Rain and Kim Junsu, two icons of the 2000s Korean music scene, recently took a trip down memory lane, evoking nostalgia for the industry’s golden era. Rain, who reigned as a top solo artist, and Junsu, who dominated with TVXQ, shared their experiences from their heyday.
Rain’s YouTube channel, “Season B Season,” released a video titled “Today We’ll Share Many Old Stories; You’ll Think of Them Before Bed.”
The video featured Kim Junsu, currently starring in the musical “Beetlejuice,” and Jung Sung-hwa as guests. Together with host Rain, they vividly recounted the electric atmosphere of past music shows.
Interestingly, despite Rain debuting in 2002 and Junsu in 2003, making them close contemporaries, this marked their first on-air conversation outside of private settings, surprising many viewers.
Rain kicked off the discussion by recalling his first encounter with TVXQ’s performance. “Back then, artists would watch rehearsals with folded arms,” he reminisced. “When TVXQ’s five members danced and Junsu threw in an ad-lib, I was floored by his unique vocal tone. I couldn’t close my mouth.”
Junsu chimed in, “Those were the days of mandatory live performances. I remember dressing up even for rehearsals in front of senior artists, giving it our all on stage.”
A highlight of their chat was the fierce rivalry between SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment, two powerhouses of the Korean music industry at the time.
Rain humorously shared, “I’d meticulously plan album releases with JYP’s Park Jin-young, but news of TVXQ dropping an album two weeks later would send me into a panic.” He added, “The gap in our fandom sizes was huge. We’d always vie for the top spot, but their album sales consistently outpaced ours by about five times.” Rain described TVXQ as both his greatest motivation and strongest competitor.
Reflecting on his solo project “Rainism,” Rain confessed, “I had high hopes for the top spot, but then TVXQ released ‘Mirotic.’ Honestly, the song was so good it was frustrating.” His candid admission drew laughter from the group.
Junsu, humbled by his senior’s praise, responded, “Actually, I was in awe of Rain’s ‘Rainism’ performances. The way he commanded the stage solo was truly impressive.” His words of respect created a warm atmosphere.
Lim Chae-ryeong, Ten Asia Reporter, syjj426@tenasia.co.kr
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