BTS Jungkook's GOLDEN Becomes the Best-Selling Debut Album by a Male Artist Worldwide

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BTS member Jungkook's first solo album, GOLDEN, has claimed the title of the best-selling debut album by a male artist worldwide, proving his overwhelming popularity in the global music market.

Recently, the World Music Awards (WMA), often referred to as the "European Billboard," announced that GOLDEN has sold an impressive 8.4 million copies, making it the highest-selling debut album by a male artist in the past decade.

This figure surpasses the 7.6 million sales of American rapper Lil Nas X's 2021 debut album MONTERO.

The success of GOLDEN has been evident in both domestic and international markets.

According to Hanteo Chart, the album surpassed 2 million sales within just five hours of its release, achieving "double million-seller" status. On its release day alone, it set a new record for the highest first-week sales by a K-pop solo artist. In just two weeks, the album sold a total of 2,501,158 copies.

Jungkook's achievements in the U.S. market have also been remarkable.

GOLDEN became the fastest album by an Asian solo artist to surpass 1 million units sold. Additionally, every track on the album sold over 100,000 units in the U.S. Jungkook became the first K-pop solo artist to sell over 500,000 units in the U.S. in 2023.

The album's chart performance has been equally impressive.

GOLDEN debuted at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200, remaining on the chart for 24 consecutive weeks—the longest run for any Asian solo artist. In the U.K., the album remained on the Official Albums Chart Top 100 for eight weeks, setting a new record for K-pop solo artists.

On streaming platforms, GOLDEN has also made waves.
It became the first album by an Asian solo artist to achieve over 4.2 billion streams (before filtering) on Spotify, the world’s largest music streaming service.

The album's title track, "Standing Next To You," also secured the No. 1 spot for the best-selling K-pop song in the U.S. by digital downloads in the first half of 2024.

Music critic Kim Mo remarked, "The achievements of Jungkook's GOLDEN reaffirm the global influence of K-pop.

Setting these records as a solo artist highlights the strength of both Jungkook's musical identity and the power of his fandom."

Meanwhile, Jungkook is set to release his first solo documentary film, Jung Kook: I Am Still, in theaters across Korea and in about 120 countries and regions on September 18.

The documentary will offer a more detailed look into his journey as a solo artist and the production process behind GOLDEN.

Jungkook's successes showcase the ongoing strength of BTS members' individual activities and reaffirm the global influence of K-pop.

Fans around the world are eagerly anticipating both Jungkook’s future solo projects and BTS’s upcoming activities.