South Korean pop star Rain is celebrating the 18th anniversary of his debut as a solo artist, singer and actor, according to a report on soompi.com, an English-language website providing coverage of Korean pop culture.
The popular star, who not only made waves in Korea but in Asia and beyond, went on Instagram to thank his fans for following him through the years.
It has been 18 years since the pop star released his debut album. He shared that he vividly recalls leaving a small rehearsal room to perform for the first time on April 24, 2002. Rain showed gratitude to members of the Cloud (the name of his official fan club) family who have been with him since that day.
Rain shared a video of himself preparing for that performance. He seems nervous and excited. When asked about how he felt, the star said he was nervous but was looking forward to what would happen.
In another video, captioned April 2002 Inkigayo, Rain is pictured joking and enjoying himself before the performance.
Rain, whose name is Jung Ji-hoon, was born on June 25, 1982, in South Korea. He has released seven albums — six Korean and one Japanese. He has also launched 28 singles and has performed all over the world. His third Korean album, It’s Raining, reached popularity with the number one single of the same name. It’s Raining sold a million copies in Asia.
Rain’s acting breakout was in a drama series called Sang Doo! Let’s Go To School. The actor also starred opposite Song Hye Kyo in Full House, which cemented his status as a Hallyu star. Hallyu means “Korean Wave”, marking the increase in global popularity of Korean culture.
Rain also appeared in Hollywood films Speed Racer and Ninja Assassin, for which he became the first Korean to win an MTV award. /TISG