Seria

If pressure is all it takes to form a diamond, then Seria is a sparkling jewel on the horizon of success. After a lifetime of triumph and heartbreak, the gifted singer/songwriter has found her rhythm and groove both as a solo artist on her first album “Something Different.”

A singer from birth, Seria grew up singing. She was an introverted and shy child, who at the tender age of 4 began expressing herself through performing arts by organizing, rehearsing and producing plays and musicals for her parents and relatives using her siblings and friends as cast members.

Born with Albinism, an inherited condition that inhibits pigment in the eyes, skin and hair, Seria had a rough time as a child and was frequently a victim of both bullying and cruelty. “I was the tallest, skinniest girl in the class with the thickest glasses ever. And I had scoliosis, so I had a back brace. They used to call me Skippy because my hair was the color of peanut butter.” Needless to say, childhood was torture for Seria, and from that pain she wrote some of her best music.

Featured on her first album, “Hold Your Head Up,” is one of the songs that came from an agonizing school experience. One day in 9th grade, a classmate threw a baseball that hit Seria so hard in the head that she almost passed out. “I wouldn’t even turn around to see who did it and I refused to cry.”

Having Albinism would become a lifelong challenge for Seria, and her sometimes singing partner and brother, Lawrence (XL) who also was born with the same affliction. Having all the symptoms of Albinism such as being legally blind, and unable to bear being in the sun, they do not have the extreme physical pigmentation characteristics of white skin, red eyes and white hair. Black people questioned our race; we weren’t white and Albinos thought we were too dark. So, we just hung around each other and our music kept us from the pain.

The turning point in Seria’s music career came while she was attending Midland Lutheran College. Flat broke and needing a new pair of tennis shoes, Seria and Lawrence decided to enter the student talent show, which had a prize of $100. “We didn’t even have an act.” That night, she belted out a haunting accapella rendition of Toni Braxton’s “Love Should Have Brought You Home.” Suddenly the crowd of 300-400 students began clapping and singing along and cheering her name! It took the judges several times of calling out their names before they realized that they had won! “We were amazed.”

That was Seria’s first taste of performing in front of an audience. “I felt different. I felt in control. People liked me and I felt accepted like I belonged. I knew from then on that performing was what I wanted to do.”

Seria soon began performing on a regular basis at shows around the Tampa Bay area. He Uncle produces Hip Hop shows, and he let her get as much stage experience as she could.

In 2000, she began to take her songwriting more seriously. “Freak,” a dance tune featured on her first album, was the first song she ever wrote. In 2001, Seria auditioned for Tampa Bay Idol and was chosen third place out of 3,000 contestants. Once again, reaffirming that she had something to musically to say.

Her final push into the business came at the 2004 Winter Music Conference in Miami. During a panel discussion featuring Wayne Williams of Jive Records, Seria asked, “what if you are a good singer, but you don’t have anyone to produce you?” Someone from the audience yelled, “if you’re such a good singer, then sing a song for us now!” Without missing a beat, Seria began to sing through the thunderous laughter. As she hit the high notes in “You Mean the World to Me,” the room went silent. When the song was finished, she was rushed by producers.

These days Seria is living out her dreams. During college, she blossomed into a stunningly beautiful woman; got married and had her sons, Adaunis and Aneaus. She graduated from Midland Lutheran College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing. She also has a Master’s Degree in School and Mental Health Counseling from University of South Florida and she is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Counseling .

Seria is a role model and an inspiration to any youngster who is challenged whether it is mentally, physically, emotionally or socially. “I know personally, that there is light on the other side of pain and loneliness. I am a living testament to having faith in oneself and your abilities; to not giving in when life seems the darkest”.

With her second single “Body Heat” scheduled for release this spring, Seria’s musical future is at an all time high. But, experience has taught her that life is a balancing act. “No matter what happens in my life, no matter whom or what I become, music will always be a part of it. I couldn’t live without my music.”

“Body Heat” is due to be released in the June 2008 on BrokenRecords.us.