Their fingers go down, up, down, up, on the teal blue electric guitar, the amp. is turned all the way up, and junior Chidera Anyasor is riffing across three different octaves into a microphone. In their recent song release of “Flow” across all platforms, written by 14-year-old artist Declan Stone, CHIDERA. is Niles West’s most recent rising artist.

Anyasor is the type of person that could talk about music forever if you asked them. “My passion for music has always been here, ever since I could remember. My mom brought home these two Beyonce CDs. And they were of her live concert when she was on tour. I used to watch it over and over and over again until I memorized what she would say in her lines and even the choreography. So I just love music,” Anyasor said.

Anyasor’s sister, Chioma Anyasor, recalls many musical memories from their childhood, “Before COVID when we sang at our church for Christmas, it was a fun experience to get to sing with Chidera.”

“I also remember when Chidera did an open mic thing. It was fun to watch them and how other people reacted to their singing,” Chioma said.

Anyasor performed their song “Flow” last summer before its official release. “I had the pleasure of coaching Chidera on the song “Flow” for a live performance. I think the track truly shows off their lower range and lets them really let go vocally and just sing when the high notes come in. This song is almost like home for Chidera—reflective, emotional and truthful,” A Capella director, Carl Alexander said.

“I actually got to see them perform it last summer, prior to the song’s official release. You can tell that Chidera is very aware of their voice and takes control of it in the song. I’m so proud of them, and I can’t wait to see what they’ve been doing, as they are on the cusp of releasing a bigger project of music, which I know they’ve been putting a lot of thought into,” senior Jake Pranian said.

Anyasor’s next project is an EP, “I plan to put it out this year,” Anyasor said. “An EP is like an album, but shorter—it’s a compilation of music maybe 45 minutes or less.”

“My goal is to keep creating. My goal is to be able to perform and show people my art…I’m not in it for the money, but recognition would be nice,” Anyasor said.

Recognition is definitely something Anyasor seems to have achieved with 103 monthly listeners on Spotify and 115 followers on Sound Cloud.

“When I first met Chidera, it’s almost as if they came out of nowhere. They just showed up and made themselves known. Since that day, Chidera has showcased so much of who they are as a friend, artist, and fellow group member,” Pranian said.

In school, Anyasor is part of Niles West’s concert choir and A Capella group, Echo Effect.

“Chidera was a member of Tonal Eclipse for two years, but they have made it abundantly clear that they have been interested in Echo ever since they moved here. They even dmed [direct messaged] the members on Instagram before they met us. Little did we know, they would be such a vital element to our group dynamic, and we’re so happy to have their determination, dedication, and craft in the rehearsal room,” Pranian said.

“I came to Niles West, and I was like oh my goodness, I love A Capella. So I came [to school], I didn’t do any sports, and I got right to work with music,” Anyasor said.

“Even outside of creating art, Chidera is someone who always brightens the mood, is a social butterfly, and always keeps it real. There are not many people like that anymore. I feel like every friend group needs a Chidera,” Pranian said.

To support Anyasor, you can visit this link and follow them on Instagram @therealchidera.