Rain (entertainer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rain
비
Rain in 2019
Born	Jung Ji-hoon (1982-06-25) June 25, 1982 (age 43) Seosan, South Korea
Other names	Bi Rain B.Ryong
Occupation	Singer songwriter dancer record producer actor
Years active	1998–2000 2002–present
Agent	Sublime
Spouse(s)	Kim Tae-hee ​ (m. 2017)​
Children	2
Musical career
Also known as	Bi
Genres	K-pop R&B
Instruments	Vocals piano guitar
Labels	JYP J. Tune WME Cube R.A.I.N. Company
Associated acts	FanClub MBLAQ JYP JYP Nation SSAK3 Ciipher
Korean name
Hangul	정지훈
Hanja	鄭智薰
RR	Jeong Jihun
MR	Chŏng Chihun
Stage name
Hangul	비
RR	Bi
MR	Pi
Signature

Jung Ji-hoon (Hangul: 정지훈), known professionally as Rain or Bi (비; ['piː]), is a famous South Korean singer, songwriter, dancer, actor, and record producer. He was born on June 25, 1982. Rain has released seven music albums and many singles. He has also performed in concerts all over the world.

Rain became very popular with his third Korean album, It's Raining, released in 2004. The album sold over 200,000 copies in South Korea and a million copies across Asia. This success made Rain an international star.

He started acting in 2003 in the drama Sang Doo! Let's Go To School. His main role in the popular drama Full House (2004) made him a big star in the Hallyu wave (Korean Wave). In 2008, Rain acted in his first Hollywood movie, Speed Racer. He then starred in Ninja Assassin (2009), which helped him become the first Korean to win an MTV Movie Award. Rain has also started his own entertainment companies, including J. Tune Entertainment and R.A.I.N. Company.

Rain has won many awards for his music and acting. These include six Mnet Asian Music Awards and nine KBS Drama Awards. In 2006 and 2011, Time magazine named him one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."

Early Life and Training

Rain was born Jung Ji-hoon on June 25, 1982, in Seosan, South Korea. His mother passed away in December 2000. In the same year, Rain began training with JYP Entertainment, a company led by the famous producer Park Jin-young.

Rain shared in interviews that he was often turned down at auditions because of his looks. He said, "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, Park Jin-young saw Rain's strong determination and hard work. Rain eventually joined JYP Entertainment. When he first started training, Rain was a backup dancer for other artists.

Music Career Highlights

Early Success and Asian Popularity

Rain performing in 2005.

When he was 16, Rain was part of a boy band called Fanclub. The group released two albums but did not become very famous. On May 13, 2002, Jung Ji-hoon started his solo career. He used the stage name Rain and released his first album, Bad Guy. Two songs from this album, "Bad Guy" and "Handshake," became popular.

After his first album's success, Rain released his second album, How to Avoid the Sun, on October 16, 2003. The main song, "How to Avoid the Sun," was also a big hit. From 2002 to 2003, Rain was a host for KBS's music show Music Bank.

Rain's third album, It's Raining, came out on October 8, 2004. This album made him even more popular across East and Southeast Asia. To promote it, Rain went on his first tour, the Rainy Day Tour. He performed 14 concerts in 8 different countries. The album sold over a million copies in Asia, making Rain one of the top music stars in the region.

Expanding Beyond Korea

In February 2006, Rain performed a two-day concert at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. This was the biggest concert by a Korean artist in the city at that time, with over 10,000 tickets selling out quickly. In April 2006, Time magazine included Rain in its list of "100 Most Influential People in the World."

Rain released his first Japanese album, Eternal Rain, on September 13, 2006. It reached number 14 on the Japanese music charts. After his promotions in Japan, Rain released his fourth Korean album, Rain's World, on October 14, 2006. This album was the 9th best-selling album in South Korea that year.

Before the album's release, Rain held a free concert at the Seoul World Cup Stadium for 40,000 fans. He then started his second concert tour, the Rain's Coming World Tour, in December 2006. This tour continued through 2007, with shows in Asia, Australia, the United States, and Canada. He performed two concerts in Las Vegas, Nevada, for 7,600 fans.

Rain in Bangkok 2007

In April 2007, Rain won Time Magazine's online poll for most influential people. He also made it onto People's 2007 list of the "Most Beautiful People" in the world. On May 25, 2007, Rain became the first Korean artist to hold a concert at the Tokyo Dome, attracting nearly 40,000 people. Later that year, Rain started his own company, J. Tune Entertainment, but continued to work with his mentor, Park Jin-young.

Continued Popularity and New Music

In January 2008, Rain sang the theme song for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, "Hand in Hand." He also performed at the closing ceremony in August. On October 15, 2008, Rain released his fifth Korean album, Rainism. The album included the hit song "Love Story."

In October 2009, Rain began his third concert tour, The Legend of Rainism Tour. He performed in Seoul and various parts of Asia, including Las Vegas. On April 6, 2010, Rain released a special mini-album called Back to the Basic, which featured the songs "Love Song" and "Hip Song." Rain topped the Time 100 reader's poll again.

Rain at Sepang International Circuit F1 2011 post-party concert, Malaysia

In 2011, Rain was at the top of the Time 100 poll for the third time. Before starting his mandatory military service, Rain went on a farewell tour called The Best Show Tour. This tour included his first concerts across South Korea.

Recent Music and Collaborations

On September 17, 2013, Rain signed with Cube DC, a part of Cube Entertainment. After this, he went on his first tour since leaving the military, the 2013 Zepp Tour: Story of Rain, performing in Japan.

Rain starred in a reality show called Rain Effect, which started in December 2013. His new album, also called Rain Effect, was released on January 2, 2014. ..... In September 2015, Rain announced he was leaving Cube Entertainment. In October, he started his own company, R.A.I.N. Company.

Rain performing during The Squall World Tour in Shenzhen, 2015

From late 2015 to 2016, Rain went on his second world tour, The Squall World Tour. In December 2016, R.A.I.N. Company announced new music from Rain. He released the song "The Best Present," produced by Psy, on January 14, 2017. In October 2017, Rain became a mentor on the TV show The Unit. His album, My Life, was released on December 1, 2017.

In May 2020, Rain's 2017 song "Gang" became very popular online in South Korea. This happened after a high school student's parody dance video went viral. Rain took this new fame with good humor, which made the song even more popular. An official remix of "Gang" was released in June 2020 and quickly topped music charts.

Rain joined Mnet's reality show I-Land as a judge and mentor in June 2020. He also appeared in Zico's song "Summer Hate." In the summer of 2020, Rain formed a group called SSAK3 with Yoo Jae-suk and Lee Hyori. Their song "Beach Again" topped music charts for five weeks. SSAK3 also released other songs, including Rain's solo song "Exciting."

Rain released a new album in 2021. He worked with his mentor Park Jin-young on the song "Switch To Me," released in December 2020. Rain also collaborated with Chungha on the song "Why Don't We," which is the main song for his third EP, Pieces by Rain, released on March 3, 2021.

Acting Career Highlights

First Roles and Hallyu Fame

Rain started his acting career in the KBS drama Sang Doo! Let's Go To School (2003). The show was popular, and he won the Most Popular TV Actor award in 2004. In 2004, Rain became even more famous when he starred with Song Hye-kyo in the romantic comedy Full House. This show was a huge hit, with very high viewership ratings. It was shown in many parts of Asia and the United States, making Rain a major Hallyu (Korean Wave) star. He won the Best Actor award at the KBS Drama Awards for his role.

Rain then starred in the action romance drama A Love to Kill. In 2006, Rain made his first movie appearance in the romantic comedy I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK. This film won an award at the 57th Berlin International Film Festival. Rain won the Best New Actor award for his performance.

Hollywood Movies

In 2008, Rain acted in his first English-language film, Speed Racer, directed by the Wachowskis. He played the character Taejo Togokahn. He then took on a main role in Ninja Assassin (2009), playing Raizo. For this role, Rain trained for six hours a day for six months. .....

In 2010, Rain returned to TV in the KBS action drama The Fugitive: Plan B. He played a clever private investigator. This was followed by a main role in the aviation film R2B: Return to Base, released in August 2012. In 2013, Rain appeared in the film The Prince alongside actors like Bruce Willis. The movie was released in 2014.

Success in China and Korean Comebacks

Rain at the premiere for Hot Young Bloods in January 2014

Rain returned to Korean TV in 2014 with the musical drama My Lovely Girl on SBS. He also starred in a Chinese romance film, For Love or Money, which was his first Chinese movie.

In December 2014, Rain began filming his first Chinese drama, Diamond Lover. This drama became very successful, getting high ratings and over 3.3 billion views online. Rain then starred in the SBS drama Come Back Mister, which aired in February 2016. In May 2016, Rain was cast in the Chinese drama Endless August.

In March 2017, Rain was cast in the movie Uhm Bok-dong, based on a true story. He played the real-life cyclist hero Uhm Bok-dong. In 2018, Rain was cast as a detective in the JTBC action drama Sketch. In 2019, he starred in the MBC drama Welcome 2 Life. In 2022, Rain starred in the TVN drama Ghost Doctor with Kim Bum.

Other Activities

Six to Five Clothing Line

Six to Five was Rain's first clothing line, as he had always dreamed of being a fashion designer. It launched on December 23, 2008, with a special fashion show and concert. He designed and modeled the clothes himself. The name "Six To Five" means having an extra sense beyond the usual five. It also represents his birth date, June 25. The clothing line was stopped by the end of 2010.

J. Tune Entertainment

In November 2007, Rain announced he had left JYP Entertainment to start his own company, J. Tune Entertainment. He was the CEO but kept in touch with his mentor, Park Jin Young. J. Tune Entertainment's part-company, J. Tune Camp, launched the boy group MBLAQ in October 2009. Rain actively helped with MBLAQ's music, including composing, writing, producing, and choreographing their dances.

In December 2010, J. Tune Entertainment merged with JYP Entertainment. JYP Entertainment became the biggest owner in J. Tune Entertainment, which was seen as a partnership between the two companies.

R.A.I.N. Company

On September 7, 2015, Rain announced he would not renew his contract with Cube Entertainment. He then created his own one-man agency, R.A.I.N. Company. His activities in China are managed by H Entertainment, and his American agency is WME. His music is handled by his long-time manager, and his acting by another manager.

On December 12, 2020, Rain announced he would debut a new boy group called Ciipher in 2021. The group has 7 trainees chosen by Rain himself. Many of them had appeared on survival shows before.

Helping Others

From 2005 to 2007, Rain donated money to build 50 drinking water wells and playgrounds in Cambodia. He has supported causes for children, helping to find adoptive parents for kids in need. He also donated part of his concert earnings to children orphaned by AIDS. Rain was named a World Vision HIV/AIDS Ambassador for his work.

In recent years, Rain has supported environmental protection. He volunteered to help clean up the Taean oil spill in 2008 and donated money for clean water and clothes for the people affected. ..... He has performed at many concerts for charity. On May 5, 2022, Rain donated 100 million won to the G-Foundation for Children's Day.

Personal Life

Military Service

Rain completed his mandatory military service from October 2011 to July 2013. He was recognized as a top marksman and chosen as an assistant instructor. He was also appointed a promotional ambassador by the Military Manpower Administration.

Marriage and Family

In January 2013, Rain confirmed he was dating actress Kim Tae-hee. This led to an investigation into whether his dating had broken military rules during his service. In 2014, he was baptized as a Catholic, the same religion as his wife. The couple married on January 19, 2017, after dating for five years.

Kim Tae-hee gave birth to their first child on October 25, 2017. Their second child was born on September 19, 2019.

Music Albums

• Bad Guy (2002)
• How to Avoid the Sun (2003)
• It's Raining (2004)
• Eternal Rain (2006)
• Rain's World (2006)
• Rainism (2008)
• Rain Effect (2014)

Concert Tours

World Tours

• Rainy Day Tour (2005–2006)
• Rain's Coming World Tour (2006–2007)
• Legend of Rainism Tour (2009–2010)

Asia Tours

• Rain Loves Japan Zepp Tour (2010)
• The Best Show Tour (2011)
• Story of Rain: 2013 Rain Zepp Tour (2013)
• Rain Effect China Concert Series (2014)
• The Squall World Tour (2015–2016)

Filmography

Movies

TV Shows

Web Series

TV Appearances

Documentaries

Hosting Roles

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Rain (cantante) para niños