Topline
K-pop star Jung Kook was announced Wednesday as a co-headliner of this month’s Global Citizen Festival in New York City, marking one of his first ever solitary performances in the United States just two months after he became the first member of his group to have a solo single release hit No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200.
Jung Kook of BTS performs during the opening ceremony prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar on November … [+] 20, 2022.
Key Facts
Jung Kook, 26, will join Anitta, Ms. Lauryn Hill and Red Hot Chili Peppers as a headliner for the Central Park festival, which advocates for policy change around issues like poverty, women’s rights and climate change.
The news of Jung Kook’s attendance comes two months after the release of his hit “Seven” and solo debut performance on Good Morning America—fans camped out overnight in Central Park for a chance to see the three-song concert in July.
BTS performed remotely from Seoul as part of the Global Citizen Live festival in 2021—Hugh Evans, founder and CEO of Global Citizen, said at the time that the addition of the K-pop group to the lineup “led to a huge surge in the East Asian region” with 80,000 online actions taken by BTS’s fans alone.
Surprising Fact
Global Citizen attendees can earn free tickets by signing petitions, taking quizzes, uploading videos and completing other tasks relative to the festival’s causes—”actions” equate to entries in drawings for tickets, of which there are two left.
Jung Kook visits “Elvis Duran And The Morning Show” on July 17, 2023 in New York City.
Key Background
BTS was the fifth most-streamed artist worldwide on Spotify last year and the most listened-to K-Pop musician or group of 2022. The immensely popular band has 33.5 million monthly listeners on the streaming service, has had six No. 1 singles and has 43.5 million followers on X, formerly known as Twitter. BTS was listed as No. 47 on Forbes’ list of the highest-paid celebrities in 2020 after grossing an estimated $170 million on the road in 2019, more than any American band except Metallica. Covid-19 interrupted the band’s planned summer stadium tour across the U.S. Jung Kook, one of the group’s seven members, performed three solo songs among BTS’ discography before the band announced it would take a break to work on solo endeavors last summer. His other independent songs include “Still With You”—which was released as part of BTS’ ninth anniversary celebration in 2020—and “My You,” which became the first Korean song to debut on the Official Singles Chart in the UK last year. “Seven,” which features American rapper Latto, made him the first Korean solo artist to simultaneously top the U.S. Hot 100, the Global 200, and the Global Excl. US charts.
Big Number
594.7 million. That’s how many times “Seven” has been streamed on Spotify since its July 14 release.
Crucial Quote
“The festival sheds light on important causes and drives action and I’m happy to take part in it,” Jung Kook said in a statement.
Tangent
Jung Kook earned the nickname “Sold Out King” from media outlets who’ve noted the quick sales of products he’s been seen using, including novels he’s read, wine he’s been seen drinking and even the popular return of the hanbok—a traditional Korean fashion—he sported at the airport years ago. His popularity has been used by politicians—a photo of him was used to promote the legalization of tattoos in South Korea—and the music video for “Seven” has racked up 198 million views on YouTube. On Wednesday, Jung Kook broke a tie with Miley Cyris that had “Seven” and her song “Flowers” as the only two tracks to ever lead the Billboard Global 200 for six weeks. This week, “Seven” did it again for a record-holding seven weeks.
Further Reading
BTS’s Jung Kook Breaks His Historic Tie With Miley Cyrus (Forbes)
Jung Kook’s ‘Seven’ Is Officially The Biggest Song In The World (Forbes)
BTS’s Jung Kook Is Teaching Musicians A Valuable Lesson (Forbes)
BTS’s Jung Kook Made A Name For Himself In 2022. 2023 Might Be Even Bigger For Him (Forbes)
