News has now emerged that JUNG KOOK of the group BTS was the first K-pop singer to go on stage at the US NFL (American Football League) Super Bowl halftime show, but it fizzled out due to military service issues.
On the 7th (local time), US magazine The New Yorker reported that Jung Kook could have joined famous R&B pop singer Usher on stage for the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show, but it was cancelled due to a military enlistment issue. Usher has a history with Jung Kook, having participated in the remix version of ‘Standing Next to You’, the title track of his solo album ‘GOLDEN’.
The ‘Super Bowl’ stage, which Jung Kook was unable to attend due to his military enlistment, is the biggest sporting event in the US, held after the second quarter of the US NFL finals, and is a blockbuster event that attracts worldwide attention. It is a stage on which Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney and other top-class stars have stood in the past.
The news that K-pop stars have never stood on the ‘Super Bowl’ before has been disappointing. The ‘Super Bowl’ halftime show held in February last year saw Usher, Alicia Keys, Ludacris and others perform on a spectacular stage, and the average number of viewers reached approximately 123.79 million.
Jung Kook enlisted for active duty on the 12th December last year and was able to postpone his enlistment until he was 30 years old after receiving a recommendation letter from the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism as an outstanding person in the field of popular culture and arts who contributed to the promotion of national pride in Korea, but before that he had to fulfil his military service obligations.
Jung Kook attracted worldwide attention by singing the World Cup theme song ‘Dreamers’ at the ‘2022 Qatar World Cup Opening Ceremony’. Jung Kook also showed his global popularity as a solo artist, starting with his first solo single ‘Seven’, followed by ‘3D’ and his first solo album ‘Golden’, which continuously ranked in Billboard's main chart HOT100.
If Jung Kook had even made it to the Super Bowl stage here, he would have been positioned as a solo artist with unprecedented achievements in K-pop history. However, the unfortunate result of his military service was lost in the mist, and fans expressed their disappointment, asking why his agency could not arrange his schedule in advance when it was a unique opportunity.
