By Vaughn Hueslman
Staff Writer
When you first take a glimpse of junior Chira Løvvik, her blond hair, striking blue eyes, fair skin, and short stature clue into her identity as native Norwegian. But behind her distinctive looks and soft accent, she masks her tremendous musical talent.
Chira began her musical journey at seven, when she first picked up a clarinet. She found the instrument to be quite boring, however, because she could not express herself fully. Chira turned to the piano which allowed her to create melodies as well as write and perform vocally. When listening to one of her original songs, “Polar Nights,” you can hear a warmth and authenticity in her voice, providing a comforting contrast to her emotional and raw lyricism.
When explaining the lyrics behind the piece, Chira said, “It’s me telling myself that I’m going to make an effort to improve things instead of waiting for them to become better by themselves.”
She writes her songs in English, but this is only one of the three languages Chira speaks fluently. Although she primarily speaks her native Norwegian at home, she chooses to compose her music in English, feeling that it separates her music from herself enough for her to analyze her emotions and understand herself better through a different lens.
Chira’s passion is influenced by her father, who was a professional musician for a while, but eventually decided to become a physicist. His choice to change his career would later result in his employment in the Caltech physics department and with it, the family’s temporary move to Southern California.
“I’ve always lived in the same place, my family is very important to me, and we’ve always spent a lot of time together,” Chira said. “Also, since Oslo is so small, my friends were always really close, geographically. My friends from the other side of the city were only a 30 – minute bus ride away.”
She has adapted well to South Pasadena, with her few frustrations being the excessive number of stop signs and the strangeness of America’s slow-flushing toilets. She is enrolled in SPHS’s choir and dance classes, and hopes to venture into string instruments and take lessons for guitar, in order to broaden her musical abilities. She has also found time to socialize in her short time at the high school.
“She’s sweet and has a really warm personality,” junior Sara Bellusci said. “It’s sometimes funny to have conversations about certain things because of the cultural barrier or there are words that don’t translate so we have to try and explain.”
Uncertain of where her musical journey will take her, Chira will continue to express her experiences and insights artistically through her music.