AJ puts on his dancing shoes

A newcomer to South Korea's music industry, young singer AJ has been called by some the next Rain, one of the country's biggest celebrities.

AJ, an abbreviation for Ace Junior, shakes his head when reporters ask him what he thinks of the comparison between himself and superstar Rain. However, he does admit that Rain is his favourite singer and was his inspiration for entering the cut-throat music world.

"I'd love to duet with Rain as well as with other artists such as Usher and Justin Timberlake, who are my favourite international singers," says the 19-year-old singer.

"While I was studying at high school, I used to watch music programmes on TV. I was really impressed with [Korean] popular artists Rain and S7ven. I wanted to be just like Rain so as soon as I felt ready, I went for an audition at JYP," he says.

Groomed for stardom

AJ, whose real name is Ki-Kwang Lee, was accepted for JYP Entertainment's training course and spent four years learning how to sing and dance.

He released his debut album, "First Episode: A New Hero" on April 2 on the Cube Entertainment label It opens with the R&B-dance-styled first single, "Dancing Shoes" written by producer and songwriter Brave Brothers, the man behind the success of Big Bang. "Dry My Tears" is the second single.

"'Dancing Shoes' is a rousing song on which I show my dancing skills, while 'Dry My Tears' is a sad love song that showcases my singing," AJ says.

The music video of the first single features ex-Wonder Girl Hyun Ah, who also rapped on "2009", a hip-hop and electronica-style track.

The lad who says he he enjoyed learning dance steps from some of the top trainers, is now a freshman at Seoul Art College.

"Much to my delight, Rain also gave me advice on dancing," he says proudly.

 A STAR IS BORN

>> AJ was selected to open for US pop singer Lady Gaga's showcase at the Chung Dam Dong Club in South Korea last month.

>> The album "First Episode: A New Hero" was released by GMM Grammy last week.

 >> On the Web: TinyURL.com/ln4tqa