The world has been waiting for this moment for a while. After multiple successful singles like “Seven” and “3D,” Jungkook has officially released his first solo album, GOLDEN. Whether you became a fan of BTS in 2013 or a fan last week, anyone knows that the starpower in this “golden maknae” is undeniable, and his first album shines just as bright as he does.

GOLDEN opens with the infectious “3D” featuring Jack Harlow, which reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart earlier this year. Following is “Closer to You” featuring Major Lazer, a sultry electronic song with a gritty feel that leads into the explicit version of summer’s viral hit, “Seven” featuring Latto.

“Standing Next to You” is the lead single on the album, a track filled with so much pop power that it’s got potential to rival Jungkook himself. Pulling from retro pop sounds reminiscent of the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson, Jungkook declares his undying loyalty to his lover in effortless falsettos set against disco beats and funk guitar. The video amps up the energy, with Jungkook donning all black attire as he dances in front of fiery backdrops, fittingly bathing each scene in a golden sheen. While the video is in essence focused on performance and choreography, it’s unapologetically sexy from start to finish, as Jungkook passionately sings to the female lead. Despite its simplicity, this is a bold move for a solo debut: instead of relying on gimmicks and featuring artists and fancy editing, the magic of “Standing Next to You” lies in Jungkook himself, and that is what makes the track golden.

The rest of the album contains “Yes or No,” a song written by Ed Sheeran in which the Brit singer-songwriter also played guitar. “Please Don’t Change” features DJ Snake and is a track that is hinted to be for ARMY, based on a TikTok interaction between the two artists. The first emotional cut on GOLDEN comes in the form of the piano ballad “Hate You,”co-written by Shawn Mendes, in which Jungkook tries to convince himself he hates a past lover in order to mend his heartbreak. “Somebody” veers back into the lanes of dance-pop while the deceptively upbeat “Too Sad to Dance” finds a balance between happy and heartbroken. “Shot Glass of Tears” has the singer lamenting over a lost love in poetic lyrics that could easily fit into Taylor Swift’s library before wrapping the album up on a happier note with the clean version of “Seven.”

There’s a moment halfway through the “Standing Next to You” video where Jungkook stands eye to eye with his female lead and he just exudes so much power that, truth be told, I choked up a little bit as I reminisced about the quiet shy boy who dreamed of being a pop star. Congratulations, Jungkook, you did it.

Edited by Cara Musashi