Who We Are
Learn more about the people behind the documentary.
About Sera
Ryu Sera was born in Busan, South Korea.
A shy, quiet child, she never envisioned she would pursue a career in music. While in elementary school, she heard the Britney Spears song, Oops!...I Did It Again, and immediately took an interest in singing and performing.
In 2010, she debuted as the leader of the K-Pop group, 9Muses, a nine member girl group that would go on to release hit singles such as Figaro, Dolls(their biggest hit), and Wild.
In 2014, her career would hit a controversial period. With her contract up for renewal, she wanted to negotiate new terms for both herself and advocate on behalf of the group. Unfortunately, the company would choose not to renew her contract and kicked her out of the group. She would find this out through the media along with the false narrative that she was a diva who just wanted more money. Once she told her side of the story, she faced considerable backlash within the industry, and found it difficult to repair her reputation.
Defiantly, in 2015, she went solo, releasing her first single, 굳이 사랑이 (Love), off her self-produced album SERen:Ade. She would go on to release several independent projects in the future with popular singles including Walk With Me and Han River.
In 2020, she spoke out for the first time about her experiences in the industry, the often unfair and abusive treatment of K-Pop idols, as well as her own personal struggles with mental health. She would become a vocal advocate for better treatment of idols by labels as well as having more open discussions about mental health in the industry and within Korean culture.
In 2024, she got married in a private ceremony and has taken a break from music, but continues to write songs in her spare time. She currently lives in Seoul.
About the Director, Jamiya
Jamiya Wilson was born in the United States in Jackson, Mississippi.
An outgoing, talkative child, he developed a love for visuals and music at an early age through his Dad, an artist and DJ, who would constantly introduce him to new artists throughout his childhood to feed his curiosity.
In college he would major in Motion Picture Film, but surprisingly fell in love with the art of photography. Upon graduating film school, he would pursue a full time career as a photographer spanning 20+ years with his primary focus being portrait photography.
In 2007, a friend introduced him to the world of KPop and he immediately feel in love with the unique sound, eye catching visuals, and hard working nature of the artists. In 2010, he followed an upcoming group, 9Muses, with great interest, becoming a diehard fan after they released their very first single, No Playboy. It was through 9Muses, he would also become a fan of Sera, after hearing her standout vocals on their single, News. He would continue to follow the group throughout the years up until their split in 2014 which saw members Eunji, Lee Sem, and Sera leave the group.
In 2015, he saw Sera's video for her first single, 굳이 사랑이 (Love), and was impressed not only by her talent, but her courage to step out on her own after leaving 9Muses. He hoped to eventually work with her someday and in 2024, he got the opportunity to travel to Seoul to take her portrait. From there they would develop a friendship leading to their first collaborative project in 2025, This Is Sera.
He hopes to leave his mark in life through the arts and believes putting something beautiful and positive out into the world is a worthy artistic pursuit. He currently lives in New York City.