“Talent recognising talent”- Fans proud as Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean declares himself as big fan of BTS' Jungkook in an interview with Billboard

On November 20, 2024, Backstreet Boys’ AJ Mclean revealed that he is a big fan of BTS' Jungkook at the Billboard No.1s Party 2024 event. At the event, Rania Aniftos questioned Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean and Howie about their #1 artists of 2024. To this, AJ McLean replied that he loved many new artists and mentioned the name of BTS' Jungkook, along with Espresso vocalist, Sabrina Carpenter.

“There are so many great new artists. I am a big big fan of Jungkook”

The Backstreet Boys member's mention of BTS' Jungkook delighted netizens. As a result, Jungkook’s fans flooded the internet with praises for him. Expressing this sentiment, one user on X commented:

“Talent recognizes talent”

Many other responses from BTS' Jungkook’s supporters were recorded on the internet. While some said that only true artists can recognize other artists, others felt proud of the BTS member's work and accomplishments.

“Backstreet Boys?? Only artist can recognise other artists in a true way”- a fan remarked.

“my heart swells with pride to see my koo be recognised as a solo artist, to see the impact hes had with just his debut album, a true global popstar”- expressed an admirer.

“when the artist is genuine his talent will always be appreciated and respected, jungkook collecting those praises from the Big big artists like pokémon and we love to see it. go higher, jungkook!”- a fan wrote.

Several fans referred to him as a ‘global icon.’ Another fan wrote that BTS' Jungkook had inspired other K-pop artists and captivated global legends like Backstreet Boys.

“As someone who’s always admired his talent, it’s incredible to watch him grow into a global icon, admired not only in K-pop but across the world. His success feels personal because it’s a testament to how far his passion and hard work have taken him.”- commented another X user.

“Jungkook is the kind of artist who doesn’t just inspire idols in K-pop, he captivates global legends like the Backstreet Boys, Diana Ross, It’s so amazing to see someone you admire so much getting recognized on such a massive scale. He’s not just a star-he’s a global icon Period”- wrote another admirer.

“THEE OG BACKSTREET BOYS AJ McLEAN mention Jungkook as #1 artist in 2024 like I grew up with almost of their albums and now as army, my childhood idol is become Jungkook’:s fans”- commented another fan.

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BTS' Jungkook is currently enlisted in military training

In December 2023, the SEVEN vocalist kicked off his mandatory military training along with his fellow band member Jimin. Consequently, the two members are anticipated to be discharged sometime in June 2025.

Although the artist is presently serving in the military, his past years' solo songs continue to earn him new feats.

On November 4, 2024, Jeon Jungkook made history by becoming the first and only K-pop solo artist to have three songs reach one billion Spotify streams. Furthermore, he is the only Korean artist whose song has received over 2 billion Spotify streams.

Recently, BTS' Jungkook's track SEVEN (feat. Latto) has received over 2.02 billion streams, with an average daily stream of 1.98 million. The next song, Standing Next To You, has topped 998 million streams, with an average per day of 2.83 million, bringing the total to more than 1 billion. SEVEN and Standing Next To You are from his debut independent album, GOLDEN, which was released on November 3, 2023.

Meanwhile, Charlie Puth's track Left and Right, which featured Jungkook, has received over 1.02 billion Spotify listens. It turned into the BTS idol's third hit to reach 1 billion streams.