CUBE Entertainment which houses popular idols like BEAST, 4Minute, G.NA and many more, is now ready to rock the entertainment industry even more with their newest member, none other than world star Rain.
CUBE Entertainment's president, Hong Seung Song officially announced that the world star has signed with their label. The two had a deep past when Hong Seung Song was a former partner of JYP Entertainment and played a big part in Rain's journey on becoming a top idol that Rain even calls him "Father".
After their separation with JYP Entertainment, president Hong started his own company Cube Entertainment in 2008. Since then, every idol from the company received significant amount of attention and success. It is even speculated if CUBE Entertainment is now ready to step up and take a part in the role of the 'Big Three' entertainment companies.
A representative from the industry spoke, “The talk about Rain and Cube Entertainment has been awhile, it was something within expectation” and, “Cube Entertainment obviously have a powerful line up as good as the Big 3″, he said.
So what do you think about Rain joining CUBE Entertainment? And do you believe that CUBE Entertainment is now ready to be part of the Big Three companies? Leave all of your comments below.
15& has finally released its 3rd Sound special cover.
The members of 15& announced that they will be releasing special covers and started with Wonder Girls' "Be My Baby".
Recently, Jimin presented Lim Jeong Hee’s "Clockwork" and now Yerin has released her special cover of Rain's "I Do".
Check out the clip below and keep supporting these amazing girls!
After Rain and Kim Tae Hee revealed that they have been spending time together and have gotten into a relationship, the South Korean military has begun an investigation on Rain's activities while granted leave from his duties.
Rain has been granted leave 25 times in the past year to work on recordings and rehearsals as part of his role in the military's PR Support Team. Earlier this year, Rain was criticized for being allow to take over 60 days off, 22 days more than average, calling into question whether or not the singer has been abusing his position in the PR Support Team to spend personal time with Kim Tae Hee.
While the investigation is still fresh and no wrong doing has been proven, many have already condemned Rain for getting special treatment, presumably for being a celebrity. Many believe that he should be treated like any other soldier while enlisted in the military, feeling that his treatment is unfair.
Rain and Kim Tae Hee are officially dating according to Kim Tae Hee's agency.
News of the two being in a relationship began circulating late yesterday after a report from Dispatch claimed they were an item. Representatives from both of their agencies denied that rumors at first, but Kim Tae Hee's agency has decided to come forward and confirm the news.
The couple first met in October of 2011 after shooting a commercial for "Coupang", becoming friends shortly after. The singer soon began developing feelings for her, and despite enlisting in the army, continued to pursue her, making her realize how much he cared about her.
According to Kim Tae Hee's agency, the couple has been dating for about a month. Dispatch reports that the two usually met on Sundays to spend time together and even spent Christmas together.
written by: Aysohmay@JPA
Rain has been accused by National Assembly member Lee Suk Hyun of getting special treatment while in the army, presumably for being a celebrity.
According to the assemblyman, data from the Ministry of National Defense shows that Rain has taken 13 stand-down days, 5 special vacation days, 10 official overnight leaves and 34 unofficial overnight leaves, totaling 62 days. This is 22 more days than the average soldier enjoys off.
Officials revealed that 25 out of 34 of Rain's unofficial overnight leaves, usually permitted for members of the PR Support Team while they have duties far from base and staying overnight is more convenient, were spent in Seoul and the Gangnam district, calling to question why he would be permitted to spend the night in the area while on duty.
Lee Suk Hyun has been critical of the PR Support Team of South Korea's army, believing that it is unnecessary and irrelevant.
Duties of people in the PR Support Team include being ambassadors for the military, hosting awards ceremonies and performing for the troops.
Written by: Aysohmay@JpopAsia
Pop Dust is currently holding a survey to discover "The Greatest K-Pop Song of All Time"!.
The competition includes some of the hottest k-pop idols who have been able to take their tracks to the top of the charts on the past years.
During the first round idols are divided in 4 categories, girl groups, boy bands, female solo and male solo, and they compete who passes to the next stage. So far they are still on the first round so it is the moment to vote for your favorite song of all times according to pop dust.
The list includes the following idols:
Go now and VOTE before the 1st round ends on October 24th.
Korean idol Rain has been sent to the hospital due to back pains. Despite his back problems, the singer will continue with his military service.
"Rain is getting medical and physical treatment at a hospital. There are no major problems with his health. He just needs to rest in the hospital. Once he's done with his treatment, he will be finishing his enlistment normally," a representative stated.
According to Rain's label, back pain is common in people who dance, sharing that he had a herniated disc before his enlistment. "It's not so serious that people have to worry. It happens often," a representative said.
Rain's appearances and activities in the military have been cancelled until further notice.
Written by: Aysohmay@JpopAsia
Summer is almost over but that doesn’t mean we need to be sad.
We wanted to share some happiness with you during this season of change so the GoKpop staff picked the best summer tracks to let you remember those good moments under the sun.
Also the second part of this special playlist includes some tracks that we think are suitable to accompany you during the rainy season.
Let's say bye bye summer and welcome autumn remembering those good moments we spent together and looking forward to a new future!
Check our full article for this wonderful double playlist and we hope you enjoy it!
During the past months we have seen an overflowing amount of k-pop idols entering into the Japanese music market.
In the past only established k-pop artists in Korea tried this and had to start from zero just like BoA, TVXQ, Se7en, Big Bang and more. They all waited at least a couple of years, or even more, before trying to conquer the Japanese fans. However, nowadays rookies have started to make releases in Japan as soon as they debut presenting the same tracks in Japanese.
There are a few different styles k-pop idols use to debut in Japan and we will explain a few of them to you as well as some differences between the 2 markets that will help you understand why some names or videos are different.
Check our full article in order to learn about a few differences on both industries!
June 14th is known as the "Kiss Day" in Korea where couples can freely kiss in public without making it a look like a public display of affection.
GoKpop has decided to created this special playlist with songs related to kissing and of course some of the best kisses on MVs, dramas and more.
Check the list on our full article and enjoy it!
On a recent episode of Oh! Happy Day MBLAQ members revealed a lot of stories and anecdotes.
The boys were asked about their auditions and leader Seung Ho confessed that at the beginning his dream was become an actor and not a singer. According to him he went to the audition at J.Tune on behalf of a senior in school who asked him to go instead of him. At that time Seung Ho was and arts student and had different abilities like dancing, playing the piano and others but never thought about becoming a singer.
Rain was present that day and asked him if he wanted to do it and Seung Ho immediately replied yes without even thinking mesmerized by Rain's charisma at that moment.
Check the cut and remember that MBLAQ has released its repackaged mini album BLAQ% Ver.
Rain who is currently doing his mandatory military service has been receiving a lot of compliments from the other Korean soldiers who served with him.
Some letters written by the soldiers regarding Rain have been shared on various online websites. The letters became a hot topic among netizens recently. The soldiers have been praising Rain in their letters for his good and respected attitude in the army.
“Ji Hoon hyung is a really kind and nice neighbor, but outside he is a world star. During the training, we worked together, had meal together, and shared stories”, “Ji Hoon hyung is just a soldier like the rest of us but he is built better than most recruits”
cr: soompi
Glad to hear that Rain is doing really well and being a respected sunbae in the army!
Rain, Bi who started his military service last October received a week of break recently.
He left the military base for his holiday from Feb 9th to Feb 16th. The off days(7 days) that he received was slightly more than usual(5 days) due to the added '100 Days in Army holiday'.
Rain only stayed at home during the holiday. He spent his quality time with his friends and family, resting and enjoyed the home-cooked food that he could not have in military.
Rain is currently a member of Special Forces in the military due to his excellent health. He will be ending his military service around July 2013.
Have you ever wondered how it would be like if teachers use k-pop to teach the alphabet?
GoKpop brings you its new section, the "Idolphabet", to let you learn more about k-pop starting with the band that posses the most unique BLAQ style, MBLAQ
Be ready for more Idolphabets soon
Do you still remember Rain? Anybody miss him? Well, TVXQ's Yunho has been spotted visiting his sunbae, Rain in the army recently.
A picture of Yunho, Rain and an unknown guy who took picture together was shared on an online community.
Rain's fans were extremely happy to see the idol who has been serving his military duty for a few months. In the picture, Rain is wearing the army's uniform and the 3 of them were posing a V sign and smiling at the camera.
Besides, Rain's fans were touched with Yunho's act too. They expressed their gratitude and thanked Yunho for paying a visit to Rain although he is still busy with his concert in Japan.
Yunho is indeed a kind junior!
Arirang had conducted a poll recently for foreigners to choose their top 7 favourite artists.
Check out the result !
Is your bias in the list?
Korean soloist Rain's "Last of Best" concert was recently named the highlight event of 2011 in the southern Gangnam district.
The concert, which took place on October 9th, 2011, acted as the send-off event for the idol, as he committed to a two-year period of military enlistment a mere two days later. Hundreds of fans crowded Yeongdeong Boulevard for the free event to wish their favorite idol the best of luck before his compulsory military service, during which, Rain admitted that he was unable to sleep the night before, as he anxiously anticipated his enlistment, as well as his post-military future. As of late, it has been rumored that he is currently considering pursuing a US acting career.
Rain's concert beat out other noteworthy events in Gangnam this year, such as the development of Guryong Village, and Gangnam Fashion Festival, which also took place in October.
Header image: CloudUSA
Korean soloist Rain, who has been enlisted in the military for nearly two months since his induction in October, has recently been awarded with a special military "Combatant Award", recognizing his outstanding performance during his training period.
This specialized honor is awarded only under strict circumstances, as only soldiers who can meet certain physical standards, such as doing 82 sit-ups in two minutes, run 3km in less than 2 minutes, and score over 90% on shooting drills are recognized.
Along with the titular honor, as a part of this combatant award, Rain has also won a six night vacation. However, it is not known where or when this will take place. He will also be available to advance in ranks more quickly.
Rain is expected to complete his military duty on July 10, 2013.
Korean soloist Rain has recently filed a lawsuit against Well Made Star M Company, demanding 3.5 million USD as a settlement following the cancellation of his concert in Hawaii in 2007.
Reportedly, Rain's father brought up the suit on the performer's behalf, as his son had already entered the military over a month prior. The entirety of this ordeal came about as a result of the cancellation of Rain's concert, which was to take place back in Hawaii of 2007. When the concert was unable to take place, Rain was forced to pay compensation to the promoter, Click Entertainment, for lost income. The Korean justice system initially determined that Well Made Star M Company was at fault for the cancellation. However, rather than attempting to make amends, Star M filed a suit against Rain.
In regards to the purpose behind Rain's father filing the lawsuit, Rain's attorney stated, "This situation has greatly upset Rain's father, and thus he decided to sue Well Made Star M Company for damages to his son's reputation."
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wow! so MBLAQ is on its own, well i'm sure they can function independently now. i'm happy for Rain though.
Wish him the best of luck
wowwwwwwwwww