Taiwanese singer-actress Rainie Yang, 37, may be one of Asia's biggest pop stars now but she actually got her big break as a member of the girl group 4 In Love.

The quartet, made up of Rainie, Sunnie Huang, Cloudie Leng, and Windie Chang (yes, they were all named after meteorological phenomena), made their showbiz debut in 2000.

Unfortunately, the group disbanded just two years later, shocking both the members and their fans.

Recently, Sunnie, now 40, and Windie, now 37, revealed the reason behind the band's sudden demise.

The girls of 4 In Love

Windie (left) and Sunnie (right)

According to the two of them, the end of 4 In Love was a result of the 921 earthquake, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that hit Taiwan on Sep 21 1999.

Over 2,400 people were estimated to have died and much of Taiwan’s infrastructure was destroyed. It was reported that the quake caused billions of dollars in economic losses for Taiwan.

The parent company behind 4 In Love’s label took stock of the situation, and decided to withdraw their investment from the label.

Sunnie (left) and Windie (right) backstage at Rainie's 2020 concert

The decision caught everyone by surprise and Sunnie and Windie said that all artistes under the label had their contracts terminated overnight.

The employees of the label were also retrenched, with just two accountants left on the payroll to sort out the label’s financial situation.

Sunnie and Windie added that they felt like they were "dropped into the pits of hell after ascending to heaven” when they heard the news.

Clockwise from top left: Windie, Sunnie, Rainie and Cloudie

Today, Sunnie, Windie and Rainie are still active in showbiz, while Cloudie has retired from the spotlight.

However, all four remain as close as ever — Rainie works out with Windie occasionally — and have kept their weather-ific names.

Photos: Sunnie Huang/Instagram, Windie Zhang/Instagram, Rainie Yang/Instagram, 4InLoveVEVO/YouTube