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Justice
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Gender: 
Joined: 02 Dec 2008
Posts: 2598
Location: Munich
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 Posted:
13.06.2009 21:32 |
09 Jun 2009 - Looking Back on Seven Years of Rain
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Looking Back on Seven Years of Rain
Rewind timeback to 2002. Korea was co-hosting the FIFA World Cup with Japan andfinished fourth in the competition... wait... go back another fewmonths. It's May and a little record called "Bad Guy" was the debuttrack for (to quote one newspaper) 'rising comet Bi'.
Mr JeongJi Hoon had been under the wing of one of the pillars of the KoreanMusic industry JYP for two years. This was after being rejected byseveral companies because of his looks andneeds-a-bit-of-practice-to-make-use-of-his-talent status. Not tomention the apparent car-wreck that was his earlier efforts in a groupcalled "Fan Club".
But no, under the watchful eye of JYP, Rainswept through Korea winning every major newcomer award in his firstyear. He followed this up with forays into acting, building upexperience with "Sangdoo, Let's Go to School" and other (failed)projects. It was after his next two albums "How to Avoid the Sun" and"It’s Raining" became hits that he began building a reputation abroad,especially when he appeared in "Full House" with natural beauty SongHye Kyo in 2004.
It came as a shock for all of us when in 2007,Rain broke off from JYP and began his own rival company RainyEntertainment (later renamed J. Tune Entertainment). Maybe we shouldhave seen it coming; he always insisted that he be credited as Jeong JiHoon in his acting projects as opposed to the name that made him famouswith JYPE… perhaps he had always harboured hopes on becomingindependent from the beginning.
Having added most Asiancountries to his conquests, he's now got his sheelnoon (thread eyes)set on the West. I’d probably classify him as part of the thirdgeneration of stars attempting to win over America ("Pre-90s" followedby "GOD, HOT, SES" then "Se7en, BoA, Rain"). But without the backing ofany of the three huge names in K-Pop it will be difficult for him tomake it the US but by God, he's giving it his best shot.
So he'sbeen voted in the Time 100 and hit number one on the internet polls,he's been on The Colbert Report and he's performed in Vegas. Yet he'sstill unknown in almost all Caucasian american households, he's yet tomake an impact musically and probably most embarassingly lost his ownname as Mr Preciptation.
So what about the future? I'll behonest, I'm a genuine fan of the man for what he has achieved despiteall the troubles in his early life but he stands only a small chance ofsuccess. K-Pop is still niche and it will take more than just one man(or woman) to shift opinion... even if Perez Hilton bigs up 2NE1 andSuper Junior.
Despite all that, Ji Hoon hyung-nim has nothing tolose in the US. Whatever he does now he will establish his name with atleast the industry insiders. Rain will have links here and there withproducers and artists which will be important if he decides to pursuesuccess for J. Tune Entertainment more than as "The Rain".
Infact, with his production and acting ambitions, he could be asignificant force in Korea for helping acts cross the Pacific. He mightnot become the “World Star” that Korea has crowned him but he, likeothers before him, will set the precedent and lay the foundations forK-Pop to truly become part of mainstream Western entertainment. I wishhim all the very best, especially with his first major role in NinjaAssassin in November.
Source: Seoulbeats
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13.06.2009 21:32 |
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