The Producers Of Jung Kook’s ‘Seven’ Share The Behind-The-Scenes Story Of The No. 1 Smash
The No. 1 song in America this week is Jung Kook’s “Seven” as the track, labeled as the debut solo offering from the BTS singer, debuted atop the Hot 100 about a week ago. It marks the star’s first leader on his own and his seventh champion overall. It is a historic ruler, as he’s only the second South Korean solo musician to reach the summit. And he didn’t get there alone.
Just hours after “Seven” was announced as not only the No. 1 song in America but also the world, I spoke with both Andrew Watt and Cirkut, the producers of the smash and two of the five writers alongside Jon Bellion, Theron Thomas, and rapper and featured artist Latto. Unsurprisingly, they were thrilled with the instant success of the single.
“It feels amazing, man,” Watt commented during the interview, adding, “It never gets old.” Cirkut was also humbled by the widespread appeal of the tune, saying, “I feel very blessed and grateful.” Watt and Cirkut have an impressive track record of writing top 10 hit singles, and "Seven" appears to be Cirkut’s tenth song to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100, as he’s reached the summit alongside Kesha, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus. Watt, too, has had a hand in writing and producing chart-toppers for various artists such as Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello and Justin Bieber.
The two producers and songwriters admitted that while “Seven” had only been out for a little over a week, it was not new to them. The music was actually created more than a year ago when Watt and Cirkut came together for the first time to work.
After the music was made, based on U.K. garage influences that Watt and Cirkut were enjoying at the time, it was handed off to two of the other songwriters. Bellion and Thomas wrote lyrics separately, and then they "collaged it together," according to Cirkut, creating the now-massive track. “[We] picked out the best parts of each and created something out of it,” he admitted. Once the lyrics and music were completed, they all played it for their teams, and Jung Kook's name came up.
“Scooter was the one that actually said this could be the biggest song in the world if Jung Kook sings it,” Grammy winner Watt explained when asked how “Seven” found its way to the BTS star. He is referring to Scoot Braun, the music industry mogul who is now the CEO of Hybe America, which counts Jung Kook as one of its artists. The song was sent to the team at the label, and everyone loved it, including the BTS star himself.
While it took at least a year for “Seven” to exist in its simplest form, once it was decided that it would go to Jung Kook, things moved fast. He flew to LA to record his vocals with Watt and Cirkut, and his part was done only about a month ago. Both producers were aware of Jung Kook's success with BTS, but they were still blown away by what he delivered in the studio.
“He is one of the biggest stars I've ever met,” Watt admitted, adding, “He's got so much swag, and he's so cool, down to earth, and respectful.” Cirkut echoed those compliments, calling the Grammy-nominated star “super sweet and super talented and humble.”
Recording “Seven” apparently went smoothly, despite a potential language barrier. Jung Kook's first language isn’t English, but that didn’t hinder the trio from creating something great. During their time together, “We weren't able to really say that much to each other in conversation, but through music we were having a full-on dialogue,” Watt shared.
Once “Seven” arrived, it was met with critical applause and intense interest from fans all around the world. It shot to the top of the Spotify global chart and stayed there, eventually reaching the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Global 200 chart. This kind of attention was not new to Jung Kook or the millions of fans of his work and BTS, as the musicians have become accustomed to breaking records and rising to the top whenever they drop something new. But it was still shocking to the behind-the-scenes talents.
“The fan base is absolutely rabid,” Cirkut said about the reception from the singer’s followers, as well as the onslaught of comments and tags he’s received from them on social media. “It's amazing how fans of BTS and Jung Kook are just so supportive and loyal. It's just pretty crazy.” About the listeners, Watt said, simply, “There's not many fan bases like the BTS fan base.”
Now, following “Seven” debuting at No. 1 on various charts, Jung Kook is not just a member of the biggest band in the world but a hitmaker in his own right. And this sits very well with the producers who had a hand in his current globe-dominating success. “It's similar to Justin Timberlake breaking out of NSync,” Watt stated, comparing the two boy bands and the talents that emerged from them. He went on to call Jung Kook “so kind and respectful and sweet and such a hard worker” before finishing his thought by saying, “And he's a superstar, and he's now an American superstar, which is incredible.”
