Jungkook’s solo debut album GOLDEN, released in November 2023 just before his military enlistment, has officially smashed its way into the fifth best‑selling K‑Pop album of the entire decade, surpassing Blackpink’s Born Pink in total Equivalent Album Sales (EAS).
Let’s unpack how the youngest BTS member pulled this off with grace—and a fair amount of jaw‑dropping metrics. GOLDEN debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with over 210,000 equivalent album units, including 164,800 pure album sales (128,500 physical CDs and 36,300 digital downloads). Within two months, it had sold around 2.7 million units globally, securing its spot among the fastest‑moving albums worldwide for 2023.
Fans and netizens erupted online with reactions like “Talent on top!” and “Huge win! His solo power is unreal”. A solo debut album beating out a full‑album release from an entire girl group? That says volumes about his star power.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the top five highest EAS‑earners of the decade so far:
- Jungkook – GOLDEN → now ranked #5
- Blackpink – Born Pink → previously held this exact spot
(Born Pink reportedly sold over 2.5 million units in 2022 per Circle Chart year‑end data)
To put it in perspective, GOLDEN earned more album consumption than Born Pink, making Jungkook the first soloist (BTS or otherwise) to reach that level in the 2020s. And yes, that includes massive group releases from decade‑defining acts.
Jungkook’s solo rise didn’t stop at sales records—he also became the first K‑Pop soloist to have five songs exceed 1 billion streams on both Spotify and YouTube, including tracks like Seven, 3D, Standing Next to You, and Dreamers. He also joined the elite club of artists whose entire solo catalog (18 songs) crossed 100 million streams each on Spotify, joining only Harry Styles and Billie Eilish.
This surge didn’t happen by accident. GOLDEN hit number one on album charts across South Korea, Belgium, France, Lithuania, and Japan—and top ten in multiple other countries including the US and UK, making it the highest‑charting solo Korean album in British history.
So, what’s the takeaway? Jungkook didn’t just drop a debut album—he shook the K‑Pop foundation. He proved that solo artists can still own the global stage and surpass even full‑group powerhouses in sales and streams.
Amid all the BTS hype and excitement for Spring 2026’s full group comeback, GOLDEN is a shining reminder of just how dominant Jungkook truly is. Fans couldn’t be prouder—and with milestones like these, can anyone blame them?
Here’s to the maknae who went solo and showed the world he’s made of golden.
