Singer, dancer, actor and all-around entertainer Rain has finally made his much-awaited return to the local music scene in full force with the release of his sixth studio album “Rain Effect” on Thursday, just six months after being discharged from military service.

Coming nearly four years after his last mini-album “Back to the Basics,” which featured the hit track “Love Song,” and more than five years after his previous full-length studio album “Rainism,” the hallyu star was originally scheduled to unveil the album on Jan. 6. However, due to his packed scheduled, the release was pushed up a week. The 10-track album features two energetic dance tracks, “La Song” and “30Sexy,” as well the duet single “Where are you going, Oppa?” featuring Hyuna of 4minute.

Rain was constantly in the limelight during his nearly two-year military stint, being caught in a number of scandals concerning his behavior and rule-breaking while on active duty. Following his discharge, the entertainer made a quiet overseas comeback with performances in Japan and Thailand, while waiting to make an official return to his domestic audience.

With the two-year hiatus now behind him, the entertainer is pursuing a number of projects: Aside from his latest studio album, Rain has returned to working on both the big and small screens.

Not long after his official comeback performance at the Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong in November, representatives at Cube Entertainment announced that Rain will be making an on-screen comeback with a Hollywood film.

Rain is slated to star alongside actors Jason Patric and John Cusack, rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and action movie superstar Bruce Willis in the upcoming American action flick “The Prince.” The new action thriller will be directed by Brian A. Miller, with the hallyu star playing Willis’ on-screen friend Mark.

Rain is also currently starring in his own weekly TV show, which is also titled “Rain Effect.” The new Mnet reality program, which aired its first episode on Dec. 19, goes behind the scenes revealing Rain’s everyday life and offstage persona both at home and as an entertainer.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)