If there’s one man alive today who can hold a candle to Michael Jackson in the live performance department, it’s def Jungkook. BTS’s megastar soloist rocked The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon like a smooth criminal when he gave a show-stopping performance of his single “Standing Next to You.” Just from the opening couple of seconds, it was clear that it was gonna be a lit performance, and those dance moves got more than a few hearts fluttering in the audience I’m sure.
The Music Man readers won’t be surprised to hear Jungkook’s got more than moves, though, as his live vocals really popped on the nu disco groove. Upon release, Jungkook’s music video of “Standing Next to You” was compared by a number of commentators to Michael Jackson. Even R&B icon Diana Ross took note, praising the dance routine and commenting: “MJ coming through the moves.” Jungkook certainly didn’t disappoint with his live debut of the track on The Tonight Show either!
Jungkook appeared on The Tonight Show on November 7, 2023, and his performance of “Standing Next to You” gained 16 million views. Fans came out in force below the video, adding comments such as “His live vocals are unbelievably stable. His ad libs are crazy. Such a musical prodigy” and “We don’t get a lot of dudes who can do a full-on dance performance and sing at the same time. This is a true performer.”
Jungkook dropped his debut studio album Golden on November 3, 2023, and he impressed with performances on both sides of the pond during the promo cycle for it. Shortly after releasing the lead single “Seven,” the BTS centre appeared in the BBC Live Lounge to give a performance with a live band, showcasing his vocal skills in a fresh format. “Seven” is quite the hot commodity at the moment, because on January 1, 2025, Jungkook just became the first Asian artist to hit 2.1 billion Spotify streams with the single.
Jungkook released “Seven” as the first single from Golden on July 14, 2023, and subsequently released “Standing Next to You” as the third single on November 3, 2023. The BTS star proved his commercial appeal as a soloist with the album, as Golden went to number one in South Korea, Japan, and France, as well as hitting the number two spot in the US. The album subsequently went double Platinum in South Korea and Platinum in Japan.