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Jungkook of BTS. (courtesy of BigHit Music)

“This album is based on the motif of a golden moment. If you think about it, from the time when I was called the golden youngest of BTS to my first solo under my own name, I think it was really the countless journeys, countless hours, and countless experiences that made me who I am. And so I wanted to make sure that this album was the best representation of who I am today. So the album is called ‘Golden’ for the same reason.”

BTS member Jungkook articulated such sentiments through his agency BigHit Music as he released his first solo album, “Golden.” The album was released worldwide on Friday, 1 pm (local time).

BigHit Music said that “Golden” illustrates Jungkook’s growth from his debut as the “golden maknae” — or “youngest” — of BTS to his emergence as a global solo pop sensation. Jungkook participated in the entire album production process by personally selecting all of the songs that span various genres to express his expanded musical world.

The album includes 11 songs, including the title track, “Standing Next to You” and the singles “Seven,” and “3D” which were released first and became global hits, as well as “Closer to You,” and “Yes or No.”

The cover of Jungkook’s first solo album “Golden.” (courtesy of BigHit Music)

Speaking about “Standing Next to You,” Jungkook said, “It’s a retro-punk song, and as the title suggests, the message is ‘I will always be with you no matter what.’ With this song, we’re going to be able to give you a performance that’s going to be, in many ways, epic.”

Aside from the title track, Jungkook said that the song that he’s most attached to is “Hate You.” “It’s a song that fits the season very well, so I think a lot of people are going to like it,” he said.

As much as Jungkook has established himself as a global pop sensation, his collaborators are just as impressive. International pop stars Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes, hip-hop group Major Lazer, and producers BloodPop and David Stewart contributed to the production, while Latto, Jack Harlow, Major Lazer, and DJ Snake participated as featured artists.

All 11 songs are in English. “This album was prepared for the overseas music market, so we chose all English songs,” Jungkook explains. “I had a lot of pronunciation problems while recording. Despite the difficulties, I’m very happy that all the songs turned out well in the end. I want to present you with a Korean song as soon as I have the opportunity, so please look forward to it.”

The singer said that preparing his solo album gave him a chance to reflect on himself.

“I think I felt a lot while recording and working on the new me,” he said. “But on the other hand, that newfound knowledge is not the only good thing. ‘I’m not good enough at this, I’m not good enough at that,’ and so on. I think I had one of those moments where I had a second thought about myself.”

Jungkook of BTS. (courtesy of BigHit Music)

Released ahead of the album, Jungkook’s single “Seven” hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100, while “3D” made it all the way to No. 5 on the chart.

What’s next for Jungkook? “I want to keep challenging myself to continuously take on a lot of performances and genres — to recognize myself and keep my eyes on my path as I run down it until I feel satisfied,” he shared. “I also want to become the caliber of singer or artist that can fill a whole three-hour concert by myself. I told Army ‘Let’s go higher,’ and I want to do that together.”

The youngest member of BTS will be headed to the US to promote his album with appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and the “Citi Concert Series” on NBC’s “Today Show.”

By Suh Jung-min, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]