Rain faced the aftermath of Ciipher’s disbandment in Los Angeles.
On August 19th (local time), Rain performed at the CJ ENM’s “KCON LA.” That day’s performance was not only graced by Rain but also Kep1er, ZEROBASEONE, ATEEZ, xikers, and more.
Rain performed his hit song “Rainism.” However, the crowd’s reaction was rather cold compared to other groups. According to the videos posted online, a significant number of spectators turned off their cheering sticks, showing no particular response during Rain’s performance.
i'm crying it was so quiet for rain man pic.twitter.com/lqYCVOfiSY
— katie is at KCON (@kookaesque) August 20, 2023
highlights of rain’s set:
– crowd flipping him off
– barely any lightsticks in the pit
– no one singing this 3rd song
– no one knowing the 2nd one
– half of the back of pit is sitting down
– barricade is on their phones— sofia @ KCON! (@kihyunoi) August 20, 2023
This appears to be the aftermath of Ciipher’s disbandment announced on the 9th. Rain Company, Ciipher’s agency, stated, “After sufficient discussion, respecting the individual wishes of Tan, Tag, Dohwan, and Won, we have concluded their official activities as of today. The remaining three members of Ciipher plan to continue their activities after reorganizing the team.” Basically, it was an announcement of disbandment.
The agency explained, “The decision came after long periods of ample discussion with mutual respect, reflecting the personal reasons and opinions of the members.” However, a considerable number of K-pop fans are criticizing Rain for not only failing to fully support Ciipher but also not taking proper responsibility. They also noted that MBLAQ, the group Rain previously produced, also disbanded without full backing.
Ciipher debuted in March 2021. From their debut, the act was in the spotlight as a group produced by Rain. Rain and Ciipher leader Tan appeared on tvN STORY’s Take Care of Me This Week, aired on May 9th last year. Actor Sung Dong Il asked the singer, “How much have you invested in them?” to which Rain joked, “Blew a house’s worth on ’em.”
Meanwhile, Rain was also criticized for an inappropriate song selection, considering the local situation. There were complaints of him performing “Rainism” amidst alerts for flooding, including in LA, due to Hurricane Hillary, which brought a powerful whirlwind to Southern California. On the 20th, an overseas K-pop fan posted on social media, “Rain performing ‘Rainism’ in KCON LA when there’s a hurricane coming. It’s so disrespectful.”
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