Each decade has its pop king. The 2000s have been dominated by Justin Timberlake as he shimmied into the highlight solo, away from his *NSYNC bandmates. The 2010s belonged to Justin Bieber, the Canadian singer presenting a contemporary teen icon. Up to now, the 2020s have been missing one large male solo star that reigns over the pop world however, with ‘Golden’, BTS’ Jungkook proves he’s greater than as much as the duty.
Often known as the “golden maknae” (or golden youngest) of the world-conquering group, the 26-year-old singer has usually been spoken about as if he has the Midas contact it doesn’t matter what he tries his hand at. Whereas Jungkook’s artistic contributions to his debut solo album are restricted – he has no writing or manufacturing credit, however is described as having “curated” these songs to “replicate his artistry” – he embodies every tune’s feelings and magnificence with ease; a musical chameleon turning into every new sound.
‘Golden’ is a narrative of two halves. On the primary, upbeat and light-hearted, Jungkook shares vignettes about falling in love and standing robust in a relationship. Opener ‘3D’, that includes Jack Harlow, snared a lover over 2000s pop, whereas first single ‘Seven’ with Latto units both a romantic (within the clear model) or lust-filled (the “express” model) sentiment to UK storage beats. Lead single ‘Standing Subsequent To You’ takes issues extra retro, mining funk grooves and disco flashes as Jungkook guarantees: “They’ll’t deny our love / They’ll’t divide us / We’ll survive the take a look at of time.”
Some extra electronic-leaning collaborations provide up the possibility for the star to indicate off his versatility. ‘Nearer To You’ that includes Main Lazer’ slinks alongside a reggaeton rhythm and, for the primary verse no less than, Jungkook’s voice turns into an alluring whisper. “Feeling like I’m floating / One thing’s within the air tonight,” he hushes, inviting us right into a world speeding with effervescent euphoria. ‘Please Don’t Change’ that includes DJ Snake, in the meantime, finds him commanding the dancefloor as he asks a lover to stay the identical.
The album may do effectively at exhibiting Jungkook’s means to mould himself to quite a lot of sounds however, on each halves of the file, the most effective songs are those who really feel like basic pop king anthems. On the primary half, that’s ‘3D’ and ‘Sure Or No’, the latter written by and that includes Ed Sheeran on guitar. “Are you feeling the push?” the BTS singer asks earnestly within the brilliant, easy refrain. “In that case, then I feel I do know what’s happening / Are we falling in love? / Say sure or no, sure or no, sure or no.”
The second half of ‘Golden’ charts a lot heavier emotions – those who come after struggling heartbreak and making an attempt to make it via a break-up. Its timeless highlights come within the type of ‘Hate You’ – a piano ballad co-written by Shawn Mendes that finds its narrator forcing himself to hate an ex to make issues simpler – and ‘Too Unhappy To Dance’. Though the latter typically veers into cliched lyricism, its clear melodies and Jungkook’s portrayal of somebody hopelessly heartbroken are robust sufficient to put it aside.
For probably the most half, ‘Golden’ works and achieves precisely what its mission seemingly is – seize Jungkook’s multifaceted artistry, charismatic vocals and irresistible pop attraction in 10 simply palatable songs primed for industrial success. There are moments that flounder, like ‘Any person’, which places the singer’s voice via a robotic processor that removes its attraction – a welcome experiment, however one which doesn’t fairly land.
Largely, although, the file performs it extremely protected and, though Jungkook curated the tracklist, it doesn’t really feel like an album he and he alone may have launched. Would one other contender pull off the songs in addition to him? Maybe not, however there’s nonetheless a hollowness at its core. Regardless, that gained’t cease Jungkook’s star from ascending even additional into new stratospheres. The 2020s have discovered their pop king and ‘Golden’ greater than secures him the throne.
Particulars
- Launch date: November 3, 2023
- File label: Large Hit Music / HYBE
