Rolling Stone invited BTS member Jung Kook to New York for a global cover feature supported by eight international editions, including Korea, Japan, France, Brazil, India, Philippines, China, and UK. The interview marks his only solo conversation of the year and focuses on his current mindset, new ideas, and his effort to maintain balance while shaping upcoming work.
Jungkook describes an ongoing interest in change. He speaks about directing his own path and maintaining a sense of freedom as he navigates the next phase of his career. He connects this with the way he approaches music and the way he thinks about future releases.
The conversation turns to “Seven,” his 2023 solo single that reached more than 2.5 billion streams on Spotify, a total confirmed by Big Hit Music in August. The track set a new record for a K-pop release and surpassed the result of BTS’s “Dynamite.” He recalls his initial excitement while making the song and explains how the response from listeners strengthened his confidence.
Jung Kook points out that recording “Seven” helped him regain energy during a period where work felt difficult. He notes that the enthusiasm surrounding the track created a shift in how he viewed the stage and encouraged him to continue recording. He also mentions that the reaction surprised him, even though he believed strongly in the track from the start.
The feature also documents a major personal update. Jung Kook completed South Korea’s mandatory 18-month military service in June with Jimin, following RM and V, who finished their service a week earlier. He now holds 9.4 billion total streams, which places him as the most-streamed K-pop solo act to date.
BTS confirmed their next steps during a June livestream. They announced that a new album will arrive in the spring and that all seven members will begin working together again in July. They noted that the project will reflect ideas from each member and revisit the mindset that shaped their early years.
Throughout the interview, Jung Kook shares a desire to test new directions and explore new work. He describes this phase as an opportunity to evaluate how far he can advance and how he can present different sides of himself as he looks ahead to future projects.
For the covers k-pop superstar was captured by fashion photographer Tayo Kuku Jr. In charge of styling was Kim Youngjin, who for the covers selected pieces from Calvin Klein. Beauty is work of hair stylist Park Naejoo, and makeup artist Kim Dareum.
Read more at rollingstone.co.uk
