From discovery to global pop star: BTS' Jungkookʼs legendary story from rags to riches
Born in Busan in 1997, Jungkook’s journey from a shy teenager to global superstar reads like a fairy tale. He was discovered as a singing prodigy in his early teens and joined BigHit Entertainment as a trainee, moving to Seoul at 13 to pursue his dream. By 2013, he had debuted as the main vocalist of the group with his stage name Jungkook, the youngest member of BTS.
BTS’ meteoric rise was unprecedented as they sold out Wembley Stadium twice during their Love Yourself 2019 world tour. Their 2020 single Dynamite (a fully English-language song) debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, making them the first Korean act ever to achieve that feat. That week, Dynamite logged 33.9 million U.S. streams and 300,000 sales.
Their acclaim grew globally, culminating in BTS becoming the first K-pop group ever nominated for a Grammy Award (in 2021, for Dynamite). Jungkook’s powerful vocals and stage presence were central to these achievements, and the band’s international success set the stage for him to emerge as a solo artist of comparable stature.
BTS maknae Jungkook's solo career and hit singles
After years topping charts with BTS, Jungkook launched his solo career in 2023 with record-breaking impact. His debut single, Seven (feat. Latto), was an instant smash—it entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 1 in July 2023.
This made him only the second K-pop soloist ever to reach the summit of the Hot 100 (the first was BTS bandmate Jimin with Like Crazy earlier that year). Seven blended pop sensibilities with Jungkook’s smooth vocals, and it shattered streaming records worldwide. In fact, industry trackers noted that Seven became the fastest song in history to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify.
Jungkook's Billboard-dominating trio of singles
The track Seven was just the first of Jungkook’s solo hits. All three singles from his debut solo album, GOLDEN (released in late 2023), dominated global charts. His follow-up single, 3D (with Jack Harlow), and the pop ballad Standing Next to You each debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Global charts and landed in the top 5 of the U.S. Hot 100.
Billboard reported that Jungkook became the first Korean soloist to achieve two straight top-five chart entries on the Hot 100. His album GOLDEN in November 2023 consolidated these gains—it debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
The album's first-week sales surpassed 170,000 album-equivalent units, marking the highest chart entry ever by a Korean soloist and the biggest-ever sales week for a Korean solo artist.
Record-breaking streaming success
Seven alone has now been streamed over 2 billion times on Spotify, a milestone no other Asian artist had achieved at the time.
His other solo tracks have likewise seen massive play counts: for example, the fan-favorite digital single Still With You (initially released on SoundCloud in 2020) has quietly gathered more than a billion streams on Spotify, and his solo Euphoria (2018) recently crossed the 600-million mark on the platform.
Even collaborative tracks featuring Jungkook have high totals—for instance, his collaboration with Charlie Puth, Left and Right, and the FIFA World Cup anthem, Dreamers, have each reached into the hundreds of millions on streaming services.
Major achievements and awards
Jungkook’s solo career has not only been a commercial juggernaut but also a decorated one. GOLDEN was certified platinum in multiple countries within days of release. Billboard’s year-end charts placed GOLDEN firmly among the top sellers worldwide. He became the most-awarded K-pop soloist to win at the 2023 MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs), bagging "Best Song" and "Best K-pop."
He became the first K-pop soloist to win the global category of "Song of Summer" at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards. He was the first K-pop soloist to win the 2023 Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs). He became the first K-pop solo act to win double BBMAs in 2024 for "Top K-pop Album" and "Top Global K-pop Song."
Earlier in his career, even as a BTS member, he contributed to the band’s many historic accolades as their main vocalist—multiple Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, and MTV Video Music Awards, and year-end honors like IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year for two consecutive years. BTS was notably the first act to win the IFPI Global honor twice.
Military service and future outlook
In keeping with South Korea’s mandatory service rules, Jungkook entered the military in December 2023. According to his agency and news reports, he began active duty on December 11, 2023, and is scheduled to be discharged on June 11, 2025.
He enlisted alongside bandmate Jimin on the same day; fellow BTS members RM and V are expected to finish their service a day earlier, on June 10, 2025, while member Suga will complete his slightly later in June 2025.
He will rejoin the other BTS members (all of whom will have finished their service by then) in a full group reunion anticipated for 2026.
Whether he steps back into the spotlight solo or with BTS, the groundwork is laid for the next chapter of his career. The once-kid from Busan, discovered serendipitously as a teen, has become a global pop icon—a legacy of rags-to-riches ascent that is now enshrined in chart records and streaming milestones.
