Jeon Jungkook, the youngest member of the hit K-pop boy band BTS, performed at the opening performance of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, later accompanied by Qatari singer and producer Fahad Al Kubaisi. Jungkook made his BTS debut on June 12, 2013, with the release of the group’s album “2 Cool 4 Skool.” Dubbed by BTS’s fanbase ARMY as the “Golden Maknae,” Jungkook is known by many to be a genius, with his talents spanning many artistic endeavors, including dancing, rapping, singing, producing, and more.
The opening ceremony began with a speech by American actor Morgan Freeman followed by Jungkook’s performance of “Dreamers.” Jungkook and RedOne, the track’s producer, along with Mustapha El Ouardi and Pat Devine, wrote the song. For Jungkook, his accomplishment of being the first Korean to perform at the World Cup at just 25 years old is a significant step in his ever-growing career.
The song served as a token of appreciation and celebration of the soccer teams who had made it to the World Cup. These players are the ones that reached this level of success because they had faith in their abilities. Jungkook emphasizes that it is already a major achievement to reach such a level of success, even after a team loses to another. He displays the World Cup players as motivating individuals who should be respected for their perseverance. “Dreamers” is meant to share a positive way for onlookers and players to enjoy sports together. This song, like many others by Jungkook in the past, spreads positive sentiment and encouragement.
The Arabic lyrics “ala ho la dan (الأ هو لا دان)”, which later became the World Cup chant, were one part of the music that piqued the interest of listeners Twitter users explained that it was a familiar hymn typically sung by sailors from the Arabian Gulf before their voyages began but has no direct translation. This line was used in “Dreamers” because these soccer teams had begun their voyages in the form of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Jungkook’s performance was applauded by BTS ARMY and many others. Its beauty and sense of empowerment took the internet by storm. However, that doesn’t mean the performance was absolutely flawless. The K-pop idol later disclosed that he had experienced a technical failure. His in-ear monitor was not working as well as it did during rehearsals, making it difficult for him to hear himself sing. As a professional, he handled the situation nonchalantly and continued on with the performance.
Furthermore, Jungkook faced much backlash for accepting the deal to perform in Qatar, as the state laws ban homosexuality. In addition, a report stated that many people passed away from unworkable deadlines for the construction of eight stadiums for the sporting event. While some people claim that Jungkook is not a politician and has nothing to do with what is happening in Qatar, others believe that not enough people are addressing this dispute and holding Jungkook accountable. Still, BTS ARMY came to his defense, calling this situation “fake activism.” Other stars, such as Dua Lipa and Shakira, were offered the chance to perform but turned it down to avoid controversy.
Nonetheless, fellow BTS members were quick to publicly show their support for Jungkook through various social networks. J-hope (Jung Ho-seok) was the first of the group to post about the event on Instagram. He did so by uploading a video of himself watching the opening ceremony live with “goosebumps” as the caption. Additionally, he shared a clip on the Korean app Weverse of him screaming “Jaykay,” a nickname for Jungkook, as soon as Jungkook appeared on stage. Similarly, Suga (Min Yoon-gi) reacted with a photo of himself watching the performance, captioned “LET’S GO JAEKAEEEEEEEE!”. V (Kim Taehyung) posted about him watching the opening performance with his pet dog, Yeontan. RM (Kim Namjoon) also posted about the event, and many fans assumed he was with J-hope because of the similar background in their posts. Jimin (Park Jimin) also shared a photo on Weverse that said “he’s cool” in reference to his bandmate Jungkook. Jin (Kim Seok-jin) did not publicly comment on the performance. However, that does not mean he didn’t support his fellow group member—support doesn’t need to be public to be present.
If you haven’t already, you can watch Jungkook’s full performance at the World Cup on the official Youtube channel for FIFA or BANGTANTV.