Jungkook’s new solo single may be the sexy summer hit BTS fans were thirsting for.
Jungkook launched “Seven” at midnight on Friday morning, and the track had a surprise guest: Grammy-nominated rapper Latto. The official music video has already been viewed more than 30 million times and was trending in the No. 1 music spot on YouTube.
Thousands of BTS fans lined the blocks surrounding New York City’s Central Park this week, camping out for days in anticipation of Jungkook’s debut performance of his new hit for the “Good Morning America” Summer Concert Series.
In an email interview with Variety, Jungkook (who had a translator send his replies) said he hopes that the BTS fandom, known as ARMY, will get a full solo album sometime this year.
Jungkook was quick to share credit for the single’s smooth execution, telling Variety that record producers Andrew Watt and Cirkut worked on the songwriting and producing for “Seven.” “When recording,” the singer said, “Andrew was so passionate about giving directions.”
“We thought about who would be the best rapper for this summer song, and one of the producers recommended Latto,” Jungkook said before adding that he was a personal fan of Latto’s voice and lively style.
The bop is a sexy one and Latto’s verse amps up the sexuality even more, something Jungkook said he thought was important because it suits the overall mood of the song. He added that Latto’s “unique charm” came through especially well.
Jungkook isn’t the only member of BTS to release a solo hit this year. Based on their birth dates, the seven members of the K-pop juggernaut are taking turns serving a mandatory 18 months in the military. Jin and J-Hope are currently serving, and those not yet conscripted are embarking on solo careers. Together, BTS has six chart-topping Billboard albums and six No. 1 Hot 100 singles.
Before beginning his military term later this year, BTS rapper Suga is touring the U.S. on the back of his own solo debut album, “D-Day,” performed under the alias Agust D (he has two other mixtapes as Agust D).
Suga told The Times’ August Brown (using a translator via Zoom) in May that although solo ventures are in the works, the BTS members are “real brothers, period.”
“If I do well, that’s good,” he continued. “If my family members do well, that’s even better.”
Jungkook echoed Suga’s sentiments when speaking with Variety, saying, “Personally, I really enjoyed being able to watch the other members’ music, story and promotions that express their own uniqueness and tastes. That was a fresh source of inspiration for my own solo endeavors.”
Jungkook is expected to enlist later this year.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
