Quick Facts
Biography
Jung Ji-hoon (Hangul: 정지훈; Hanja: 鄭智薰, born June 25, 1982), better known by his stage name Rain (Korean 비 IPA ['piː]), is a South Korean singer-songwriter, actor, and music producer.
Rain's musical career includes seven albums (six Korean, one Japanese), 28 singles and numerous concert tours around the world. He first achieved breakthrough success with his third Korean album, It's Raining (2004), which spawned the number one single of the same name. The album sold a million copies in Asia, and established Rain as an international star.
Rain made his acting debut in the 2003 drama Sang Doo! Let's Go To School. His lead role in the pan-Asia hit drama Full House (2004) established his status as a Hallyu star. In 2008, Rain made his Hollywood debut in the film Speed Racer and starred in Ninja Assassin (2009), the latter of which made him the first Korean to win an MTV award.
In 2015, Rain set up his own company, R.A.I.N. Company.
Early life
Rain lost his mother as she struggled with diabetes and died in December 2000. Within that same year, Rain was recruited as a trainee for JYP Entertainment, led by recording artist and producer Park Jin-young. In a CNN interview and also in a Discovery Channel documentary called Discovering Hip Korea, he recalled being repeatedly rejected because of his looks: "In fact, I was told after one audition that my singing and dancing was great but I did not make it because I did not have double eyelids." However, he finally got in as producer Park Jin-young saw his drive and persistence. During the early years of training, Rain was a backup dancer.
Singing career
1998–2000: Debut in boy band Fanclub
Jung Ji-hoon was 16 years old when he debuted as a member of a boy band called Fanclub (팬클럽). The band did not garner much attention, though they released two albums.
2002–06: Debut as solo singer and Pan-Asia success
In 2002, Jung debuted as a solo singer with his first solo album titled Bad Guy where he was introduced to the media through his stage name, Rain. Two singles were released from the album - the eponymous title track "Bad Guy" and "Handshake". Following the success of his debut, Rain released his second album, Rain 2 with the lead single "Ways to Avoid the Sun". From 2003-2004, he became a host for KBS's Music Bank.
Rain then released his third album, It's Raining, which topped music charts in Korea as well as throughout Asia. To promote the release, Rain then embarked on his first concert, Rainy Day 2005 Tour, which spanned a total of 14 concerts in 8 countries. The album went on to sell over a million copies in Asia, cementing Rain's position as one of the region's top musical acts.
2006–07: Expansion outside Korea
Asia
Rain released his first Japanese album, Eternal Rain on September 13, 2006. He held his first Japanese solo concert, Rainy Day Japan. Tickets to the concert were sold out 30 seconds after going on sale at the Tokyo International Forum. This was followed up by the release of his fourth album, Rain's World, which also sold over a million copies in Asia and further established him as one of the top musical acts in Southeast Asia. The success of the album lead to a repackage album, which was released 2 months later.
The Rain's Coming World Tour began on December 15, 2006 at Seoul Olympic Stadium in Seoul and was scheduled to continue through 2007 to various parts of Asia, Australia, United States, and Canada. His tour incorporated the talents of producers and stage designers (such as Jamie King and Roy Bennett) who have been involved with the concert tours of other artists such as U2, Michael Jackson, Ricky Martin, Madonna, Britney Spears, and The Rolling Stones. Ticket sales were expected to be over US$100 million.
On May 25, 2007, Rain became the first Korean star to perform at the Tokyo Dome. The concert attracted nearly 55,000 people.
In 2007, Rain left the management of JYP Entertainment to start his own company, J. Tune Entertainment, but still retains collaborative relationship with Park Jin-young.
United States
In April 2006, Rain was mentioned by Time magazine which listed him as one of the "100 Most Influential People Who Shape Our World." In 2007, Rain topped Time Magazine's online user poll, defeating Stephen Colbert by 100,000 votes; Colbert jokingly retaliated by producing a parody of Rain's music video for "Ways to Avoid the Sun" called "He's Singin' In Korean", and challenged Rain to a dance-off or a "cuddle-off", or a "spoon-off". On May 5, 2008, Rain appeared in a surprise guest segment at the end of The Colbert Report, and proceeded to engage Colbert in a dance-off on a Dance Dance Revolution machine. He also made it into People's 2007 list of the "Most Beautiful People" in the world. In a press release, Rain stated that he was honored to be on the list, and also noted that it will be a great boost to his efforts to raise his public awareness in the United States.
Rain's concerts in the United States were also well received. His two-day concert, Rainy Day New York, held at the Madison Square Garden, were sold out within a matter of days. The concert was marketed and promoted by the Asian concert production company Rainstone Live. Rain also performed two concert dates in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 23–24, 2006; held at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
2008–12: Rainism, Back to the Basic and continued popularity
On October 16, 2008, Rain released his fifth Korean album, Rainism, which spawned the number one hit single "Love Story". The music video for "Love Story" featured Korean actress Ha Ji-won. A second single, titled "Rainisim", was subsequently released. On November 24, 2008, the Commission of Youth Protection deemed the album inappropriate for people under 19 years old because the lyrics in the song "Rainism" were considered problematic due to their phallic and sexual references. Rain re-released a "clean version" of "Rainism" shortly after, but instead of changing the original album's contents, he labeled a sticker that deemed "Rainism" inappropriate for those under 19 years old.
In October 2009, in support of his fifth album Rainism, Rain kicked off his Asian tour, The Legend of Rainism Tour with two shows at Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul on October 9 and 10. It continued with concerts in various parts of Asia and concluded at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 24–25, 2009.
On April 6, 2010, Rain released a special mini-album titled Back to the Basic, including the singles "Love Song" starring Han Ye-seul in the music video as well as "Hip Song". Once again, Rain topped Time Magazine's TIME 100 poll. In October, Rain represented Korea and performed at the 7th Asia Song Festival, organised by Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange, at the Seoul Olympic Stadium.
The following year, Rain made his third appearance in the TIME 100 poll. Time describes his win as "The South Korean pop star turned actor Rain, 28, took the top spot in the TIME 100 reader poll for the third year, trouncing competitors from Barack Obama to Lady Gaga. That's pretty impressive online power for a guy whose main claim to Western fame is a role in the 2009 film Ninja Assassin."
Along with the TIME honor, Rain went on a farewell tour, The Best Show Tour, before his 21-month compulsory military service. The tour spanned Southeast Asia including his first tour dates throughout South Korea.
2013–2014: CUBE Entertainment and Rain Effect
On September 17, it was officially announced that Rain signed with Cube DC, a sub-label of Cube Entertainment. After signing with Cube DC, it was announced Rain would be going on his first tour since his discharge. The 2013 Zepp Tour: Story of Rain saw Rain perform 10 dates in four cities in Japan over a few dates in November.
His first official public appearance since leaving the military occurred during MCM's store opening in Singapore at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands followed by the BAZAAR Men Style People of The Year Award Ceremony in Beijing, China. In October, Rain held his first fan meeting since his discharge in Seoul. While on tour, Rain delivered a special performance at the 2013 MAMA, where a trailer teasing an upcoming reality show and new album was revealed.
As a precursor to his new album, Rain starred in a reality show Rain Effect, which premiered on December 19. The new album, titled Rain Effect, was released on January 2, 2014 with music videos for double title tracks, "30 Sexy" and "La Song".
2015–present: R.A.I.N. Company, The Squall Tour and Upcoming Album
On September 7, 2015, Rain announced through his Facebook page that he and the CEO came to a mutual decision to not renew his contract with Cube Entertainment. After parting ways with Cube, on October 11, 2015, he announced through his official website that he had created his own one-man agency with the aid of his longtime manager and other entertainment figures.
Rain announced that he would be embarking on another world tour. The tour, titled The Squall, starts from China and South Korea, with the potential to expand into Japan, Europe and America.
On December 12, 2016, RAIN Company announced that Rain would release a new album in 2017 with a series of promotional activities to accompany his musical comeback.
On January 14, 2017, Rain made his comeback with the single "The Best Present", produced by Psy.
Acting career
2003–2006: Acting debut and Hallyu fame
Rain made his television debut in the KBS drama, Sang Doo! Let's Go To School (2003). The drama achieved good ratings and he won the Most Popular TV Actor award at the 2004 Baeksang Arts Awards.
In 2004, Rain's popularity continued to climb when starred alongside Song Hye-kyo in the hit romantic comedy series Full House, which drew solid viewership ratings nationwide throughout its run with a peak viewer rating of 42.7 percent. The series was broadcast in various parts of Asia as well as the United States, garnering much popularity and establishing Rain as a Hallyu star. His performance in the drama won him the Best Actor award at the KBS Drama Awards. Rain next starred in A Love to Kill opposite Shin Min-ah.
In 2006, Rain made his big-screen debut in romantic comedy film I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK, directed by Park Chan-wook. The film won the Alfred Bauer Award at the 57th Berlin International Film Festival, and was selected as the opening film for the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Rain was nominated for and won the Best New Actor award at the 43rd Baeksang Arts Awards.
2008–2013: Hollywood ventures
In 2008, he starred in his first American film, the Wachowskis-directed Speed Racer, where he played Racer Taejo Togokahn. He then made his starring role debut in Ninja Assassin (2009), as the main character Raizo. Ninja Assassin was directed by James McTeigue, and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowskis. The project was inspired by the ninja scenes featured from Speed Racer, in which Rain had impressed the Wachowskis with his portrayal as a fighter. With Ninja Assassin, Rain became the first Korean-born actor to play a main character in a Hollywood movie. He won the Biggest Badass award at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards for his performance.
In 2010, Rain returned to the small screen after 5 years with KBS action drama The Fugitive: Plan B, in which he plays a young, rich and cunning Korean private investigator. At a press conference for The Fugitive: Plan B on September 27, 2010, Rain stated that he decided to hold off on his military service until 2011 to study for his master's degree. This was followed by a leading role in the aviation film R2B: Return to Base, which was released in August 2012 to much fanfare. Rain made a surprise appearance at a special event for the film.
In 2013, it was announced that Rain would appear alongside Bruce Willis, Jason Patric, and John Cusack in the film The Prince. Filming for the movie took place in the United States as well as New Orleans. The film premiered in select theaters in 2014, and was also released as video on demand.
2014–2016: Success in China
Rain made his small-screen comeback after four years in SBS's musical drama My Lovely Girl (2014), opposite Krystal of f(x). He also starred in a Chinese romantic film For Love or Money with Liu Yifei. The film, which is Rain's Chinese film debut, premiered in November 2014.
In December 2014, Rain started filming for his first Chinese drama Diamond Lover, co-starring Tiffany Tang. Besides the Chinese cities Shanghai and Nanjing, filming for the drama also took place in Belgium and Korea. Due to his popularity, it is said that Rain received nearly US$5.4 million for his role in Diamond Lover. The drama premiered in July 2015 and achieved huge success, earning high ratings throughout its 24-episode run.
Rain next starred in the SBS drama Please Come Back, Mister, which began airing in February 2016. On May 2016, Rain is cast alongside Victoria Song in the Chinese drama Endless August.
2017-present: Comeback
In March 2017, Rain was cast in the movie Uhm Bok-dong based on a true story that took place during the Japanese colonial rule. He will star as the real-life cyclist hero Uhm Bok-dong alongside Kang So-ra.
Artistry and image
Music
Styles, lyrics and themes
Since his debut, Rain has primarily been influenced by R&B and pop with "Bad Guy" and "How to Avoid the Sun" being categorized as the former while "Cassiopeia" and "Lack of Space" are closer to the latter. By the release of It's Raining, Rain, along with Park Jin-young, began incorporating hip hop into his sound beginning with the title track.
Early in his career, most of Rain's material was handled by JYP for many years along with other songwriters and sometimes, Rain. After departing JYP Entertainment, Rain began writing more of his material with other songwriters on J. Tune Entertainment. Thematically, many of Rain's songs deal with the subjects of love and heartbreak in the case of "I Do" and "Love Story." On some occasions, it can be personal ("Can't Get Used to It", "My Way"), hedonistic ("Rainism", "Touch Ya"), or celebratory ("Hip Song", "Free Way").
Voice type
Rain's vocal range can be classified in the tenor range. His voice can be described as smooth yet huskyin songs such as "Love Story", "Love Song", "Nan" and "I Do." Having been influenced by American R&B, he uses both vibrato and falsetto in many of his songs as well as incorporating rapping into songs like "What's Love." Rain maintains strong stance against lipsyncing during his live performances.
Influences
In terms of singing and dancing, Rain has been influenced by Michael Jackson, Usher and Justin Timberlake.
Image
Rain is considered a 'world star' due to his popularity, not only in South Korea and Japan, but throughout Asia, Europe and North America with fans in countries like China, Singapore, Thailand, Canada and United States. Much of his popularity is attributed to his various acting roles (varying from television like Full House to indie films like I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK to blockbusters like Ninja Assassin). Before landing his role in Speed Racer, he had expressed the desire to expand beyond the Asian market when he stated in an interview, "The reason I am active in Japan, Hong Kong, China and around Asia is that I want to succeed here and then go even more international...I would really like to see, is a top Asian artist emerge strongly from the Asian market, and then go on to succeed in the U.S. market."
Rain's appeal to all demographics has made him one of Korea's highest paid celebrities by endorsers with an asking price of $1 – 1.5 million USD per endorsement. Over the years, he endorsed brands such as Hyundai, Lotte, KB Card, Pizza Hut, Thailand dairy company Dutch Mill, Chinese pastry Fu Mu Cakes, Pantech, LG Electronics, SK Telecom and Pepsi. Rain has even done songs to tie-in with endorsement deals. "Still Believe" was used as both an ad and a music video for BMW Korea's "Meet the Truth" campaign with appearances by Rain as well as JYP. "Memory in My Hand" and "Any Dream" were used in campaigns for Pantech and Samsung, respectively, in China.
With his booming popularity throughout the world, he has been deemed a "cultural ambassador" as he has represented South Korea in inter-Asian musical events and has appeared in a Thai published textbook.
Other activities
Six to Five
Six to Five was Rain's first clothing line, since it also was his dream to become a fashion designer. It was launched on December 23, 2008 and was followed by a "fashion show–launch party–mini-concert" to introduce "Six to Five". Many stars came to support him, such as Lee Hyori, Kim Sun-a, Chae Rim and Girls' Generation's Seohyun. He designed and modeled for the clothing. The label "Six To Five" is described by Rain as the idea of having an extra sense (i.e. from five senses to six). This label name also is said to represent his birth date, 6/25. The line was discontinued and the online mall closed by the end of 2010.
J. Tune Entertainment
In November 2007, Rain told the Korean media that he had left JYP Entertainment and started his own entertainment company, J. Tune Entertainment (formerly known as Rainy Entertainment). He was scheduled to be CEO of the company, but told the media that he still kept in touch with his mentor and long-time trainer Park Jin Young. J. Tune Entertainment's subsidiary, J. Tune Camp debuted MBLAQ, an all-boy group, in October 2009. Rain actively participates in MBLAQ's music, either composing, writing, producing or choreographing dance routines.
In December 2010, Park Jin-Young announced that J. Tune Entertainment would be merged with JYP Entertainment. It has become the largest shareholder in J. Tune Entertainment, and it is viewed as a strategic alliance between the two companies.
R.A.I.N. Company
On September 7, 2015, Rain announced through his Facebook page that he had decided to not renew his contract with Cube Entertainment. After much speculation due to his departure from Cube, Rain's official website announced he had created his own one-man agency. In setting up the agency on a U.S.-based system, his Chinese activities will be managed by H Entertainment and Jason Jang while his American agency will still be WME. His music activities will be handled by longtime manager Kim Yong Bae while his acting venture will handled by Park Jong Sun. In the near future, the agency will focus on finding talented rookies and recruiting stars.
Humanitarian work
From 2005 to 2007, Rain donated money to have 50 drinking water wells and playgrounds built in Cambodia. He began taking up causes related to children by participating in the Love Photography Exhibition to help find adoptive parents for children in government care, donating a percent of his 2006 and 2007 World Tour concert proceeds to children orphaned by AIDS and participating in the Green Ribbon Hope Walking Campaign to raise funds for prevention and to help find missing children. Due to his work, he was appointed World Vision HIV/AIDS Ambassador. In recent years, Rain has been an advocate for environmental protection going as far as to volunteer in the Taean oil spill cleanup and donate 300 million won for clean water and clothing for the residents in 2008. In 2009, Rain was involved with MTV EXIT, a campaign against human trafficking in Asia. Over the years, he has performed at concerts for various charitable causes.
Legal issues
On his World 2007 tour, his scheduled concerts in Shanghai, Toronto, San Francisco, and Hawaii were cancelled, followed by the last concert in Los Angeles. The last event at the Staples Center was canceled only two hours prior to opening: Rain's producer blamed the situation on financial problems of the local promoter, while the local promoter blamed Wellmade STAR M calling them too "incompetent to handle the situation."
On March 19, 2009, a federal jury in Honolulu found that Rain, his former management agency JYP Entertainment, and two other promotion companies were guilty of breaching a contract and defrauding Honolulu promoter Click Entertainment for $2 million (originally just over $1 million) after the Hawaii concert was canceled and the promoters were not refunded the $500,000 licensing fee. Rain and JYP were ordered to pay $2.4 million each in punitive damages, $1 million for damages related to the fraud, and $2.3 million for breach of contract.
A separate lawsuit filed by promoters Wellmade STAR M was dismissed by a South Korean court on January 28, 2010. Judge Bae Kwang-Kuk ruled in favor of Rain and blamed the plaintiff for poor preparations surrounding the cancelled U.S. tour.
In April 2010, Rain and other J. Tune Creative shareholders were accused of embezzling money from the company by a fabric manufacturing company. The company claimed they suffered financial losses. Rain and the shareholders were acquitted of the charges in December of that year. He was re investigated in April 2011 after a discrepancy was found, but was later acquitted again in June 2013.
Personal life
Rain fulfilled his mandatory military service from October 2011 until July 2013. In January 2013, Rain confirmed that he was dating actress Kim Tae-hee, which then caused an investigation into whether his dating had broken military rules during his mandatory military service.
Rain and Kim were married on January 19, 2017 after five years of dating. He became a baptized Catholic in 2014. On May 23, it was announced by Kim's agency Lua Entertainment that she is currently 15 weeks pregnant.
Discography
Tours
- 2005: Rainy Day Tour
- 2006/07: Rain's Coming World Tour
- 2009/10: The Legend of Rainism Tour
- 2010: Rain Loves Japan Zepp Tour
- 2011: The Best Show Tour
- 2012/13: Army Concert Series (Consoltary Train)
- 2013: Story of Rain: 2013 Rain Zepp Tour
- 2014: Rain Effect China Concert Series (7 Concert)
- 2015/16 The Squall World Tour
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK | Park Il-sun | |
| 2008 | Speed Racer | Taejo Togokahn | |
| 2009 | Ninja Assassin | Raizo | |
| 2012 | R2B: Return to Base | Jung Tae-yoon | |
| 2014 | The Prince | Mark | |
| For Love or Money | Shui Changshun | ||
| 2017 | Uhm Bok-dong | Uhm Bok-dong |
Television
| Year | Title | Network | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The King of Disco | SBS | Himself | Parody of the film King of Disco |
| Orange | SBS | Himself | Recurring role | |
| 2003 | Run Ma Ma | KBS | Himself | Guest role |
| Sang Doo! Let's Go to School | KBS | Cha Sang-doo | ||
| 2004 | Full House | KBS | Lee Young-jae | |
| Old Miss Diary | KBS2 | Himself | Cameo | |
| 2005 | Banjun Drama | SBS | Himself | 4 episodes |
| A Love to Kill | KBS | Kang Bok-gu | ||
| 2010 | The Fugitive: Plan B | KBS2 | Ji-woo | |
| 2014 | My Lovely Girl | SBS | Hyun Wook | |
| 2015 | Diamond Lover | JZTV | Xiao Liang | |
| 2016 | Please Come Back, Mister | SBS | Lee Hae-joon/Kim Young-soo | |
| 2017 | Endless August | Qiao |
Television shows
| Year | Title | Network | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-2004 | Music Bank | KBS | Host | |
| 2002-2003 | Soulmate | KBS | Host | with Kang Ho-dong |
| 2017 | The Unit | KBS | Mentor |
Documentaries and specials
| Year | Network | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | CNN International | TalkAsia | Himself | Guest |
| 2008 | MBC | Rain Comeback Special Showcase: I. Rain. Dance.=My Secret Dance Teacher | Comeback special for Rainism | |
| Rain Comeback Special: Here Comes Rain | TV documentary | |||
| Shin Hae-Cheol's Special Edition | Special interview | |||
| 2008-2010 | Rainy Day Japan | Mnet Japan | Reality show | |
| 2009 | Mnet | Legend of Rain | TV documentary | |
| MBC | S Diary | TV documentary | ||
| Discovery Channel Korea | Hip Korea | TV documentary | ||
| Olive TV | Rain's Camp | TV documentary | ||
| Mnet Japan | Rain CM Diary | TV documentary | ||
| Olive TV | Rain on Trip | TV documentary | ||
| CNN International | TalkAsia | Guest | ||
| 2010 | Mnet Japan | I Love Rain | TV documentary | |
| 2014 | Mnet | RAIN EFFECT | Comeback special for Rain Effect |