Self-aware, enthusiastic and woke: the three terms that formulate to embody Nika Torabi. She is always wondering how people perceive her, constantly working on her faults to better her character. Social issues are something that she is educated on. She finds herself excited to face whatever is thrown at her, most predominantly if it involves music, which reigns as the interest she is most passionate about.

“I was introduced to alternative music at a really young age through my sister, Shayda,” Torabi said. “It was actually in her car that I was exposed to my favorite band for the first time. I have really fond memories of jamming out to Weezer, Hellogoodbye and Friendly Fires, which isn’t necessarily the type of music you’d expect an eight year old to listen to, but I do believe that it helped mold my music taste and I’m really thankful for that.”

Torabi’s favorite band is the popular indie band Foster The People.

“Like I said previously, the first time I heard ‘Pumped up Kicks’ was in my sister’s car in seventh grade,” Torabi said. “The song was really catchy and it wasn’t long before I downloaded the entirety of their first album, ‘Torches.’ I listened to that album religiously over the next three years until they dropped a single from their sophomore album, ‘Supermodel,’ called ‘Coming of Age.’ I remember sitting in Coach Moore’s DEN class and getting the notification that Foster the People had released a new song and I’m not even gonna lie, I cried a little bit. Along with having catchy choruses, a lot of the lyrics resonate with me and have gotten me through almost every tough situation I’ve been in since that summer of 2011. I’d do anything for that band.”

Torabi’s greatest accomplishment is painting the album cover from Foster the People’s “Supermodel” on her bedroom wall. The entire process took her exactly nine months to finish and by documenting the journey of her painting on social media, she has become well known throughout school.

“As a promo for ‘Supermodel,’ some artists painted a giant mural with the album art on a building in downtown LA,” Torabi said. “After six months, the city of LA ordered the mural to be painted over despite a petition with 12,000+ signatures, which included signatures from the band members as well. Long story short, I decided to paint it myself, seeing as I’d never be able to see the original thing in person.”

In her free time Torabi enjoys going to concerts with a group of her friends. The group always makes it a priority to get to the concerts early in order to get a guaranteed spot that is close to the artist.

“I think that being up close and personal with the artists that produce the music you love harnesses a very ethereal connection,” Torabi said. “There’s nothing else like it. I think the earliest I’ve showed up for a show was 5 a.m. to see BØRNS back at Stubb’s last June, and we waited in the summer heat all day until doors opened at 7am. It was definitely worth it because we not only got to see one of our favorite artists close up, but we also created a lot of memorable experiences with one another. I wouldn’t trade going to concerts for anything.”

Ten years from now Torabi sees herself running a profitable music publication and possibly becoming the manager of a successful band. This past October, Torabi and a group of her friends got together and created a music blog called Suede Publications. Since then, the group has written several articles on the bands that they love. Their popularity has given them the chance to photograph shows and interview some bands.

“It’s a super dope opportunity,” Torabi said. “I really hope that we can grow it over the upcoming months.”