Rain says he is willing to put everything he has worked for on the line for his upcoming boyband, Ciipher.

In an interview with 1st Look magazine, according to Newsen and translated by Soompi, the K-pop soloist said that he feels like he could “bet it all” on the forthcoming boyband, describing them as “talented and well-mannered.”

“There were a lot of factors involved in the process of making Ciipher, but when I met these kids, I felt like I could bet it all on them,” he said. “Whether the group has good results or not, I don’t think I’ll regret the things that I gave to this group. That’s how talented and well-mannered they are.”

Rain also talked about how he hopes to make the group successful, where they are able to stand on their own individually, although he noted the difficulty of producing his own group: “Every day is exciting, but also like I’m skating on thin ice. I’m both worried about and looking forward to the public response. Ciipher has to do well themselves, but I also have to do well, and we have to sync up with the staff who help them shine.”

Ciipher includes members of various backgrounds: Dohwan and Keita were both previously part of YG Entertainment’s Treasure Box. Hyunbin ranked at number 32 on the survival show Produce X 101 and Sungwon was a previous member of boy group 1THE9.

In the same interview, the group described Rain as a strict mentor during practice, but friendly and encouraging when outside of practice. “He shows his sincerity in everything. He takes great care of us, filming our practices himself and watching the videos down to the smallest detail. As a director, he can be strict, and he has sharp eyes and ears to pick out what is lacking,” the group said.

Rain announced the boy band’s launch in December last year under his own label, the RAIN Company. Earlier in February, the seven-member group performed Rain’s hit ‘GANG’ during the opening performance of his special episode on KBS’s music competition programme, Immortal Songs. Ciipher is set to officially debut on March 15, 2021