BTS Jungkook Fulfills Dream as a Pop Star with Chart-topping English Single in the U.S.
Jungkook, a member of the global sensation BTS, has scored a number one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, taking a step further from his role as the 'golden youngest' in the team and realizing his dream of becoming a pop star.
According to music industry sources on the 25th, "Seven", the song that earned the top spot, is about wanting to spend every day of the week with a loved one. The song shines with Jungkook's velvety voice and witty lyrics.
The tune is both easy on the ears and comforting, and coupled with Jungkook's interpretation, it has brought a refreshing sensation to the fans during the particularly hot summer.
Pop music critic Im Jin-mo stated, "'Seven' slightly deviates from the typical K-pop style, leaning more towards pop electronic dance music. It's incredibly comfortable to listen to, yet does not lose its power and energy."
He also pointed out, "The track is closer to American pop, with great vocals by Jungkook, and the energy of the song was enhanced thanks to the featuring by Latto."
Kim Young-dae, another pop music critic, described it as a "refreshing and sophisticated summer pop that fits well with Jungkook's trendy voice color." He pointed out that it aligns well with the current trends in the American market. "The strategy of combining the Latin base of pop sound with Jungkook's voice that fits well with the American market has hit the mark," he said.
By choosing to debut his solo with an English song instead of Korean, Jungkook has successfully reached not only the BTS fandom, known as the 'ARMY', but also global music fans.
His success continued when he became the first K-pop solo artist to top the 'Daily Top Song Global' chart on Spotify, the world's largest streaming platform, for 10 consecutive days. It is difficult to achieve high rankings on the streaming chart without strong public support.
Furthermore, Jungkook's achievement of topping the 'Hot 100' is gaining even more attention given the changes Billboard made last year, reducing the number of times a download is recognized per week to once, and excluding downloads from its official website from the counting this month, thereby raising the 'threshold' for the chart.
Pop music critic Jeong Min-jae said, "The streaming numbers and music video views are showing impressive results." He noted, "The buzz is enormous, completely unleashing Jungkook's potential as a pop star."
In addition to this, Jungkook underwent an image transformation, challenging a more daring set of lyrics with the 'Explicit Version' of the new song. He has not hidden his ambition for change in many interviews and live broadcasts so far.
On July 22, during a 'Weverse Live', he said, "I contemplated a lot about which version (clean or explicit) to release, but decided that releasing both was an option." He added, "I won't be recognized unless I show a new side of myself."
His release of various remix versions like the 'Island Mix', 'Festival Mix', 'Lo-fi Mix', and more, has also effectively met the diverse musical demands of the fans.
Jungkook's appearances on western media outlets such as the '2023 Summer Concert Series' on American ABC TV's 'Good Morning America (GMA)', UK's popular TV talk show 'The One Show', and the music program 'Live Lounge' on BBC Radio 1, where he primarily performed live, have also drawn rave reviews from local music fans.
Critic Jeong Min-jae commented, "Gaining as much popularity as a group while performing solo is extremely difficult, but Jungkook succeeded with his perfect pop music." He added, "It seems like this team (BTS) has prepared very well for the solo."
On July 22, during a 'Weverse Live', Jungkook stated, "This ('Seven') promotion was really fun. Although it was short, it was an enjoyable promotion." He shared his gratitude, saying, "I feel that I should be thankful and appreciate every moment. Today, I felt a lot of gratitude towards ARMY." He reflected the success of his promotion back to the fans.
- BTS Jungkook Breaks Records with 'Seven': Fastest to 100 Million Streams on Spotify, Surpassing Miley Cyrus
- BTS Jungkook to Critics of His Drinking Broadcast: 'Speak Freely, I Want Authenticity' - Reveals Struggle with 'Youngest' Image in Debut Solo 'Seven'
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