210,200 equivalent album units. This figure comprised 164,800 pure sales (128,500 CDs and 36,300 digital downloads), making it the top-selling album of the week; 29,800 SEA units (equaling 41.59 million on-demand official streams of its 10 songs); and 15,600 track equivalent (TEA) units. As of November 2023, it has sold over 2.4 million copies worldwide. Golden sold 244,000 copies in the United States during 2023 and ranked as the 10th bestselling CD album of the year according to Billboard. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)'s Global Music Report for 2023, Golden was the fourteenth most-consumed album across all formats, and the seventh best-selling album worldwide, having sold 2.7 million units in less than two months. ==Track listing==

Weekly charts Monthly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications and sales==