Rain (entertainer)

Template:Korean stagename image Rain, Jeong Ji-Hoon born on 25 June 1982 in Seoul is a male Korean R&B and pop singer. He is well-known in East Asia, originally part of the group called Fanclub, in places such as Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China, and Thailand as a leading star of the Korean wave. He has been called the "Asian Usher" or the "Asian Justin Timberlake." In April 2006, Time magazine called him the world's second most influential entertainer.

Rain is known in Asia for his successful musical career, but recently has recieved recognition as an actor from Korean dramas Full House and '''A Love To Kill'''.

Although his stage name is an English word, in Korea, his name is pronounced as Bi (as B in the English alphabet), which is the Korean translation of the word "rain". In Japan, his name is pronounced as Pi ("ピ," as P in the English alphabet). While outside Korea and Japan, the English pronunciation Rain prevails.

In addition to Times magazine voting Bi as the second most influential artist of 2006, the magazine has also noted that Bi may do a future collaboration with P.Diddy. [This was after reviewing Bi's awesome performances in Madison Square Garden in Feb. 2006. His two concerts, "Rainy Day in New York", were sold out in a couple of days]. Bi has also met with famous people such as Tyrese from the popular North American movie, "Too Fast, Too Furious".

Discography

Bad Guy

After two years of vocal training, Rain came to the stage as a solo singer. His first album, Bad Guy, was released on May 13, 2002. Amongst the songs, "Instead of Saying Goodbye" and "Bad Guy" were the most popular.

How to Avoid the Sun

How to Avoid the Sun was released on October 16, 2003.

It's Raining

His most recent album, It's Raining, was released on October 10, 2004.

Track list

하고 싶었던 말 (Words I wanted to say)
It's Raining
I Do
지운얼굴 (The face I erased)
11 Days
Quiz
My Groove
Nan (Me)
Biggest Thing
Wanna Talk
But I Love You
Chajayo (I'm Searching)
No No No
To You
I Love You
(extra) Making of "It's Raining"

Sad Tango

Single album, Sad Tango, was released in Japan on January 25, 2006.

Go Forward

Single album, Go Forward, was released on April 28, 2006.

Free Way

Rain's second Japanese single to be released later in 2006

Television Dramas

Sangdoo, Let's Go To School (2003) had good ratings but Full House (2004), in which he costarred with Song Hye Gyo, would be much more popular, achieving a viewer rating over 40%. The story is based on a manwha about a girl who marries an actor while trying to get back her house. In his most recent and most popular drama, A Love To Kill (2005), Rain portrays a man who works as a bodyguard for a famous actress to take revenge on her for putting his brother into a vegetative state. He has been in Banjun Drama, very short dramas in which the plot gives you a twist at the end. He was also in the drama Orange (2002 SBS Sitcom).

Awards

Years	Awards
2002	KBS Award M.NET Male Artist Award KMTV New Male artist MBC Top 10 Artist Award New Artist Golden Disc Award SBS New Male Performer of the Year Award
2003	M.NET Male Artist Award KMTV Male Artist Award MBC Top 10 Artist Award KBS Male Artist Award SBS Male Performer of the Year Award KBS Rookie, Popularity, Best couple, Netizen actor Award of the Year
2004	KBS Best Actor Award MBC Top 10 Artist Award KBS Artist of the Year SBS Male Performer of the Year Award Popularity Award of TV Part (The Bak Sang Arts Grand Award)
2005	MTV ASIA AID Male Performer Award MTV Korea Channel [V] Best Single Award MTV Japan Best Buzz Asia Award MTV China-CCTV Mandarin Music Honors Award Best Star KBS Drama "This Love I Want To Kill" or "이 죽일놈의 사랑" [1]

Fan Facts

Height: 184cm
Weight: 74kg
Blood Type: O
Nickname: puppy (Collie)
Debut: April 28, 2002
Family Relation: Father and Little Sister (Mother died when he was 18)
Favorite Colors: White, Black and Red
Favorite Genre: R & B, Hip Hop, Funky, Jazz
Favorite Actors: Charlie Chaplin & Han Suk-Kyu
Favorite Musicians: Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson & Usher
Hobbies: Watching movies, listening to music, collecting shoes and caps
Favorite Sports: Basketball, swimming, snowboarding
Favorite Motto: Endless effort, Endless endurance, Endless modesty

News

Rain is the first Korean performer honored as one of the 100 most influential people who shape our world [2] by Time Magazine.

Superstar Rain headed to New York and walked down the red carpet at the Lincoln Center to attend the Time 100 party [3]on Monday, May 8 2006 where he was given a commemorative medal.

Rain is becoming more and more popular, and is now at the level of an international star. He will make his official debut in the United States in October 2006.
On May 29, 2005, Rain was invited to the MTV Japan Awards as a performing artist in Tokyo, Japan. He is the only non-Japanese Asian singer to perform at the show. Other international guest artists included American singers Ashanti, and Mariah Carey. He performed the title song from his latest album, It's Raining.
On July 1, 2005, Rain held his third album showcase and press conference in Beijing, China. He also performed at various mini concerts in Hong Kong on July 3-5. Thousands of fans swamped the Hong Kong International Airport to greet him. His popularity in Hong Kong and China has soared since the KBS series "Full House", starring the artist, aired in that country.
Rain has been invited to perform at the pre-match show of the game between the English premier league team Manchester United and Japan’s Kashima Antlers on July 28 at 7 p.m. at the Tokyo Yoyoki National Stadium.
Rain held his first solo concerts in Japan, entitled "Rain Day In Japan," on July 30-31, 2005 at the Tokyo International Forum, Aug. 3-4, 2005 at the Osaka Pension Hall and an encore concert held in Budokan, Tokyo.
Rain held his first solo concerts which sold out within a few days in the United States, entitled "Rainy Day in New York," on February 2-3, 2006 at the Madison Square Garden, New York. Both nights were sold out and Rain was the subject of a profile in the January 28th New York Times and his performance at the Madison Square Garden was also reviewed by the New York Times. The review also noted possible future collaboration with Sean Combs.
In March of 2006, it was announced that Rain was to make his film debut in the movie "I'm a Cyborg, But It's Okay" (Saibogujiman Kwenchana). Filming has already begun and the movie is said to be released in about December.
In early May of 2006, Rain was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine.

References

External links