What made BTS Jungkook's solo album GOLDEN so successful in the US market? Reasons explored

BTS Jungkook's solo debut album GOLDEN was released on November 3, 2023. The album's title track Standing Next to You peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 main music list on November 14, 2023, according to The Korea Times.

The track also came in at the top spot in the categories of Global 200 and Global (Excl. US) on the same day. This was recorded by determining the rankings by combining sales and streaming data from more than 200 nations and regions worldwide. It is worth noting that the singer charted ten of his album tracks on the Billboard Global 200 as of November 14, 2023.

It is impossible to dismiss GOLDEN's success due to its pop music department store-esque layout. With eleven tracks that comprise of UK garage, Afropop, acoustic pop, and electronic dance, the album seems to dismantle genre boundaries.

Jungkook's Standing Next To You peaked at #1 while SEVEN has been charting in the Top 60 for the seventeenth week and is now at #2. They are followed by 3D which has been charting for the sixth consecutive week and is now at #9. Yes or No is at #23, Hate You at #31, Please Don't Change at #46, Shot Glass of Tears at #51, Closer To You at #52, Somebody at #57, and Too Sad To Dance at #58.

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Jungkook's solo album GOLDEN has taken over the music world with a shimmering hue

Seven additional tracks from Jungkook's new album, including Hate You, Yes or No, and Please Don't Change (feat. DJ Snake), rose on the third-day Spotify Daily Top Song Global chart. This only indicates to the fans that the 26-year-old singer is here to stay and shows them that he has the potential to become one of the stalwarts of the international music industry.

The Herald Corp reported on November 16, 2023, that GOLDEN debuted in second position on the Billboard 200. The album then rose to the third spot on the UK Official Chart album list. The fact that Taylor Swift's new album, 1989 (Taylor's Version), topped key international charts makes this even more valuable.

According to USA Today's assessment, Jungkook skillfully blends a variety of genres into GOLDEN, including pop ballads, R&B, EDM, and disco funk. The American music publication, Consequence of Sound, commended his skill for masterfully incorporating the elements of each genre. They note that he is a master at using the best "instrument," which is his voice.

As per Herald Corp, evaluating the final report published in August 2023 by Luminate, a worldwide music industry analysis organization, verifies the effectiveness of songs in English. English songs lead by a wide margin with 88.3% when the top 10,000 songs played on American music platforms during the first half of 2023 are broken down by language.

However, Spanish songs had the second-highest margin followed closely by Korean music, which came in third as K-pop gained popularity worldwide. However, their proportion was only 0.9%. For this reason, the record of a Korean solo artist is credited with reaching exceptional success in the international music industry by overcoming the language barrier through English lyrics for all songs.

Meanwhile, BTS Jungkook achieved another historic feat as he became the first K-pop solo artist to surpass 40 million global listeners on Spotify. As a solo artist, achieving that feat was further assisted by the global success of his solo album GOLDEN which has a collection of an all-English eleven tracks.

During his recent interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1 on November 9, 2023, Jungkook reintroduced himself as a confident and dynamic independent artist. The singer talked about his bandmates, his first solo album GOLDEN, and the impending reunion of BTS in 2025.

BTS' golden maknae confessed how he discovered more about himself while working on his solo album. He added that his achievement has increased his self-assurance and allowed him to record his debut solo album.

Jungkook has managed to carve a niche for himself with his voice and his collaborations with multiple artists. These include Charlie Puth, The Kid LAROI, Central Cee, and even singing for the FIFA 2023 World Cup anthem, Dreamers.

It is worth noting that the trends that ruled 2023 were hip-hop, which is historically strong, and R&B. They were followed by country music, which was headed by Morgan Wallen—who finished first a total of 16 times this year. Until Jungkook made his solo debut, it looked like there was no singer-dancer who could impress fans and satisfy their need to see a "pop star."

The Herald Corp notes, that the songs of Jungkook's solo album GOLDEN were streamed 39,653,740 times on the day of release, according to Spotify. This broke the previous record for the most streamed songs on Spotify by Korean solo artists' albums on the day of chart entry. GOLDEN's upbeat lyrics attracted K-pop and BTS fans alike.