With a hairbrush in her hands and karaoke music playing from the TV, Nguntha Par sang the music she knew by heart.
For Par, makeshift microphones and karaoke music were a nightly tradition. What started out as singing in her bedroom turned into only the beginning of her singing career.
Par, now a sophomore at SHS, has a strong passion for music that shapes her identity. Throughout her music journey, she uses her voice as a way to express herself.
“I knew that any dull moment could’ve gotten brighter with music … ,” Par said. “Whenever I’m on the stage singing, I let my worries go.”
Ever since she was a young girl, Par has grown up around music. With her dad playing the guitar and consistent family karaoke nights, she grew to love singing.
Par’s close friend, sophomore Sung Tial, has been a part of her music career from the beginning. They have always sung together, and their friendship has been a prominent part of Par’s journey.
Tial says they have a sisterly friendship and she’s been her biggest cheerleader throughout her music journey.
“I’m really proud of her and (her) career in singing,” Tial said. “I know how much passion she has for it, and to witness her grow so much and improve makes me really happy.”
Par says their friendship encourages her to keep persevering, as Tial motivates her by reminding her of the passion and purpose she feels while singing.
In 5th grade, with the encouragement of Tial, Par began building up her music career. She spontaneously signed up for singing at Indiana Zion Baptist Church, and she immediately loved the environment.
She says that the church provided her with amazing opportunities. Not only did it help with her performance experience, but it strengthened her faith as well.
“They would continuously ask me to sing for the church … This allowed me to get comfortable with the presence of the stage and genuinely grow to love it,” Par said. “It definitely strengthened my love for worship.”
Initially, she never thought she’d sing outside of Indiana. However, In June of 2022, her uncle asked her to sing at their church in Kansas City.
At first, she says she was very nervous. But with her sister’s presence, she felt more comfortable in her upcoming performance. Par says she felt her worries slip away when she sang, and she tried not to think about the people watching her.
After the performance, she gained notable recognition and praise from the audience. She says that it made her realize how many people have never heard her voice before. This led to her expanding her performance locations outside of Indiana.
“It gave me a lot of recognition from outside places as well … ,” Par said. “Traveling outside of Indiana and singing at other places helped me get comfortable with singing in front of new faces and new people.”
From there, she continued to perform at different venues. She’s gone to a variety of different places to perform, including Kentucky, Missouri, New York and Wisconsin.
Par says all of these experiences have enhanced her performing technique and visiting these different places gave her an idea for her possible future in music.
“Traveling definitely made me realize that maybe I do want to create worship music of my own in the future … ,” Par said. “I’m glad I can use my voice in a powerful way for other people to hear as well.”
