On Nov. 3, Korean pop singer Jung-kook released his first solo album “Golden.” According to Music Business Worldwide, over two million copies were sold that day, breaking the first-day K-pop album sales record.
The K-pop idol was a part of BTS, a K-pop and hip-hop band known for their global reach. Since their debut 10 years ago, the band has released 155 songs on nine chart-topping studio albums. However, in 2022, the members chose to take time off to pursue solo projects.
During BTS’s downtime, Jung-kook has solidified his superstar status, becoming the first Korean singer to perform the official FIFA World Cup anthem. He was also featured in American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth’s song “Left and Right,” obtaining a billion combined views and streams on YouTube and Spotify. Jung-kook’s recent releases “Seven” and “3D,” lead singles to “Golden,” infested the radio and hit number one on multiple charts.
Throughout the album, Jung-kook explores the darker, unacknowledged parts of relationships. The metaphorical representation of the songs resembling stages of relationships is a masterful design. However, I feel rather disappointed that he only explored the theme of relationships. While he did go into the deeper feelings and unexplored tropes of intimacy, it’s still the rescripted trope of romance presented in a lot of pop culture, and this lack of originality is truly what lets me down.
When they were with BTS, Jung-kook and the other members explored lesser mentioned young-adult issues such as self-love, perseverance and strength. However, Jung-kook’s album took on a textbook industry theme. With the album cover, music videos and songs like “3D” and “Seven” focusing on his sensual appeal, it devalues the already basic message of the album and instead comes off as a thirst trap for his listeners.
Similar to the generic theme, the instrumentals of Jung-kook’s songs were good yet forgettable. Nonetheless, I do believe he had a few hidden instrumental gems within his album. “Standing Next to You” was an amazing change of style from the overall pop approach. The funk influence shook the album in the perfect way, solidifying it as my favorite of the album.
Another gem is the song “Somebody”: with its clever steady beat, I couldn’t help but find myself enjoying the song. These tracks had great instrumentals that added a necessary dash of personality to the album. However, I found the majority of the beats and instrumentals to be rather lackluster. While none were inherently bad, they had nothing special to them either.
Even though the theme and instrumentals were forgettable, “Golden” showcased moments of lyrical genius. One of my favorite verses of the album was from the song “Hate You,” stating, “I wish you went behind my back / And told me lies and stuff like that / I wish you kissed someone I know / And did the unforgivable / Hating you’s the only way it doesn’t hurt.”
Jung-kook’s exploration of hating someone to cope with breakups is phenomenal and adds thematic depth to the song. However, the poor verse structure and lack of variation hammer repetitive words onto the audience that overshadow the hard-hitting lines. I believe songs that display true lyrical depth have verses that cleverly build a story in succession. While “Golden” does build a story through its songs, it only displays a low-definition picture while others gracefully paint a masterpiece.
I can’t help but feel disappointed to know that Jung-kook didn’t write or co-write any of the songs. While this is a common occurrence in K-pop, for a solo album I believe there is some obligation to deliver at least one or two solo or co-written songs. Regardless, I think where “Golden” fell short was the sheer lack of lyrics: the choruses were typically deep and meaningful, but the subsequent short bridge and repetition left me unsatisfied.
Despite my criticism, I do not believe this is a bad album, it’s simply dull due to the lack of refinement. The absence of lyrical development and generic beats are truly what holds it back. However, considering this is Jung-kook’s first solo album, I believe he has a lot of untapped potential left to be explored. Yet he should tread this path carefully, because if he continues down the road of basic beats and mediocre lyrics there will be nothing separating him from the rest of the pretty boys who regurgitate ordinary music and call it a career. Overall, this album gets three out of five stars for its average beats and mediocre lyrics.
