[28-Apr-07][Chosun]"That's passion, the passion that if not I will die"
English translated by aimen @ rain-asia
"That's passion, the passion that if not you will die"?
Mr Chui Pu Zhi (최보식) reporter's "zero distance" interview ......World Star....Rain....likes to ride on motorbike to relax.....but poople on the street said "It's impossible he is Rain!"
Rain (26) sat in front of me.
He came back last night from Japan.
"World star Rain"....Rain keeps flying overseas on flight printed with his image.
His itinerary is very tight and cannot insert any more.
It is said that, to have this interview, the staff had been having several meetings to find out the time.
Seems like early Summer with sunshines. I told this young friend whom I met the first time.
In this good day with sunshine, what do you want to do? " I would like to ride on motorbike to relax. Today I want to do as well. However, because of work, I can't. Sometimes I will do so with 3-4 friends.
World Star riding on motorbike in town, is it possible?{Because I wear helmet (cap?), no body see me. Sometimes I am seen, and I will give them autograph. But the most situtation is that, they said "It's impossible that he is Rain" and they walked way.
From middle school (form 2), all the things in the mind is dancing and singing.From the way to his (Rain's) company, beacuse I was not sure what I should say to this "New Generation" I felt uncomfortable. I even thought he might be sitting very relexed on a very comfortable chair.
Finally, however, he welcomed me in a small room with limited time. He greeted with me (shy?). I met this person first time and it was familiar. His face gives me feeling of young.
So, only riding on motorbike, you do not like dancing or singing?"Because dancing and singing are repeated everyday, so instead of saying 'like', I would say (may be odd to day that) I don't know know when they have become part of my life. From middele school, I started singing and dancing, it has been already 12 years. Now I sing automatically (not aware myself) the whole day. And for the things I saw I will think "can it be translated into dance?". When I saw an old man carrying a stick walking on the street, I will think can I organise dance with stick? When I ride on motorbike, I will think can I organise dance with steps like riding on motorbike? I keep thinking and thinking...
Making dance to explain things. This is conflicting with myself who has been using pen to explain things till today.
So, till now, all the dancing on stage are all your products?"Almost all are finished by myself. If I need help I will ask for help. But basically I finish organising the dancing steps."
Compared with the fact that you dance and sing when you have nothing to do, it will be different to make these as job, right?"I will not see myself because I am an artist then I am a public icon. If I had the feeling of responsibility of being a public icon, I would have been tired of singing and dancing. I would therefore see myself with a career of artist and I am just an ordiniary person. I like singing and dancing. I feel very happy I can do what I like to earn a living.
Certainly, because this is my job there is risk. This job requires me to keep creating and exploring. If you stop at a point of time, people will walk away and you will be replaced with new ones. It is difficult to tell in detail the outbreak of power (charisma) when preparing music for 1-2 years.
So, what you do not like?"Although I like eating, I do not like food with too much nutrients like dog and "甲魚" (don't know how to translate). When I was young, I saw they were killed. To me these are not food I don't like, but this is food I have burden to eat.
For figure training, you eat chicken or food with high protein, right?"Yes I eat chicken. I eat whenever I can. Because I have to keep moving, dancing, I can be exhausted easily. So
what I see I'd love to eat.
I heard that when you were in middle school (form 2), you danced and sang on the street, and your parents were very worried.
"All parents hope their children to be hardworking, go into university and find a good job. I am the only son in the family, but kept dancing outside and not returned home, wore earings.....all these indeed made my parents worried a lot.
I remember once, my father brought me to a Chinese restaurant, and fed me meat with Chinese wheat wine. I was in middle school level 2 at that time. My father told me, "From now on, you can drink. But you must not do things not moral, and not smoke. If you can make it, I will not say anything when you return home after drinking, I will also not saything if you return home a bit late."
That's good to me. My friends who are at same age will be beaten by their father. When saying slang, it means "being beaten in rainyday till dust can fly". So I swore in front of my father, "I will remember". From that time onwards, when the senior persuaded me to smoke but I refused, I was sometimes being beaten and forced to smoke. Till now I do not smoke. Certinaly I keep drinking but I have never done something not moral or hurt others.
As a parent, when I saw this person who said naturally he started drinking since middle school, I was a bit puzzled.
"TO say this seems not good. I recently drink a kind of wine (炸彈酒 - don't know how to translate) and I can drink up to 40 glasses. Because I am busy recently, I will only go out for drink with good friends twice a month.
As father, why he allows his children who are still in middle school to drink?"Perhaps they acknowledge the way I choose. My father failed in his business and lost. To my family, the daily biggest objective is to earn a living day by day. Although I was young, I knew how hard my parents were working. At that time, I often told myself, "When I grow up, I will never let my parents worked so hard to earn a living. I will also never let my wife and my children have burden (economically). What I regret is when I was in high school 3, my mother passed away."
"World Star" is your goal? You will think of it often?His eyes turned red."When I was young, flying on flight was my dream. But now I fly on flights too much. So I will dream if I could fly once with my mother that would be great! Our family has never had our own house. So when I bought the house, what I thought most was still my mother. If my mother were still here, she would say everywhere, "My son bought a house for me". She had been living very hard and had never seem the "light from the dark" before she passed away.
You are named as World Star. It's because you had a concert in New York (USA) last year?"Besides the US concert, I was selected as one of the Most Influential 100 people by TIME, of which also gave a help in here. However, "World star" is a name given by the public or mass media who hope I can be a world star. In fact, I am not. There is still a gap for me to become a world star, and I feel shame to named as that at this stage.
However, since I was named as World Star, I have a new goal. I still have not debuted in US and I have never released any album or movie in US. If I really work hard, I should be able to be successful this year or early next year. By that time, I can then be a real world star. I have this goal in my mind now.
In China and South East ASia, you are already successful. But your music and dance will also work in US?"In US, I want to show them we also have talent as good as they are. I want to let them know we also have our cultures. Spirit and cultures are more terrible than gun to control/manipulate/dominate something.
Want to prove it works in US as well?"I tell myself, "Even I fail, I want to successfully fail". If I fail I can then tell the failure reason to the next generation. The next generation will take this as lessons and make challenage again"."
"After so many visits overseas, I found many people see us (Koreans) can sing. Our ancestor created Goyao which involved a skill of '打彎(don't know how to translate). Using this skill to sing US R&B, nobody can sing better than you. I make use of the ways of singing and styles of songs I learnt in Korea, plus what I learnt from the producers in US, I bring both strengths together and give the best result."
When in overseas, you have to sing in English very often?"When I am in overseas, I use English and Korean half and half. Sometimes Chinese or Japanese.
Do you have language complex?"I thought before, when I was young, if I spent less time on Mathematics, but more English, Chinese and Japanese that would be great. If you have lanugauge barrier in one country, it is difficult to succeed. Bccause you need to communicate and interact. Even when in interview, you have to use other's languages. So I keep learning English.
Have you thought, if you were born in US would it be better?""You will never know if I was born in US, may be from a very poor Herlam family, or from a very rich family. If this was the case, I would not be able to have my music. Perhaps I would never know the power of dancing. Even now, I already am very happy that I can sing and dance. When I was young, it was a dream to be asked to have my autograph, and it was also a dream to be on TV. Now these are realised."
I have heard that before you became an artist, you were rejected by 12 interviews?"should be 18"
I have heard that, in one interview, you received comments that "Your appearance is strange"?"From middle school 2, I started to go for interviews. At that time, people specially liked good looking faces such as Don-Gun oppa and most artists look like this. What I heard most is that as an artist I do not have the mature outlook and figure. I have also heard that I should have an operation on my eyes. So I had been to hospital to find out how I can improve my outlook. But what I heard instead and disappointed me was "you'd better not to change anything on your face". However, to shape myself to be artist, I worked very hard to train my figure and remove the baby fat on my face. During that time, I was referred by a friend, and I met JY oppa (JYP) and being interviewed. JY oppa brought me to a new way of my life.
If you had not met JYP, what would you have become now?"No Rain, perhaps".
Not sure if the name "Rain" (by JYP) does not exist, or myself does not exist.
But, a young person called Jung Ji-hoon (original real name) should exist, right?""At that time I was standing at the edge of a cliff and no way to go. My mother was in hospital and I did not pay the hospital accomodation. No money, to pay fare, and still have a sister. I could not wait and did not try to do something. If I was a mouse, I had to bit the block and run away as there was no place to hide. Otherwise, I would only fall down to the bottom of cliff. If I failed again I would have no way to go. So I became determined, and kept dancing for 5 hours before the interview. And finally I passed.
"Did JYP say anything why he selected you?"
"After a long time, he told me. He said, "I saw hunger from your eyes, and I saw passion rather than talent. I saw you saying if not you would die". Till now, I have been doing everything with this thought in my mind".
If you failed at that time, would you choose another way?""May be going to Drama club in university....In my life, acting, dancing, and music are the only (existence) things with meaning, and can make me happy. Besidse, nothing else. I like people watching me dancing and performing. It seems I have the passion that, "I can do this, come and see. If there is anyone who can do better than me, please come here".
When you were students, did you think of schoolmates who could do very well?""Yes. They could receive appreciation from teachers, and would not bring troubles to their parents. But to me, I cannot sit still in an hour. It's hard to make myself to do so. Not long later, I will start to look at mirror, practise steps, listen to music, or have slight movements. When I was preparing for exam in the university, I was keeping listening to music."
So it's great you entered 慶熙大學."JY oppa told me, "if you cannot go into university, I will not help you produce your album and make you as a singer.". At that time, all turned into dark as exam would come after 102 days. I went to bookshop to buy mock exam papers (300 pages). I told myself, "I can finish these if I finsih 3 pages per day". Because only 3 pages, I simply memorised all the questions. When I was aating, walking and dancing, I kept studying. Sometimes when I was lazy to go for practising dancing, I just studied the whole night. And I could enter university finally."
When you were still being an "unknown" to the public, what was the most difficult thing to you?"Although I passed interview, this does not mean I can be a singer. After I passed, JY oppa still interviewed me every week. I was nervous and worried. If JY asked me to pack and go away, what can I do? Really have to give up now? I thought of this many times every day, should I give up now? It is a challenge with myself."
At that time most of your fans were married women. What did you feel at that time?"Children who are 10 years old are shy to come closer to me. Fans who are 20 years old ask for my autography only. Fans who are 30-50 years old will touch my body and told me to work harder. I believe they are all my strong support".
Married women are crazy with your figure. Do you think it comes naturally when they were born?"I was weak. When I was young in primary school, I was beaten every day. At that time, I was tired of being beaten, so I went to learn Taekundo, Hakido, and went to gym club. From hight school onwards, I started to be aware of shaping my figure. At that time, health is wealth and I should have good health. Also one day when you stand in front of the people, you should be a person in good figure with faith.
You invest a lot in shaping figure, so to what extent you invest from the spiritual aspect?"Firstly, I think Knowlege is an investment. Before I did not know the reason to gain knowledge. Knowledge is the front line of living. Despite you are going to do bit of things, you need to KNOW before you act. Sometimes I buy newspaper but have no time to read, then I read the section of "current affairs pros and cons". To be honest, no meaning, because I am not doing politics I cannot understand easily. However, if I keep doing this, I believe these must help in the future.
In fact, compared with this kind of knowledge, I think mental health (keeping onself not lonely or depressed) is more important. I heard that, some artists or sports stars in US are receiving Mind control treatment. I do not need this as they are. Currently, my mental health is solved by my agency manager and motorbike.
So when you are under great pressure you ride on motorbike?""It's just a very short time for relex. When I am really under great pressure, I will go outside to have scooer with my agency manager. As artist, you cannot tell much to others. If your secrets are released, you will lose face and probably becomes the headline of the newspapare tomorrow. So I have to tell someone who can be trusted, and I am lucky that I have many of these people.
You seem more mature than your age." I have been an artist for 10 years and I have been monitored by the public. For errors / mistakes I have made, some are small but some are big. I write down these and revise when I have time. Since then, you are not pretending not to make mistakes, you will automatically not to do something to avoid mistakes. I have thought to know many women, and even thought to do something wrong. Everyone has wants, but you can control this and tell yourself this can be done when you get older. Therefore, at this stage, I will keep my passion on my job.
To have a girl friend, you can still make it when you get older?"I think love is not related to age. In movie, there are loves appear in old ages. It is only now I like my job too much. I may find a girl friend when my job is accomplished to a certain extent.
What type of women will attract you?"Smart well behaved women is the type I look for. You will get tired of the appearance. Of course if she is also beautiful that would be better. But even if she is very pretty, after 3-4 months, or one to two years, the appearance becomes less important. I learnt this a lot from my father. He often told me, "compared with beautiful girl, smart well behaved women are more important."
During interview, I was mixed we both who is older? I do not know much of his song on stage, I do not know his glamorus, I also do not know his passion. But what I got clear from this talk was - what you can learn from this young friend are many. You have to go to training room?" Certainly."
Your songs?" The song I sing a lot is senor(趙榮弼)'s song "Come back! Come back to Bushan" and seniro (李承哲)'s song or pupsong. I will for sure not sing my own song. Because I sing thousands already when recording.....".
http://www.tagstory.com/video/video_post.a...a_id=V000044151**On 25 April 2007, singer Rain was interviewed at his office.**
source : Chosun
English translated by aimen @ rain-asia
! I'm off to buy that tomorrow! ^^ Hopefully it's still on the shelves. It's a recent issue right? 
--->Soompi member 'Sam'
You know what... now that I think
I feel sad when reading about his mom. 
I'm happy that he loves his work and never stops to develop his skills...create something new... everything that he sees can inspire him to create new dance move... 
