Critic Han Sung Hyun wrote on the IZM website that Jungkook’s album has no personal color. Instead, this product is more oriented towards commercial elements.
Recently, the youngest member of BTS Jungkook released a solo album called Golden . However, the famous Korean music critic site IZM had mixed comments about the album. The harsh reviews of this site also caused intense debate on social networks.
According to the site, up to now, Kpop songs often have a typical rhythm even though it is sometimes considered less classy than Western music. This has long been received as a compliment, proving that Kpop has its own characteristics. However, Jungkook’s album Golden broke that norm
“This is an album that shows the emptiness of the title ‘pop star’ in an era when Kpop has transcended borders and established itself as a comprehensive genre,” IZM commented.
Jungkook’s album was not highly appreciated by critics.
Explaining the above assessment, IZM said that Jungkook was too similar to Western stars in each song of the album.
“For 3D , Jungkook has similarities to Justin Timberlake, while for Standing Next To You , he is The Weeknd meets Michael Jackson. With Closer To You , he comes close to Justin Bieber. However, in the end, Jungkook is not a combination of all those pop stars. The album and its structure erased Jungkook’s identity in his attempt to top the American charts. And for this reason, the Golden album makes listeners feel like it’s just an automatic playlist, put together by an algorithm,” said IZM critic Han Sung Hyun.
Critic Han Sung Hyun
That is, the album lacks Jungkook’s unique integrity and color. Han Sung Hyun further expressed that Golden clearly demonstrates HYBE Entertainment’s ultimate goal, which is to eliminate the letter ‘K’ from Kpop (K stands for Korean), like the albums of Le Sserafim or NewJeans.
“The advantage of the album is that it does not contain a message of searching for identity or spreading philosophy. Golden is a commercialized product, supported by abundant financial resources that fund a lavish A&R system,” Han Sung Hyun emphasized.
The critic continued: “The album offers ‘easy listening’ and ‘trendy’, ‘short’ songs from musicians like Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes, DJ Snake… For audiences looking for genre Trending music, short content and the trendiest phrases, Golden is the perfect choice.”
The music critic’s assessment was immediately met with controversy. Some viewers agreed with the critic’s point of view, while others thought that Han Sung Hyun had a grudge against Jungkook, so they gave negative comments.
“The songs are okay, but I understand what the critics are talking about. It feels like it’s focusing on rankings and commercial achievements. It would be better if it showed a bit of artistic color. Jungkook is a talented person, so I was expecting something more unique from him”, “I’ve listened to this album quite a bit, but I can say I agree with what the critics say”, Some viewers agreed.
Meanwhile, others responded: “Jungkook pushed the limits and tried out all the different vocal skills he hasn’t shown before. The album offers many things so I am very satisfied”, “This review is like any malicious comment under some online forum post”.
