Out of all the days Jung Kook sings about in his hit single “Seven,” Friday just might be the most special one. At long last, the “Golden Maknae” of BTS has finally unveiled his debut solo studio album, Golden. The record — which already features two Billboard Hot 100 top 5 hits — arrived on Friday, Nov. 3.
The road to Golden began in July when Jung Kook dropped his Latto-assisted “Seven.” The cheeky pop&b track topped the Hot 100 — becoming his first U.S. No. 1 single as a soloist — and recently became the fastest song in history to accumulate over one billion stream on Spotify. A second single, a Jack Harlow collaboration titled “3D” arrived on Sept. 29, debuting and peaking at No. 5 on the Hot 100. On Oct. 3, the BTS breakout star confirmed the release of Golden through a press release promising an 11-track album.
The solo LP — which features production credits from the likes of BloodPop, DJ Snake and Diplo — follows several solo singles from Jung Kook, including 2022’s “Stay Alive” (No. 95) and a featured turn on Charlie Puth‘s “Left and Right” (No. 22). In the lead-up to Golden, Jung Kook also appeared on “Too Much,” a collaboration with The Kid LAROI and Central Cee that has since peaked at No. 44 on the Hot 100. With its No. 10 debut on the U.K. Singles Chart, “Too Much” helped Jung Kook become the first South Korean soloist to score three U.K. top 10 singles.
Golden is the latest in a string of solo projects from the Bangtan Boys following the band’s pause from group activities to let its members report for South Korea’s mandatory military service. So far, Jin, J-Hope and Suga have all enlisted, bringing BTS a few steps closer to their 2025 return.
On Monday, Nov. 6 — just three days after Golden’s release — Jung Kook will make his solo Tonight Show debut as a guest and performer. Host Jimmy Fallon announced the news with a hilarious Instagram video on Wednesday (Nov. 1).
Stream Golden now:
