Do You Know, BTS? Let’s finally start talking about Jung Kook’s “Then and Now” story! 
Jeon Jung Kook was born on September 1, 1997 in Busan, South Korea. He was raised with loving family and seems to have had a typical, fun childhood. He attended elementary school and just started middle school prior to joining BTS. He has often mentioned he wasn’t the best student. He’s joked that his dad bought him a computer in second grade and after that, all he wanted to do was play video games and NOT study.
Even that little scar on his upper left cheek? A result of fighting with his older brother for computer time! When he was younger, he’d hoped to become a pro-gamer. We’re sure glad he found his voice instead! He still loves to play and we often see (like with everything else) that he’s pretty good- he regularly comes out the winner when the members need to play any type of video games on RUN BTS!
When JK was younger, he saw rapper/singer G-Dragon on TV, performing his hit song “Heartbreaker”, and decided he wanted to sing. As we mentioned in our earlier post, he auditioned for the talent show, Superstar K in 2011. Think of the show as being similar to an American Idol, Star Search or The Voice here in the states. We’ve seen clips of Baby JK auditioning and it’s just about the sweetest thing ever.
He didn’t make the cut for that particular program, but folks took notice. Seven entertainment companies still made him offers and he chose Big Hit because he was impressed by rapper RM. Namjoon was already signed to the label and part of the initial iteration of BTS (that rap trio we’ve alluded to in past weeks made up of RM, Suga and j-hope). Once Jung Kook was on-board with the label, it wasn’t long before Big Hit decided it wanted to shift those rappers and transition BTS into a more traditional K-pop/Idol model. JK was the first vocalist assigned to this new formation and the fourth member, overall, to join BTS.
Although only thirteen at this time, he moved to Seoul, transferred schools and began as a trainee in 2011. He had some separate dance training the next year and was sent to LA briefly. He eventually debuted with the others in June of 2013.
Jung Kook’s voice is one-of-a-kind. His range is amazing, and he can sing any style effortlessly- we’ve even heard him hit some unbelievable operatic notes! Whether a ballad or a rap, he’s always spot-on. He is the main vocalist for BTS and you’ll always notice his voice as a main component of all group songs. He’s been highly successful as a solo performer too, releasing some very popular covers and the few solo BTS songs he’s recorded have been smash hits. They’ve broken all-kinds of stats on the charts, staying relevant year-after-year. And we know he has his first mixed tape in the works- woo hoo! We’ll definitely be talking more about his music, specifically, this week!
Jung Kook is famously known as the Golden Maknae of BTS. Maknae is the term used to describe the youngest member and Golden is added on because Jung Kook just has the golden touch! There is nothing he can’t do- he excels at everything he tries. And the few times he may struggle, he becomes very frustrated! The other members often joke about how he can become so focused on whatever he decides to take on (borderline obsessed) and should he lose? He doesn’t take it well. This applies to whether they’re playing some goofy game on RUN BTS! or he’s performing. We’ve seen him in tears after a show because he’s felt he made a mistake or wasn’t able to give a performance his all. And RM has repeatedly had to remind him to NOT go so all-out, he’s going to injure himself or drain himself physically (both have happened).
This golden touch is seen in his music but in other areas too- whether his dedication to his own fitness and working out so consistently (and being great at most sports the guys may take on; relay races, tennis, bowling, etc.) or nurturing his talent as a gifted painter, we see him able to put laser-like dedication into whatever the task may be and produce a winning result. He’s quick and energetic and always laughing with is hyungs. Still? We sense he’s fairly introverted and does need to go off on his own and re-charge. We recall in their series, In the Soop, how he’d be content to just be by himself, with his punching bag, working out or off in his room, practicing his guitar.
This young man has completely exploded as a global superstar. Honestly, we can’t comprehend what it must be like to live in JK’s world. And what the magic has been to ensure he’s stayed sane, humble and relatable. He’s blown away every social media statistic you can imagine (for example, his last V-Live garnered 22 MILLION concurrent viewers and the TikTok hashtag #jungkook has over 30 BILLION searches and he holds the #2 spot for the most retweeted tweet- right after President Obama). Every product he touches or piece of clothing he wears disappears from stores; he’s become known as the “Sold Out King”.
We can only guess he’s learned to create some fairly significant boundaries and keep his focus on the work. The music. And it was apparent this last year or two that he’s definitely pulled back from his social media platforms. He needed some space, and we respect that. He’s returned some in the last month or two and we will admit, it’s been great to see him more!
Finally, we can’t NOT touch on his visuals. He is famously known for his good looks and is definitely a fan favorite. He is the bias for many and this is definitely reflected in all those insane social media stats we mentioned. ARMY (and frankly, the whole world) seems to watch his every move and love everything about him. He pops up regularly in almost every “most handsome” or “sexiest” poll imaginable even earning from People Magazine, “Sexiest International Man”. And we so often talk about duality- he’s yet another member that exemplifies the term. He can be all sweet and cuddly in a baggy sweatshirt and bucket hat but then in the next photo we see? Make our heart skip a beat with an intense stare and that perfect, fit form of his decked out in smoldering leather or a beautiful designer suit. He really is something else!
We feel like we’ve barely been able to give JK proper justice! But luckily, we have quite a few days to share more! There are so many interesting aspects to Jung Kook, both professionally and personally. And we’re definitely going to get to them all! Stay with us- we can’t wait to keep talking about Kookie!
.
: OneLuv BTS | Content: various sources
.
Big Hit Entertainment
#btslove
.
FOLLOW @oneluvbts
