Rain drops on Garden
Asian idol takes the city by storm.
Rain hears the love last night at the Garden.
He's got the abs. He's got the croon. And he can dance.
But does the South Korean pop star known as Rain have the right songs and image to be the first Asian-born singer to become an American idol?
Last night, the chiseled star made his first appearance in New York, at the 5,000-seat Theater in the Garden. And, if nothing else, he proved he already has a solid fan base among Asian-American girls in their late teens and early 20s. He has a strong enough hold on that screechy demographic to sell out two shows at The Theater (the other takes place tonight). This, despite the fact that not a single Rain CD in English has been released in this country. His debut arrives this fall.
Those with connections overseas, however, know Rain as the most popular, and spicy, thing out of South Korea since kimchi.
Certainly, the show had nearly enough of the requisite glitz for a modern pop spectacle. Rain brought with him a somewhat cut-rate version of the flames, sparklers, confetti and video imagery of a Western extravaganza. He also brushed up on his halting English - at least enough to learn the two most important phrases for a teen idol: "Make some noise" and "I love you."
Whenever he was stumped for what to say, which appeared to be often, he'd opt for the latter phrase, with winning results. Rain also made sure to pose and stroke his serpentine body as often as he sang.
To prove the seriousness of his crossover bid, he brought several American stars on stage. Sean (Diddy) Combs showed up just long enough to give props to Asian culture and to boost his own connection to an expanding market. The teen R&B star JoJo also forsook singing in favor of a little cross-promotion.
If that wasn't enough outreach, when it came time for Rain to dance with a girl from the crowd, he picked what might have been the only white kid in the place.
In his music, Rain kept things light and dewy. Like many Asian pop stars, he offers a softer version of American R&B, with a little Will Smith-level rap tossed in. Mostly, he croons in Korean, though there's the occasional American phrase.
Rain has often been compared to Usher and Justin Timberlake. But his music sounds less like their current work than their dated songs from the '90s.
If Rain really wants to make it here, he'll have to toughen his style and hire a hipper producer, on the order of Scott Storch or The Neptunes. Should his handlers bring this off, however, there's no reason Rain can't make girls of every race scream.
source: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/story/388188p-329383c.html
Rain hears the love last night at the Garden.
He's got the abs. He's got the croon. And he can dance.
But does the South Korean pop star known as Rain have the right songs and image to be the first Asian-born singer to become an American idol?
Last night, the chiseled star made his first appearance in New York, at the 5,000-seat Theater in the Garden. And, if nothing else, he proved he already has a solid fan base among Asian-American girls in their late teens and early 20s. He has a strong enough hold on that screechy demographic to sell out two shows at The Theater (the other takes place tonight). This, despite the fact that not a single Rain CD in English has been released in this country. His debut arrives this fall.
Those with connections overseas, however, know Rain as the most popular, and spicy, thing out of South Korea since kimchi.
Certainly, the show had nearly enough of the requisite glitz for a modern pop spectacle. Rain brought with him a somewhat cut-rate version of the flames, sparklers, confetti and video imagery of a Western extravaganza. He also brushed up on his halting English - at least enough to learn the two most important phrases for a teen idol: "Make some noise" and "I love you."
Whenever he was stumped for what to say, which appeared to be often, he'd opt for the latter phrase, with winning results. Rain also made sure to pose and stroke his serpentine body as often as he sang.
To prove the seriousness of his crossover bid, he brought several American stars on stage. Sean (Diddy) Combs showed up just long enough to give props to Asian culture and to boost his own connection to an expanding market. The teen R&B star JoJo also forsook singing in favor of a little cross-promotion.
If that wasn't enough outreach, when it came time for Rain to dance with a girl from the crowd, he picked what might have been the only white kid in the place.
In his music, Rain kept things light and dewy. Like many Asian pop stars, he offers a softer version of American R&B, with a little Will Smith-level rap tossed in. Mostly, he croons in Korean, though there's the occasional American phrase.
Rain has often been compared to Usher and Justin Timberlake. But his music sounds less like their current work than their dated songs from the '90s.
If Rain really wants to make it here, he'll have to toughen his style and hire a hipper producer, on the order of Scott Storch or The Neptunes. Should his handlers bring this off, however, there's no reason Rain can't make girls of every race scream.
source: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/story/388188p-329383c.html
posted by Flor at 8:09 PM
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