Jungkook – Golden
There is no doubt that Jungkook’s Golden is something different from what we have been enjoying from his work with BTS. Debuting as a solo artist, no matter where a person comes from or how famous the band they belong is, presents a unique opportunity for an artist to explore beyond what they’ve been doing so far. Jungkook saw his opportunity and took it.
Each song has a distinct beat to it that makes you dance to the tune and sing along even if you don’t pay attention to the lyrics. The album is easy to listen to, either if you just want to listen to something while you are working or if you really want to sit through it and pay attention to what each song is about; the songs are actually pretty distinguishable from each other and the lyrics are not too complex but they carry the storyline of the album through.
I wouldn’t dare categorize this album as a “concept album” since it’s clearly not; although Jungkook‘s reasoning for naming it Golden came from “the golden moments he has lived as a solo artist”, the storyline of the album can very well be the telling of a lovestory from beginning to end.
Track by track
Take “3D” and “Seven”, for example. These songs with spicy lyrics bring forth that playful part of a relationship: the good times and the very good times, if you catch my meaning! The music is cheery and playful and they have a vibe to them that it doesn’t even matter that their lyrics are spicy, you sing along because they are genuinely good songs and something you’d like to have on repeat all day! Their sound is fresh and the lyrics are sticky, allowing for JK‘s voice to shine throughout.
Latto and Jack Harlow’s styles can be clearly heard during the song and their input in their respective song makes them stand out from the album, they happend to be a good hook for listeners; no wonder why they were chosen to be released before the album.
Now, my personal favorite and the main song of the album: “Standing next to you”. From second 1 of the song it immediately took me back in time to the 70’s: explosive drums, dominant bass, background high tunes of a trumpet and, just for a few seconds, Jungkook‘s voice reminded me of Michael Jackson’s soft tenor voice. From start to end, the song takes you on a musical journey of years past and nostalgia that is lightened up by Jungkook’s rithm, perfectly executed falsettos and rapid fire melismas. All in all, this song is a prime example of what Jungkook is capable of doing with his vocals, making it sound effortless when in reality it takes years of practice to reach his level of control.
“Yes or no” is probably the song where the style is more identifyable (yes, it has Ed Sheeran’s name written all over it), but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. On the contrary, Sheeran has written songs for big names like Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Thirty Seconds to Mars and BTS themselves (remember Permission to dance? Great song, huh?).
“Yes or no” is a ballad that brings forth percussions and guitar Sheeran-style, but JK‘s got a way to pour himself into the song and is probably the track where we can hear him sing in his more neutral register. As I previously said, going solo is an opportunity for artists to experiment with things they previously hadn’t; Jungkook‘s voice is easily identifiable in his high register, but this song provides us with a breath of fresh air and opens the door for JK‘s vocal experimentation and for us fans to see what comes next.
“Closer to you” provides us with a more synthetic sound that is very relaxed and enjoyable for someone who isn’t really into electrohouse. JK uses this as an advantage, touching here and there into his lower register and soft, breathy voice mixed with high notes. All in all, the song is of the kind that you wouldn’t mind adding to your playlist for a casual listening afternoon after work, despite the lyrics, cause the beat and JK‘s soothing voice carry it through.
“Please don’t change” and “Somebody” follow the same pattern, synthetic sounds that provide the songs with distinctive beats perfect for partying, even though “Somebody” has somewhat sad lyrics.
“Please don’t change” and “Closer to you” have cheerful melodies both in the beats and the notes Jungkook sings. In contrast, “Somebody”‘s sad lyrics are reflected in the beat and melody of the song, allowing for JK to tap into his deeper register at the begining of the song and escalating to his neutral and high registers throughout it, going back to his deeper register during the pre-chorus.
Going back to the ballads, “Hate you” is probably one of the best break-up / post break-up songs I’ve heard in recent years. The lyrics express such a sadness and remorse that Jungkook absolutely brought to life with his voice; he’s not singing the song, he is feeling it, and he needs nothing more than a piano and his voice to carry that sadness all the way to the listener and make you feel the heartbreak. Simply a jewel.
“Too sad to dance” is another song where the lyrics clearly express heartbreak, however, the casual, cheery tune of the song makes it easy to digest.
Finally, “Shot glass of tears”, like “Hate you”, need nothing more than a piano and JK‘s voice to convey the sadness of a man that has had his heart broken. In my personal opinion, the song brings forth feelings of nostalgia more than sadness, due to the simplicity and beauty of the melody.
Final thoughts
Golden, as its name forewarned, is a golden musical repertoire that is unique in its kind. Lovesongs come and go, but what is true is that it’s not so easy to assemble different songs with different sunds into an album and make it work: attracting people from all ages, people with different tastes in music genres, etc. Golden has reached the top 5 in international charts and successfully kept it there for two weeks straight and counting, setting a new record for a Korean solo artist. This success will definitely be hard to beat in the K-pop category.
In my personal opinion, Jungkook has done with this record what no other K-pop artist (aside from his bandmates) has done, and that is positioning himself in the western music industry with a presence that will definitely last. There is no doubt that if Jungkook continues this solo adventure, he will grow to become one of the strongest representatives of K-pop and pop within the western culture… who knows? Maybe, after all, we are witnessing the birth of one of the biggest pop stars of all time. Will Golden be Jungkook‘s ticket for a place amongst Pop royalty? Only time (and his talent) will tell.
MV
Check out Jungkook’s latest music video here: