BTS’ Jungkook: From backup dancer, K-pop idol at 15 to global superstar at 25

 Whenever the other BTS members have been asked about their youngest member, Jungkook, they all unanimously agree and assert that he excels in everything that he attempts. As the leader RM once said, “There will be a lot of damage to BTS without Jungkook. It’s the same with every other member, but Jungkook is our main vocalist. He is in an important position, the center of all acts, he has a lot of parts. There is no replacement for Jungkook.”

Each of the vocalists maintain the harmonious balance in the band—while Jin has the power of emotional falsettos, Jimin can switch between mature and childlike tones, V has the deep, reverberating vocals but Jungkook sets himself apart with his distinctly soothing tones that can switch effortlessly from euphoria to angst. He has the power of rapping as well—-as we remember his performance of Ddaeng with RM and Suga. The maknae has also sung covers of several popular songs, some of the best being Never Not, We Don’t Talk Anymore, and 2U and Mistletoe.

This belief that he can do anything has been ingrained in ARMY, especially the ones who hold a Jungkook bias—that he indeed, is the ‘Golden Maknae’ (maknae means youngest member in a group). You name it and BTS and ARMY will reaffirm—he has powerful vocals, he has magnetic stage presence and owns the stage with prolific dancing skills—and for those who faithfully watch Run BTS, he is an ace at all games too, almost to a fault.  Plus, to top it off, he exudes charisma and has a rather wicked sense of humour as exhibited in the numerous occasions he quietly trolls his members, especially Jin and Jimin.

Backup dancer to idol at 15

In one of his pre-debut videos, a nervous Jungkook tells the camera, “I’m Jeon Jungkook, I am fifteen years old. Please take care of me.” An unsuccessful audition for Superstar K in 2011 still spelt fortune for Jungkook, as several other entertainment companies sent offers his way.

He finally joined Big Hit Entertainment as a trainee, after being impressed and awestruck with RM—-a fond admiration and idolising that has grown exponentially over the years. He was so shy that that CEO Bang Si-hyuk did not know if it was possible for the young teen to debut as a K-pop idol. “When Jungkook was a trainee, he couldn’t sing when we asked him to,” Bang said in an interview with Korean news outlet OSEN. “He just twisted his body for 15 minutes and was very shy. He didn’t have much talent, so the company questioned if he could even debut.”

Nevertheless, Jungkook trained hard in his dancing and even went to Los Angeles in 2012 to work harder at his skills, and was a backup dancer for the South Korean girl group, Glam, along with Jimin, J-Hope and Suga. In 2013, he debuted with the rest of the band on June 10, with the release of the single, 2 Cool 4 Skool. In 2016, Jungkook along with the rest of his BTS members had carved a name for themselves in the K-Pop scene. By 2022, he has cemented himself on the global music scene.

Global superstardom

From backup dancer, being ignored and snubbed by producers on a reality show because he was seen as a child, to now being recognised as an idol who revolutionised the K-Pop scene, Jungkook’s journey is deserving of a biopic. Apart from music with his band members, he has several powerful solos to his credit, including Begin, Euphoria and My Time. The last two songs raged through Billboard Top 100 and remained on the charts for over 85-90 weeks. He has innumerable achievements and acknowledgements under his wing—starting from 2019, when he was ranked as the third-most loved celebrity of South Korea, after debuting at 20 in 2016. In 2019 he was also the most-searched idol on Google and topped the chart again 2020. In 2021, he broke his own record when his solo live crossed around 22 million viewers. It’s 2022 and Jungkook’s catchy Left And Right with Charlie Puth got a nod at the VMA’s for Song Of The Summer. He has an astronomical Instagram following that crosses 45 million too.

Like an emotional RM once told Jungkook at a concert, “Without you, there’s no BTS.”