RAIN

One of the biggest Asian pop stars in the world, actor-singer Rain has had a level of success that suggests a turning point for global pop music's ability to cross national boundaries. Though he always wanted to be a musical performer, growing up Rain was rejected from many auditions for being too ugly, even after having cosmetic surgery. He came under the wing of Korean musician-producer Park Jin-young in 2000 and released his first album in 2002, but it was his role on the 2004 Korean series "Full House" that helped rocket him to prominence. As Lee Young-jae, an actor who falls in love with aspiring screenwriter Han Ji-eun (Song Hye-kyo), Rain gave a performance that was broadcast across all of Asia, paving the way for his third album, "It's Raining," to become the number one record in Japan, South Korea, China, Thailand and Indonesia. After his film debut in the 2006 romantic comedy "I'm A Cyborg, But That's OK" as a mental patient and a small part in the Wachowski brothers' action film "Speed Racer," he took the lead in 2009's gory "Ninja Assassin." That part earned him a "Biggest Badass" award at the following year's MTV Movie Awards, making Rain the first Korean to win a prize from the awards body. In 2011, his career came to a two-year halt as he began his mandatory service in the South Korean army.