Rain: the world’s top current Asian artist
Artists, be they vocalists, performers or actors are only considered to have conquered the world if they make it big in the United States.
[pic source: The New Straits Times]
As for Rain, the 25-year old South Korean R&B/pop singer/rapper and leading star of the Korean wave, he has achieved the following:
- No less than Time magazine included Rain among its list of 100 people who shaped the world in 2006 (”list of the 100 men and women whose power, talent or moral example is transforming our world”). The only other Asian in the “Artists and Entertainers” list is Taiwanese director Ang Lee. So, no Melly Goeslow, no Peterpan, no Samson, no Siti Nurhaliza and definitely no place for Mawi there. And Time’s readers put Rain 2nd in the list!
- He performed, to a packed hall, in that hallowed concert venue Madison Square Garden in February 2006 for two days. Tickets were sold out within a matter of days. Even hip-hop mogul P Diddy made a stage appearance. That is simply amazing, and totally beyond the reach of our homegrown megastars, even in the foreseeable future.
- He performed for two straight nights at none other than Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas on 23-24 December, 2006; the tickets to these concerts sold out within the first week of sales.
- He was the first Asian performing artist ever to be invited to the American MTV Video Music Awards. That was in 2005.
- The tickets for his first solo concert in Japan in the summer of 2006 sold out 30 seconds after going on sale!!!
- His “Rain’s Coming World Tour” which kicked off in October 2006 employs world-class producers and stage designers in Jamie King and Roy Bennett, with ticket sales expected to reach RM350 million. As part of the tour, he performed at Stadium Bukit Jalil, KL 27th January in front of 10,000 fans.
[pic source: The Star]
So how did he do it? Perseverance is key. He was rejected at several auditions but didn’t give up. Finally someone took notice and he got a job as a dancer. Then, in 2002 he released his debut album. That must have been a good one since the single “Bad Guy” was a big hit. Then he made another move - acting. Apparently he could act too, for his first acting work in a TV series was well-received. Then he released another album - this guy works hard, and that spawned another hit. In 2004 he made probably the wisest move in his career - starring in the successful drama “Full House.” His third album sold 1 million copies in Asia, still less than Peterpan’s record (incidentally it sold 50,000 in Indonesia). He followed that up with concerts in Korea and outside - Japan. Wise move - Japan should be the biggest target for any self-respecting artist. Tickets were snapped up the same day they were made available - a sure sign that superstardom has well and truly arrived. The rest, as we so often hear, is history.
Now, the only thing missing is perhaps a Grammy.
Having said all this, I must clarify that I am not a fan, nor have I heard any of his songs nor watched any of the dramas he starred in - and I doubt I ever will, for R&B is my least liked music genre and Korean dramas are simply not my cup of tea.
What attracted me to his story is how he started from scratch. And the basic things are all there, which should apply to all of us, no matter what our calling is.