By: Melissa Diaz Quevedo
On September 18th, the premiere of I Am Still gave fans a deeper look into the rise of global superstar Jungkook. The movie offers a closer view of the singer’s journey in preparing a full album and solo performances, including thrilling concert moments.
Since his performance of ‘Dreamers’ at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022, ARMY—the name of BTS’s fandom—and listeners around the world have eagerly awaited his solo debut. On November 3, 2023, Big Hit Music released Golden, a studio album featuring nine songs, with collaborations from Jack Harlow, Major Lazer, DJ Snake, and Latto. The album’s title also reflects Jungkook’s nickname ‘Golden Maknae’ given to him by his bandmates due to his multiple talents and exceptional skills.
I Am Still includes exclusive interviews with producers involved in the album’s creation, such as Andrew Watt, David Stewart, and Son Sung-deuk, performance director at Big Hit Music. They shared insights into working with Jungkook, highlighting the power of his voice, his natural talent, and his artistic growth—from a shy young man to one of the biggest pop icons of this century.
The movie emphasizes two key points. First, it showcases Jungkook’s impressive ability to sing a full English-language album despite not being fluent in the language. Before his military enlistment, he mentioned in a live stream that speaking English was challenging for him. Even though the BTS members can understand some English, RM is the only fluent speaker. So, the release of Golden was a pleasant surprise for fans.
In the movie we see Jungkook repeatedly working to perfect both the intonation and pronunciation of the English lyrics during the recording process. He carefully followed the producers’ guidance and accepted constructive criticism, which impressed his team. Despite being part of one of the world’s biggest bands, he maintained a humble and receptive attitude, constantly striving to improve.
Secondly, the idol’s discipline and passion pushed him to step out of his comfort zone. According to producers Andrew Watt and David Stewart, Jungkook’s work “bridged the gap between Western and Asian audiences” a feat only a few artists have accomplished. The album’s success speaks for itself: Golden debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart in the week of November 18th, selling 164,800 copies in the U.S. The single “Standing Next to You” also soared to No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts.
There were strong rumors that Jungkook’s and BTS’s popularity would fade during their military enlistment. However, this movie proves the opposite. Both Jungkook and BTS continue to gain popularity and maintain relevance in the music industry. Golden is just the beginning for Jungkook as he continues to showcase his talent.
With a touching ending scene where Jungkook sings ‘Magic Shop’—a song co-produced by him and beloved by fans for its message of finding happiness and exchanging fears for love—the movie closes with a heartfelt expression of gratitude to ARMY, without whom neither BTS nor Jungkook could have achieved their immense success.The movie is in theaters until September 29th. Tickets are available at the official website: https://www.jungkook-iamstill.com/.
