Bintang terpanas Asia saat ini tidak bisa dipungkiri adalah Rain, penyanyi/aktor sensasional K-pop. Sejak membintangi drama TV Full House, yang ditayangkan pertama kali tahun 2004, Rain pun menjadi bintang pujaan pemirsa televisi. Terlatih sebagai penari/penyanyi dan meluncurkan lagu pertama kali pada tahun 2003, ia meraih Best Buzz Asia From Korea di ajang 2005 MTV Japan Video Music Awards dan Best Korean Singer di ajang 2005 Mandarin Music Honours di Taiwan. Sebagai selebrity yang serba bisa, banyak produk menjadikan dirinya sebagai bintang iklan mereka seperti SK Communication, Samsung Digital Camera dan Lotte Chocolate. Sedangkan karirnya sebagai model catwalk dimulai dengan berjalan di panggung jalan desainer Andre Kim.

Rain pertama kali ditemukan oleh J.Y. Park, manajer ratu R&B Korea, Park Ji Yoon, ketika ia masih duduk di bangku SMA. Ia dilatih sebagai penari dan menjadi koreografer lagu hit Park Ji Yoon, Dance Under Moonlight. Dikontrak di bawah JYP Entertainment, Rain mengedarkan album pertamanya First Drop pada bulan Mei 2002. Diproduseri langsung oleh J.Y.Park dengan kolaborasi khusus bersama dengan grup Korea ternama, G.O.D dan S.E.S, musik R&B Rain yang funky dan gaya tarinya yang luwes menghasilkan respon media yang positif. First Drop secara mengagumkan menang di berbagai penghargaan musik local seperti Best New Act (SBS Song Awards), Most Favourite Artist (KBS Pop Awards), Top 10 Artist (MBC), Best New Act (Korean Pop Awards), dan Best New Act (Gold Disc Awards, m.net Music Video Awards dan KMTV Awards).

Dalan jangka waktu tiga tahun yang pendek sejak kemunculannya, Rain mengeluarkan dua album hit lagi: Rain Vol. 2 dan It’s Raining. Menebeng kesuksesan yang luar biasa dari drama serialnya di tahun 2004, Full House dan setelah menandatangani kontrak dengan Universal Music untuk teritori di luar Korea, tidak termasuk Jepang, Thailand dan China, album ketiganya meraih kesuksesan yang cukup besar di kawasan Asia. Ketika ia berkunjung ke Hong Kong untuk mempromosikan album It’s Raining pada bulan Juli 2004, sekitar 1300 penggemarnya menyambut di Airport. Di tahun 2005, ia tampil di acara social MTV Asia Aid bersama dengan jajaran artis dunia seperti Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Good Charlotte, Linkin Park, Jay Chou dan Namie Amuro. Di akhir tahun 2005, ia mengadakan beberapa konser sold out di Tokyo dan Osaka. Ia juga melakukan konser pertamanya di Hong Kong, Beijing, dan Taipei.

Rencananya di tahun 2006 terlihat akan padat. Rain membintangi drama TV, A Love To Kill, yang disiarkan di seluruh Asia di tahun 2006. Ia juga membintangi film layar lebar pertamanya dengan sutradara Korea terkenal, Park Chan Wook. Model iklan Pepsi ini juga melirik pasar Jepang dengan meluncurkan single berbahasa Jepang pertamanya, Sad Tango, secara bersamaan diedarkan pula di Hong Kong, Taiwan dan Singapura di akhir bulan Januari. Bulan Februari 2006, ia tampil di Madison Square Gardens dua hari berturut-turut dimana rapper terkenal P. Diddy sempat ikut tampil ke atas panggung sebagai tanda dukungan. Setelah itu, ia kembali ke Asia untuk tampil di Impact Arena, Bangkok.

Single keduanya, Free Way, berhasil mendudukin urutan ke-sebelas Oricon Charts. Ini membuktikan ia mempunyai tempat di hati para penikmat musik Jepang. September 2006, Rain meluncurkan album berbahasa Jepang pertamanya yang berjudul Eternal Rain. Bersama dengan gurunya, Jin Young Park dan produser Jepang, Ryousuke Imai, untuk keseluruhan material album ini, yang berisi 12 lagu berbahasa Jepang, Korea dan Inggris. Dari sisi kolaborasi vocal, ia berduet dengan penyanyi R&B jepang terkenal Ai di dalam lagu Oh Yeah.

Hanya tinggal menunggu waktunya saja Rain akan menjelma menjadi bintang internasional. Betul, sudah bisa dipastikan, sepak terjang Rain tidak bisa dihentikan dalam waktu dekat. (*)

Korean pop sensation Rain is Asia’s hottest superstar. Starring in the hit Korean TV mini-series, "Full House", which first aired around the region in 2004, the 23-year-old actor is a household heartthrob. Trained as a singer-dancer and releasing his debut song in 2002, he was crowned "Best Buzz Asia From Korea" at the 2005 Japan MTV Video Music Awards and won the "Best Korean Singer" award at the 2005 Mandarin Music Honours in Taiwan. As an all-round talented celebrity, brands to his name include SK Communication, Samsung Digital Camera and Lotte Chocolate, and his modelling stints include a catwalk show for top Korean fashion designer, Andre Kim.

Rain was first spotted by J.Y. Park, manager of Korean R&B queen Park Ji Yoon, when he was a high-school student. He trained up as a dancer and eventually became the choreographer for Park Ji Yoon's smash hit, 'Dance Under Moonlight'. Signed to JYP Entertainment, Rain released his debut album, "First Drop", in April 2002. Produced by J.Y. Park and with special collaborations with Korean supergroups G.O.D. and S.E.S., RAIN's funky R&B music and slick dance moves earned him rave reviews. "First Drop" astoundingly won a host of major music awards, including "Best New Act" (SBS Song Awards), "Most Favourite Artist" (KBS Pop Awards), "Top 10 Artist" (MBC), "Best New Act" (Korean Pop Awards) and "Best New Act" (Gold Disc Awards, m.net Music Video Awards and KMTV Awards).

In three short years since his debut, Rain released two more hit albums : "Rain Vol.2" and "It's Raining". Riding the overwhelming fame of his 2004's "Full House" TV series and after signing to Universal Music for territories outside of Korea excluding Japan, Thailand and China, his third album found insurmountable success around Asia. Even when the young star visited Hong Kong to promote "It's Raining" in July 2004, 1,300 fans greeted him at the airport. In 2005, he performed at the MTV Asia Aid charity concert, with a line-up that included Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Good Charlotte, Linkin Park, Jay Chou and Namie Amuro. In late-2005, Rain held several sold-out concerts in Tokyo and Osaka as well as his first-ever concerts in Hong Kong, Beijing and Taipei.

Plans for 2006 are already looking hectic. Rain will star in another Korean TV mini series, "A Love To Kill", due for broadcast throughout Asia in 2006. He will also star in a new movie by famous Korean director Park Chan Wook. The new image model for Pepsi has veered special focus towards the Japanese market, with his first Japanese single, 'Sad Tango', due for simultaneously release in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore at end-January. In February, Rain will perform two shows at New York's Madison Square Gardens. From there, he returns to Asia to perform at Bangkok's Impact Arena.

His second Japanese single, 'Free Way', charts into number eleven in Oricon Charts. Prove that he has a place in the heart of Japanese market. In this album, Rain collaborates with his mentor, Jin Young Park and a Japanese producer, Ryousuke Imai, for all the material in his albums, containing 12 songs of Japanese, Korean and English. In vocal collaboration wise, he does a duet with a top Japanese R&B singer Ai in a very nice and smooth song 'Oh Yeah!' So, it just a matter of time that he will go international.

Yes, for sure, the RAIN won’t stop any time soon…