Rain

Jung Ji-hoon (; born June 25, 1982), better known by his stage name Rain (Korean: 비; IPA: ['piː]), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, dancer, actor, and record producer. Rain's musical career includes seven albums (six Korean, one Japanese), 28 singles and numerous concert tours around the world. He 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. Rain has set up his own company twice, the first being J. Tune Entertainment in 2007, and R.A.I.N. Company in 2015. Rain has received numerous accolades for his work in both music and acting, including 6 Mnet Asian Music Awards, 3 Golden Disc Awards, 9 KBS Drama Awards and 2 Baeksang Arts Awards. In 2008, he was ranked 3rd among 100 leaders of the Korean entertainment industry by Sports Dong-a and was named one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2006 and 2011. Early life Rain was born as Jung Ji-hoon on June 25, 1982, in Seosan, South Korea. His mother died in December 2000 as she struggled with diabetes. In the 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." He was eventually recruited into JYP Entertainment, as Park Jin-young saw his drive and persistence. During his early years of training, Rain was a backup dancer.