Yoon Mi Rae (Getty)
Yooni Mi Rae is a Korean pop star whose song Pay Day was featured in the film The Interview without her permission. She is now suing Sony.
1. She is From the United States
Bizzy, Yoon Mi Rae and Tiger JK arrive at the 2014 Unforgettable Awards presented by Royal Salute at the Park Plaza Hotel on December 5, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty)
Yoon Mi Rae (sometimes romanized as Yun Mi-rae), was born Natasha Shanta Reid, or Tasha Reid, in Fort Hood, Texas on May 31, 1981.
Her mother is Korean and her father is African-American.
Because her father was in the military she moved around a lot as a child and lived in Fort Lewis, Washington, Washington DC, and Germany.
She entered the Korean music scene in 1997 and was part of various group acts until becoming a solo artist in 2000. She identifies as a rapper and a singer and speaks Korean and English fluently.
2. Sony Had Discussed Using Her Song Pay Day for The Interview
According to the Korean entertainment blog Soompi:
Yoon Mi Rae’s agency, Feel Ghood Music, said on December 26 that ‘There were initial discussions for using ‘Pay Day‘ in the movie, but at some point, the discussions ceased and we assumed that it would not follow through. However, after the movie was released, we learned that the track had been used without permission, legal procedure, or contracts.”
3. She Will Take Legal Action
Feel Ghood Music followed up their statement by saying they would pursue legal action against Sony for use of the song, along with DFSB, the agency that had brokering the deal between Feel Ghood Music and Sony.
4. The Interview has Been Marred With Issues
(Sony)
The lawsuit announcement only adds to the troubles facing Sony.
For the past few months Sony has been subjected to rotten publicity following the hacking of corporate email accounts.
Later the company and the FBI alleged that the hacking was done by North Korea as retaliation for the movie The Interview, whose plot revolves around assassinating the hermit nation’s dictator Kim Jong Un.
Sony then pulled the movie from its Christmas Day release.
However, new evidence suggests that North Korea may have nothing to do with the hacking and that it might have been an inside job.
5. The Interview Was Released
The movie at the epicenter of all Sony’s woes has been released in the theatres, online, and on-demand.
You can read how to watch it here.