South Korean pop star Rain (real name: Jung Ji-hoon, born June 25, 1982, in Seoul -- in Korea known as the romanized Bi, and in Japan as Pi) started his career as a backup dancer with JYP Entertainment before recording his own work and hitting the top of many Asian charts. Rain stepped out of the backup shadows in 2002 with his debut album, Bad Guy. The album was a hit, and Rain then moved his talents to the world of television drama, starring in the series Sang Doo! Let's Go to School. His return to music, marked by the release of How to Avoid the Sun in 2003, was well received, and his hit third album, It's Raining, was a mammoth success in 2004-2005. Hitting the top of the charts in countries all over Asia (e.g., Japan, China, Taiwan, and South Korea), It's Raining would sell more than a million copies. He went on to win a number of MTV Asia awards, and also toured Korea and Japan. In 2006 Rain played to sold-out shows in Las Vegas, and in October of that year he released album number four, Rain's World. A Japanese album, Eternal Rain, was released in 2006, and managed to crack the Top 20 in that country. ~ Chris True