BTS‘s Jin has taken a leap forward as a perfect ‘solo artist’.

Jin, who released his first solo album ‘Happy’ on the 15th since his debut, has quickly swept domestic and international music charts, giving the green light to a global hit. In addition, he is thrilling ‘Army’ (fandom name) around the world with his solo moves based on his extraordinary ‘love for fans’.

In particular, this album has garnered attention from global fans as it marks the starting point for Jin, who has been focusing on entertainment stages since his discharge from the military in June, to begin his music career in earnest. As this is his first solo album, Jin included his honest thoughts on ‘happiness’, such as love, excitement, and courage, in the new album.

He also filled the six-track list, including the title song ‘Running Wild’ and the pre-released song ‘I Will Be There’, with the sounds of bands that he usually enjoys listening to. Through the fan song ‘Longing’, which is a song that transcribes the feelings he had during his days as a trainee, such as “Fans are waiting, I have to sing, I have to perform”, we can also catch a glimpse of the sincerity of ‘human Kim Seok-jin (Jin’s real name)’, not a top star.

‘Happy’, which fully reveals a hidden side of himself that Jin could not show as a member of BTS, drew praise for its unique charm and challenging nature.

In line with this, on the first day of release (the 15th), 845,690 copies (based on Hanteo Chart) were sold, surpassing the one-week sales (initial sales of 771,260 copies) of the 2022 solo single ‘The Astronaut’. On Spotify, the title song ‘Running Wild’ was streamed over 4.93 million times in just one day of its release, rising straight to 8th place on ‘Daily Top Song Global’.

Jin reached the peak of his solo run with the fan showcase ‘Jin Happy Special Stage’, held at Jangchung Gymnasium in Jung-gu, Seoul for two days from the 16th to the 17th.

This showcase was prepared with the sole purpose of “I want to personally introduce ‘Happy’, which I made just for ARMY, to the fans”, and he revealed the new song stage and behind-the-scenes stories of the album production. He also took charge of the hosting himself and fully displayed his entertainment sense that he had shown on broadcasts. To celebrate his performance, Red Velvet‘s Wendy, who duetted with him on the track ‘Heart of the Window’, also came up on stage.

Jin, who filled the 100-minute-long concert alone on the cutely decorated stage as if he had jumped straight out of a music video, expressed his deep affection for his fans, saying, “I’m only happy if ARMY are happy. That‘s why I also titled the album ‘Happy’.”

He also said, “I want to continue living like this, where I live my own lives with my fans and then meet up with them to create happy times.”



Reporter Yoo Ji-hye yjh0304@donga.com