"I will always be the youngest, the maknae." : BTS' Jungkook dishes on being called the 'Golden Maknae' in Apple Music interview

BTS' Jungkook expressed his pride and gratitude for being nicknamed the 'golden maknae' by his bandmates and now ARMYs in a new Apple Music interview. On November 9, Apple Music released an exclusive interview with BTS' youngest member conducted by New-Zealand based radio personality Zane Lowe.

Zane Lowe flew to Seoul to speak with BTS' Jungkook about his debut solo album GOLDEN, Ten Years of BTS, reunion plans, ARMYs, and more. His album GOLDEN sparked a much-needed conversation on the 26-year-old BTS member's famous nickname 'Golden Maknae', which also served as an inspiration to name the album.

Zane Lowe asked the 26-year-old BTS member his honest thoughts on being called the 'Golden Maknae', and then came his response from the other end:

""Even in 20 or 30 years, I will always be the youngest, the 'maknae'. that will never change. And I don't really dislike being called 'maknae'. People have described me as the 'golden maknae' and while I was working, I was able to see myself grow."

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BTS' Jungkook's fans declare he is "forever" their Golden Maknae via euphoric fan reactions

Zane Lowe began by praising BTS' Jungkook's debut solo album GOLDEN and how much he loved all the tracks. Lowe also acknowledged that the significance of the album's name was preserved on everyone as veteran ARMYs know that BTS' leader RM was the first to coin the word 'Golden Maknae' for the Euphoria singer.

For those unversed, A decade back, BTS' leader RM was the one who gave BTS' Jungkook his nickname 'Golden Maknae.' The duo was hosting a live when RM praised the maknae's talent in singing, dancing, rapping, and overall performance.

Over the years, the nickname became synonymous with the Dreamers singer's global pop-star image as a multi-talented and versatile artist. According to the 26-year-old BTS member, this given nickname inspired his debut solo album's name, GOLDEN.

Zane Lowe was curious to know now that BTS' Jungkook has released GOLDEN, does he feel the pressure of living up to his famous nickname, or has he outgrown being the 'Golden Maknae'?

The SEVEN singer shared that he will always be Bangtan's maknae and, in turn, the 'Golden Maknae' which won't change even after 20 or 30 years. He also clarified that he doesn't dislike the nickname. (the quote for this has been shared in H1). ARMYs have taken to X to share euphoric reactions by calling him their "forever" 'Golden Maknae.'

In fact, on his special appearance on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' on November 7, before his Apple Music interview, BTS' Jungkook revealed another intriguing detail related to the word Golden.

The 3D singer shared that she had a 'golden dream' when his mother was pregnant with him. Although, he didn't explain the 'golden dream' or what it means exactly. However, BTS' Jungkook confirmed that this was also one of the reasons why he named his debut album GOLDEN.

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BTS' Jungkook's GOLDEN achieves new record with U.S. sales

BTS' Jungkook has made a smashing debut on Billboard 200 at the second rank with 210,200 units of GOLDEN sold. It is the biggest debut ever for a Korean soloist.

According to Luminate, formerly known as Nielsen Music, a system used to calculate U.S. album sales based on traditional album sales and streaming numbers, GOLDEN achieved 210,200 equivalent album units during the week ending on November 9. With this, the Standing Next To You singer has performed the most significant week ever recorded by any Korean soloist.

It can be restricted to 164,800 traditional album sales and 29,800 streaming equivalent album or SEA units. Notably, 41.59 million on-demand audio streams were demanded by ARMYs for the week, making GOLDEN a top-selling album in the U.S.

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In other news, the 'Golden Maknae' has returned to Korea and will commence with the Korean leg of promotions for GOLDEN soon.