No Rain on his parade

HONG KONG: His reputation has taken a severe beating and his assets frozen since losing a lawsuit in Hawaii after abruptly cancelling a concert there in 2007, but South Korean superstar Rain is not ready to retreat into the shadows just yet.

Instead, the defeat has spurred him to work even harder to pay the US$8 million (S$12 million) fine.

His no show cost Honolulu-based concert agency Click Entertainment US$1.5 million and the American company sued Rain - whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon – and his producers for fraud. It also sought additional damages for cost of staging the event, promotions and advertising.

The 27-year-old singer maintains that he had every intention of performing in Hawaii but the series of concert cancellations were out of his control and "regrettable".

In an interview with "Men's Uno" magazine, Rain said that while it is going to be a tough ride ahead, he is "determined to overcome it".

"Don't worry about me. I will not succumb to hardship. I feel like the man of the house, a father to 60 children, this will serve as a motivation and I won't be defeated easily," he said.

And the star seems to be walking the talk. He recently launched his own fashion label, Six to Five, and will be heading to Hong Kong and Macau to promote the line.

Rain who is in charge of designing, branding and publicity events for his pet project, is looking forward to the upcoming trips. "I have always been interested in fashion and design, and this will be a great opportunity to share my passion with everyone," he said.

Source: CNA/fa