Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai - [article] Rain Reign

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When Rain was born Jung Ji-hoon in Seoul, South Korea on June 25, 1982, little did he know what was coming in store for him. In his native country, he is known as B, the Korean word for "rain." Naturally, when he made the decision to take his career to other countries, he stuck to the name Rain to make things easier. In Japan he is known as Rain, but in China, he is sometimes referred to as Yu, which is "rain" in Chinese.

Growing up in the capital of a booming nation, Rain picked up an interest in R&B and hip-hop dancing when he was still in sixth grade of primary school, so much so that at one point, he became a member of a boyband called Fanclub. Even though the group split in the end, Rain was still eager to pursue his dancing career that he entered several auditions and competitions while hoping for his big break to come. Unfortunately, he was deemed "too ugly" at a few auditions. In an industry where double eyelids played a more important role than talent, this caused quite a blow to his confidence. However, when Rain auditioned with an entertainment company called JYP Entertainment, the CEO took notice of him and signed him on. As part of his early training years, the 6'2" Rain became a back-up dancer for established singers like Park Ji Yoon and Park Jin Young.

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