The YouTube video opens with a young woman seated at a vanity table, writing in her diary and waving good-bye to end a FaceTime chat. The soundtrack begins with a brief acoustic-guitar intro, and then a soft, sweet voice floats into the arrangement, slightly sad but still comforting. A good voice to listen to in hard times, or when sheltering in place.

  • Elena HT Par’s song “Melody” is by far her biggest success, with nearly two million YouTube views.

“Melody” was written by a fellow YouTube performer, Indianapolis-based Honey KhuaitiZuu, who has her own YouTube channel. The song is sweeter and less gritty than KhuaitiZuu’s usual rap tracks.

This persecution has taken the form of the destruction of churches, the arrest or murder of clergy, and attempts by the Burmese military to forcibly convert Chin people. The Chin State, a mountainous, sparsely populated area, has suffered acute shortages of food and medical facilities. The Chin haven’t been targeted by the kind of genocidal attacks inflicted on the Muslim Rohingya, but there’s nonetheless a large and ongoing diaspora of Chin people from Burma to safer havens around the world. Many Chin live in India and Bangladesh, and there are Chin communities in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. “Most Chin people [in the U.S.] are in Texas and in Indianapolis,” Par explains. “But we are in Chicago.”

When Par was done, she would demand that the family give her flowers to show their approval. “That’s a very popular gesture during her live shows,” Zaathang says, “because that was a very popular gesture seen in many music videos.”

In a video Par posted in April 2019, titled “Q&A with Elena HT Par,” she admits she’s had no formal musical training. Or rather, all the training she has received came through singing in choirs. (She was also a member of the Chicago Children’s Choir for “about four months.”)

Released in 2008, Camp Rock revolves around Lovato’s character, a girl from a poor family with a powerful singing voice who can only attend a prestigious camp for aspiring pop stars by working in the kitchen. The dramatic question that powers the film is whether her talent will be recognized and celebrated.