Vincent Hsiao

Kyra Siegel (11) poses in an outfit comprised entirely from thrifted clothes and handmade jewelry. Kyra has spent years building a collection of jewelry pieces. “All of my necklaces are handmade,” Kyra said. “The silver chain is my mother’s and she used to wear it every day. I put a lot of effort into making and designing the blue necklace, and it’s one I’m very proud of.”

There’s something about going to a concert, watching live music and letting the energy from the artist flow through you, that brings a peculiar sense of calm. The stress from school or life seems to melt away, becoming irrelevant when the rhythm of the song takes the place of your own heartbeat. The blaring music, flashing lights and vocals that seem to carry for miles do more to quiet the voices in Kyra Siegel’s (11) head than silence or meditation ever could. For Kyra, music is more than just a subscription to a music streaming app. It’s an outlet for expression, a connection to family and a way for her to escape from the stressors of life.

“School, especially for me, can be so draining and stressful, but when I’m at a concert and seeing live music, it’s like my soul is revived,” Kyra said. “I get so caught up in thinking about the future, but when I’m at a concert, and I’m seeing music, nothing matters anymore. I’m there in the present, and it feels great.”

Kyra grew up in a rock ‘n’ roll household. Her dad introduced her to music when she was young, and she’s been consistently attending concerts since fifth grade.

“Ever since childhood, my dad would always play a song and say, ‘Who is this?’ ‘What song is this?’ And I’d always guess,” Kyra said.

When Kyra was 8 or 9-years-old, she decided that she wanted to go to her first concert and asked her father to take her to one. After some searching, they ended up attending a Joan Jett concert.

“I said, ‘Katy Perry’s coming to town in a month or so. Do you want to go see Katy Perry?’” Peter Siegel, Kyra’s father, said. “She just looked at me, completely deadpan, and went, ‘No, Dad. I want to see rock and roll’, which of course, warmed my heart, because I’m a rock and roll and jam band fan. So, we went.”

As her love for music progressed, Kyra took a liking to one band in particular: Phish, which she’s attended over 30 of their shows, with her first one in fifth grade. While she loves their music, the band has also served as a key connector between her and her father as they’re able to bond over their mutual love for the band and their shows.

“Every year, I get a Phish shirt for Christmas, and that’s just been a running gift from my dad,” Kyra said. “Those always mean a lot to me because I love the band, and it’s brought me really close with my dad, and I just love their designs and all their shirts,”

Kyra’s personality is one that is also shared with her father. She’s a fervent optimist, and her uninhibited approach to life is one that she shares with her father. She’s bright and loud and that energy is one that is right at home in a concert venue.

“[Music] got me closer with my dad because at a concert, I really like to dance, and he dances too, and it’s just something we’ve always had in common,” Kyra said. “Being weird, being weirdos in public, is one of our favorite things to do.”

The bond Kyra shares with her dad and the bright energy they bring has even helped complete and total strangers. At a Phish concert, a man behind them reached out to them to let them know how their simple enjoyment of the show helped lift him out of the rough patch he was going through. 

“The guy behind us after the show basically said, ‘Hey, I’m going through a rough time in my life, and watching the two of you just completely rock out, get engrossed in the music and have fun with each other completely lifted my spirits,’ which was unbelievable to hear,” Peter said. 

Her inherited zest for life isn’t limited to concert venues. She extends her joy to her peers and the people close to her.

“She’s very bubbly, very fun and she’s really easy to talk to,” Emma Limpiphiphatn (11), Kyra’s friend, said. “She loves to laugh, a lot, and very loudly.”

Because Kyra attends over 30 shows from all different types of artists every year and is so open about her love for music, she’s able to make connections not only with her friends, but also strangers. In her mind, music is a universal language that anyone and everyone can speak.

“I love talking to people about music,” Kyra said. “Sometimes I’ll just see people wearing concert shirts, or when I’m shopping for CD’s, I’ll just talk with random people. It’s so easy to talk about music because it’s something everyone likes.”

However, Kyra’s love for music is only part of her vibrant self expression and who she is. Kyra derives a ton of joy from fashion and jewelry making. She thrifts almost all of her clothes, and upscales the pieces that need a little something extra.

“Almost everything I wear is secondhand or handmade by myself,” Kyra said. “It’s better for the environment, and it makes me feel better when I wear something I’ve made.”

Aside from the beaded work and embellishments she adds to clothes, Kyra creates a lot of her own jewelry. 

“I usually do more beading but I’m slowly learning metal work,” Kyra said. “It’s kind of hard, but I love it.”

Kyra extends her talents to her peers as well. As president of Ladue’s Beading Club, she’s able to share this creative outlet and help others make pieces they love and feel proud of.

“Sometimes I’ll help people make projects or just finish them up,” Kyra said. “When they smile and they’re so proud of their piece, it makes me feel proud too. I was able to teach someone how to do [beading] and teach someone something they love.”

Her vibrant self expression and colorful attire changes each and every day. Her jewelry, hair and clothes change around each and every day, but they always reflect one of the many facets of her up-beat approach to life.

“She’s genuinely very positive,” Peter said. “I think her clothing both mimics and generates some of that positivity.”

After Kyra’s mother passed away, she chose to carry on her mother’s legacy and create things not only for herself but for others. Through this, she’s developed a strong sense of empathy and has cultivated a diverse group of friends.
“She’s amazingly empathetic of others and caring of others,” Peter said. “When she’s creating, whether it’s art or jewelry, etc., she loves to share, which is always just super, super fun to see.” 

Kyra’s style, love for music and personality set her apart from many as a truly bright and positive force. She fills her life with things that bring her joy, and leaves behind the things that don’t.

“[I love] her bubbly personality, her beautiful personality,” Cam Chen (11), another one of Kyra’s friends, said. “She’s purely and authentically herself. I feel like these days that’s really rare.”

Just as music connects Kyra with her father, and her personality brings her closer with her friends, her love for creating connects her with her mother. Her mother passed the creative torch onto Kyra, and she bears it proudly.

“Jewelry has always been very close to me, especially now, because my mom taught me how to make jewelry,” Kyra said. “When she passed away, I knew I couldn’t give it up, because it was one of my closest ties I had to her.”