Cloud USA

— Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

Ms. Jaafar writes:

Now, Rain is according to TIME Magazine the face of pop globalism. His story teaches us that life is indeed hard, but we should never quit in the face of adversity, instead we should strive harder. But more importantly Rain’s journey from Sinchon to the world stage also proves that things no longer move simply in a single direction, from the West to the rest of the world instead, there is now a global swirl, no more constrained by borders. That Asians can have a share of the globalisation pie, too. That an Asian guy can be TIME’s most influential person in the world even if he doesn’t have “double eyelids”.

A most excellent way to bring an article about Jung JiHoon and his life journey to a close. Thank you, Ms. Jaafar, for this solid write-up about Rain in your newspaper today.

» My research on Rain’s TIMEline on Time.com is HERE.

» Terri’s Re-imagining of Rain, his biography, is HERE.

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The Brunei Times 7/29/2011 —  by Juli Suharni Jaafar (& Bandar Seri Begawan)

Rain-ing his way into globalisation pie

JUST for the record I’m not a Rain fan. No matter what my friends say.

I’m merely impressed with the Korean superstar’s rise from the streets of Seoul to the top of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People list, not just once but Jung Ji-hoon was three times a TIME’s man. First on the 2011 TIME 100 list, this marks Rain’s third TIME 100 “victory” having also topped the charts back in 2006 and 2007, and come in second in 2008.

TIME Magazine said in its May 2 issue: “The South Korean pop star turned actor Rain, 28, took the top spot in the TIME 100 reader poll for the third year, trouncing competitors from Barack Obama to Lady Gaga. That’s pretty impressive online power for a guy whose main claim to Western fame is a role in the 2009 film “Ninja Assassin”.

Rain is the first Asian celebrity to achieve the feat and, to underline just how “impressive Rain’s online power” is, let’s consult the world wide web. Online checks show that the only other personalities to have made the list more than three times are Oprah Winfrey (nine) and George Clooney (four).

Very impressive, indeed. So much so that it is too easy to forget his humble beginnings.

Born on June 25, 1982, Rain grew up in Sinchon, a lower-class maze of streets in Seoul, with his mother, father and little sister, Hanna. He caught the dance bug at a school talent show in sixth grade. Having discovered his calling, Rain would soon face a major test. His father’s mill and bakery businesses failed during the 1997 economic crisis. Bankrupt, Mr Jung left for Brazil, leaving Mrs Jung, who was ailing from diabetes, to support the family as a food vendor. It was then that the ragged seams of Rain’s life began to unravel. “The young Ji-hoon was a child in serious poverty. He once starved for five days because there was no food,” Rain told an interview in 2008.

Unable to afford dance classes, Rain began to skip school and sought out older street dancers. “I’ve slept on the streets, and I’ve been through a lot of hardship,” Rain said.

He might have struggled for survival, but the young boy never gave up. Rain’s first real break came in the guise of a boy band called Fan Club, but after releasing only two CDs their record company went under. It was back to square one for Rain.

“I remember going to auditions before my debut, and I was rejected 12 times,” Rain said. “I was told that the reason I was rejected was because my face was too ugly … that I didn’t make it because I didn’t have double eyelids.”

A weaker person might have called it quits, but Rain just worked harder.

After countless failed auditions, Rain met Park Jin-young in 2000, a singer and founder of JYP Entertainment, who was scouting for new talent. It was Rain’s ticket to stardom. Under the tutelage of JYP, Rain was trained to be a singer and dancer and after two years of hard work he was finally ready for his debut.

But, first there was tragedy. Just months before his debut Rain lost his mother. Her death, however, just made him more determined to achieve his dreams.

So, Rain debuted as a back-up dancer and then as a solo act under a new stage name “Bi” but his stardom didn’t come easy. His first single, Napoon Namja (“Bad Guy”), was released at a bad time a month before the 2002 World Cup came to South Korea. Football was just too big a rival for Bad Guy.

Rain, though, is not a quitter. He fought back releasing his second single,”Instead of Saying Goodbye”. It was a good decision not to say goodbye for the new single shot to the top of the charts in less than a month.

With Korea conquered, Rain was ready for Asia. In October 2003 with the release of his second album “How To Avoid The Sun” “Bi” became “Rain” (the English translation of the Hangul character “Bi”). Armed with great music and greater dance moves and backed by a Full House Rain quickly “flooded” Asia. He cemented his place as the No 1 Asian star in 2004 with the release of his third album, “It’s Raining”.

Still not satisfied, Rain went for world domination. He looked to the United States, studying English day and night. By 2006, Rain was already performing to sold out concerts in New York.

Now, Rain is according to TIME Magazine the face of pop globalism. His story teaches us that life is indeed hard, but we should never quit in the face of adversity, instead we should strive harder. But more importantly Rain’s journey from Sinchon to the world stage also proves that things no longer move simply in a single direction, from the West to the rest of the world instead, there is now a global swirl, no more constrained by borders. That Asians can have a share of the globalisation pie, too. That an Asian guy can be TIME’s most influential person in the world even if he doesn’t have “double eyelids”.

“There are just two reasons I work so hard: to never be hungry again, and for my mother,” Rain said. Our motivation may differ, but let’s learn from his story. Rain, after all, falls on everyone.

By: Juli Suharni Jaafar

Posted in Bi Rain, Bi Rain News, Cloud USA, Jung Ji Hoon, Rain Topics
Tags: Bi Rain articles, Bi Rain biography, bi rain history, Bi Rain News, Jung Ji Hoon, rain bi, Rain Time 100, Time's World's 100 Most Influential People