Rain and TVXQ will have their first big match in the beginning of the year.

World star Rain and idol group TVXQ battled it out in 2008 with "Rainism" and "Mirotic." In 5 years they are going up against each other again in the first big match of the year. Their secret weapon is novelty. They're both trying genres and performances that they've never presented to the public before.

Rain released his official 6th album Rain Effect on January 2nd. He himself wrote, composed, and produced all the songs on this album. This will be his first comeback in 4 years since Back to the Basics was released in 2010.

His album features 2 title songs, "30Sexy" and "La Song." The first song is an electronic pop sound that features Rain's wide range of vocals. "La Song" is a new genre song for Rain; it's a blend of hip hop, old school, electronic, rock, and punk.

His teaser for "30Sexy" was released on December 31st, and showed Rain in 10cm high heels and flashy accessories, dark kiss prints on his face, and an intense gaze. Since it's unlike anything Rain's done before, it piqued the fans' interests. Fans are looking forward to his brilliant performance to come.

TVXQ will release their 7th album Tense on January 6th. This will be their first comeback in 1 year and 3 months, following their 2012 album Catch Me. This album is even more special because TVXQ just had their 10 year anniversary since their debut.

December 26th was the 10-year anniversary for the veteran boy group. They chose the word "Tense" as their album title because it's almost a homonym of the word "tenth." (With the Korean pronunciation the two words sound identical.) The word was also chosen to mean that they would keep you tense and on your toes as you listen to their songs.

Their title song "Something" is a swing jazz song that makes you think of a Las Vegas big band show. The music video showcases an exciting atmosphere and powerful performance that presents a new side to TVXQ members.

TVXQ will have their comeback stage on the 3rd through KBS 2TV's "Music Bank," and also perform on MBC's "Show! Music Core" on the 4th and SBS' "Inkigayo" on the 5th. Their goal is to show a whole new kind of performance, greater than anything they've shown before. According to SM Entertainment, they will put on a fun performance with their microphone lines.

Although they have different styles of music, it'll be entertaining to see both Rain and TVXQ's performances. What a great way to start the New Year! Wouldn't you say? Besides Rain and TVXQ, other big stars will have their comebacks, including Girls' Generation and Seotaiji. Whose comeback are you most excited for?