To say that Rain has come a long way from his humble beginnings as a dancer for ex-producer Park Jin-young would be a gross understatement.
With two Wachowski Brothers' films under his belt -- one of which is slated for release next year -- and an international album in the works, Korean pop star Jung Ji-hoon a.k.a. Rain is well on his way to global stardom.
That does not mean he has forgotten his domestic fans. Back in town after wrapping up his upcoming flick, "Ninja Assassin," the 26-year old heartthrob dropped his latest album, "Rainism," on the nation this fall.
"'Rainism' is a neologism that combines my name, Rain, with the suffix '-ism,'" said Jung in an e-mail interview with The Korea Herald. "It means 'everything that is connected to Rain.'"
The first album to be produced off his new independent label, J. Tune Entertainment, "Rainism" hit the top of online music store Hottracks' (www.hottracks.co.kr) Korean pop charts on the third week of October, setting a successful tone to Jung's first JYP-free solo debut.
"I think that in order to see far out and beyond, and fly high, a bird must leave its nest," said Jung of his decision to go solo in 2007. "Park Jin-young is the one, that special person to whom I am very grateful, who helped me do music for the first time. My 'big brother,' Jin-young, was happy to give me advice when I told him I was leaving JYP."
Jung added that he still consults with Park of JYP Entertainment, whom he considers to be his "closest advisor." But that is as far as their relationship goes when it comes to Jung's musical career. "For this album, I was in charge of producing everything," said Jung who worked with singer-cum-producer Tae-wan a.k.a. C-luv on it. "So you could say that I was able to fully infuse it with the color and flavor that I was going for."
Rain's musical vision, however, got lost in translation when confusion ensued over two of his new singles, "Rainism" and "You." Broadcasting station MBC re-evaluated the title song, "Rainism," for its potentially racy lyrics, which read: "My magic stick, spinning in your quivering body/My body shakes, feeling that it has reached its limit."
According to a MBC program evaluation and analysis department representative, the single underwent reassessment because the lyrics that follow the words "magic stick" could lead to the assumption that "magic stick" stands for male genitalia. After re-evaluation, they allowed it to be broadcast.
Meanwhile, SBS banned Rain's new single "You" from its station for the supposedly suggestive nature of the following lyrics: "I am struck by your curves ... Please hide that ass, you are driving me crazy."
Of SBS' decision, Rain answered, "If one looks at Korean pop music lyrics, there are many instances where it is hard to differentiate between sexual and dance-related descriptions. As I stated before, the lyrics for 'Rainism' were not written with sexual intent. The same applies to 'You.'" "If I had known that those words had a sexual meaning I would not have used them," he said of his single, "Rainism."
While his lyrics may not be considered suggestive by Koreans, that may not be the case with Americans, especially for those who are familiar with Lil' Kim and 50 Cent's hit 2003 single "Magic Stick."
But that should be the least of Rain's worries when it comes to the U.S. market. Judging from his latest album, which does not seem to be a radical departure from his previous releases, Jung will need to work hard to rise to the top in a market dominated by hip-hop pioneers like Kanye West and solid dancing and singing ingenues like Chris Brown.
Rain, however, has two advantages. Prominent talent agency William Morris is representing him and BoA, who released her first U.S. single via the internet in October, can serve as a benchmark.
"Right now, the William Morris Agency -- who is representing me in the States -- has formed an exclusive Rain team in order to provide all the support necessary to help me work as a singer and actor," he revealed. "They will play an important role ... at times connecting me to the artists, musicians and directors who I will work with."
Not that he needs to worry about connections. He already caught the attention of American comedian Stephen Colbert when he was voted the most influential person in the world in an internet poll conducted by Time magazine in 2007, leading to a memorable parody of Rain's music video "Running Away from the Sun" on The Colbert Report and to a guest star appearance on the show this May.
"I think from an American standpoint, the fact that Colbert parodied me should be seen as an honor," said Jung. "Hollywood's top stars often become fodder for parody or stories on American talk shows."
When asked about his comedic dance-off with Colbert in May, Jung answered: "Starring on The Colbert Report was a great experience." "The Colbert that I met was a really warm and cheery person," he added. "I remember, after filming, when I was leaving, he stuck his head out the window and waved at me."
Colbert is not the only person to take an interest in Rain. The directing-writing-producing duo behind the hit "Matrix" series, Larry and Andy Wachowski, cast him in their latest flick "Speed Racer" and as the lead for "Ninja Assassin."
"The Wachowskis I met were really friendly," said Jung. "They joked a lot and we ate together. That in itself was an honor."
But Jung has no illusions about what it takes to make it in Hollywood. "In Hollywood I needed to work hard to make myself known," he explained. "There are a lot of outstanding actors and actresses, so to gain recognition as an Asian actor required a lot of painful endurance and effort."
"But these experiences made me a stronger person," continued Jung. "And I gained the deep trust of Joel Silver and the Wachowskis. That is how I got the lead for 'Ninja Assassin.'"
Filming "Ninja Assassin" was not any easier. "Training was very harsh," recalled Jung, who worked with the training team behind the hit action flick "300."
"I am a big eater, so it was really hard just eating chicken breast and vegetables for eight months," he continued, adding that he trained for over 10 hours a day, at least four months prior to filming, and did over 90 percent of the action scenes himself.
"I really put everything I had into this movie," he said, before clinching it with: "You won't be disappointed."
By Jean Oh (oh_jean@heraldm.com), image as stated copied from empas.com
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/
It better be good!
