What Has Jungkook Been Up To?

After the announcement of the group's hiatus, we had no blueprint to know exactly what to expect from the BTS members as they explored new horizons in their careers. For Jungkook, it would be the first time he ventured out as a soloist and brought to life a flourishing solo career. The following are the moments ARMY and Jungkook shared before we had to pause and wait for his return.   

Singles and Collabs

The single Left & Right by Charlie Puth featuring Jungkook was released on June 24, 2022, marking this as the first musical release after BTS announced their group hiatus on June 14, 2022. The single peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and No. 5 on the Billboard Global 200, earning Jungkook his first Top-10 entry on this chart. 

On November 20, 2022, Jungkook released the single Dreamers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup soundtrack; being asked to participate in a project as big as the World Cup showed just how much star power Jungkook has. 

The following year, on October 20, 2023, Jungkook featured on the track titled Too Much by The Kid Laroi which also featured British rapper Central Cee. The track debuted at No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking his fifth solo entry. 

On July 7, 2024, Jungkook released the single Never Let Go which was a song made for ARMY as a token of gratitude for all the love he receives. The track’s title is a promise that Jungkook and ARMY will never let go of one another, no matter how much time passes.

The Golden Debut

Jungkook didn’t know he was making his debut solo album GOLDEN until he listened to a song that had him envision himself performing it. He hadn’t planned anything specific to make as a soloist until the song Seven got to him and he fell in love with it. 

Once he decided to record the song, he embarked on a journey and made history as a solo artist. Later, he was added to The Hollywood Reporter’s 25 Platinum Players in Music 2023 list. Jungkook went to LA for the recording process and met up with the producers to create magic only he could. He had never worked exclusively with foreign producers before, which made him nervous, but it was an experience he loved as he felt he grew from it and would love to do it again in the future. 

Jungkook released two singles before the album came out, and they both became hits. Seven (feat. Latto) debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100, broke numerous Spotify records, won Song of the Summer at the VMAs, and was certified platinum by RIAA. The single 3D (feat. Jack Harlow) debuted at No. 5 on the Hot 100 chart, making it Jungkook’s second song to debut within the top 10. Then he dropped Standing Next to You which debuted at No.1 in the Billboard Global 200 and the song spent 17 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 making Jungkook the longest-charting K-pop soloist of the decade. 

GOLDEN was a successful solo album debut as it was the first album by a Korean soloist to spend 17 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart. Jungkook’s music has also showcased an incredible staying power, as songs like Seven continue to chart and break records.

With the success of GOLDEN came various promotions which had him achieve other amazing feats. Jungkook performed in “Good Morning America”, “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon”, and “The Today Show”. He also performed at Global Citizen Festival 2023, and had a surprise performance on the TSX in NYC’s Times Square, having a whole crowd enthralled by his stage. Jungkook also performed in his show “GOLDEN: Live On Stage” in Seoul, South Korea. The show not only had Jungkook perform his solo music, but it also had many fun moments between Jungkook and ARMY. 

The World Cup and Calvin Klein

When it was announced that Jungkook had been asked to sing and perform a song for the World Cup, to say ARMYs were excited and nervous was an understatement. Jungkook underwent similar sentiments as he prepared for this unique and huge stage. Jungkook performed amazingly and ARMYs were proud to see him take up such a huge world stage on his own and nail it completely. Although Jungkook had some doubts here and there about it, in the end, both Jungkook and ARMYs were happy with his performance of Dreamers.

After becoming Calvin Klein’s global ambassador in March 2023, Jungkook became the face of their Spring 2024 campaign. Calvin Klein later released the photos for the campaign, which featured the photoshoot done in Grand Central Station in New York. 

“Are You Sure?!”, Documentary Film and Solo Exhibition

Jungkook and Jimin launched a travel series titled “Are You Sure?!” on Disney+ which followed the duo to three locations around the world: New York, USA, Jeju Island, South Korea, and Sapporo, Japan. The series depicts fun moments of the two enjoying their time together and showcases their unique bond. 

Although the series does focus on the charming duo, there were surprises along the way, like having V embark as an unexpected special guest for their trip to Jeju Island. “Are You Sure?!” is filled with moments only BTS knows how to create and offers heartfelt moments.   

Jungkook released a documentary film that was shown in select theaters worldwide on September 18, 2024. The documentary, titled “JungKook: I Am Still”, followed Jungkook through the process of his work on his solo debut, giving us a look into his life and his continually rising fame. It offered never-before-seen scenes, interviews, performances, and a deeper view of what the experience meant and felt like to Jungkook. There are also moments in the film in which ARMY sees Jungkook getting closer to the enlistment time. The film offers a new way to connect with Jungkook as ARMY sees not only his work ethic but also who he is as a person.

“Jungkook Exhibition ‘GOLDEN: The Moments’” is a solo exhibition that had showings in LA and Seoul. The exhibition was created from the moments Jungkook showcased his musicality through his album GOLDEN. Looking through what Jungkook has done and accomplished since he explored being a solo artist has been a joy to watch. However, what has been more joyous is seeing him grow as a person. 

In an interview with Apple Music, Jungkook mentioned there was no separation from who he is on stage to who he is when the lights and cameras are off. Through this statement, ARMY now stands in a privileged position to witness Jungkook for who he truly is and who he is trying to become. Usually, that type of growth happens behind the scenes, but Jungkook is willing to let ARMY in as he wants the bond to be akin to friendship. He cannot describe the specific feeling or bond he has with us ARMY, and we can say the same. All we know is that we are all in it together and we are happy to watch him change and grow as an artist and as a person. 

Knowing how much BTS loves to create for ARMY, and now for themselves, there is no telling how much more is in store from Jungkook. We will continue to happily hope and wait to see anything he has prepared for us until his much-awaited return, along with BTS.

Written By: Lizette

Edited By: Lisa K

Designed By: Achan

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