afflatus

Sarvia Noor was born on April 12, 1951, and grew up in a fancy house in Los Angeles, California. Her parents worked for a big law firm and were practically never home. Because of this, Sarvia became a popular face on the Sunset Strip.

ELAINE CHANG (biographer, author of Sarvia Noor: The Muse): Sarvia Noor started out her journey on the Sunset Strip at just thirteen. She never shied away from what was there. Sarvia wasn't like most teenagers who were trying to sneak into the clubs along the strip. She was able to talk her way in anywhere, and that was how she made connections. You sweet talk a few bouncers, and then, suddenly, you're talking to the owner of the biggest club in the city.

It wasn't something that most people could do, but she had this energy about her. That's what made her special. The curly hair, full lips, and heavy jewelry, it all worked together with her natural charm to create the Sarvia Noor we know today.

SARVIA NOOR (singer): The Sunset Strip was like my own playground. Everyone knew me there, and that's why I liked it. I liked being the center of attention. Hell, I still do. My parents never watched what I was doing, but the people in these clubs would. It's sad in a way. By the time I was fourteen I had tried almost every drug there was to offer and I had already lost my virginity.

It wasn't a pretty story. It was some older guy who could barely play the guitar. He invited me backstage at a show and I followed. I thought I knew everything, but oh, how wrong I was. I didn't even know what he was trying to do until I thought it was too late to back out. Of course, it wasn't, but I thought I had to go through with it. I'm still pissed at that dude.

Although, that same night a band didn't make it to their gig, and I volunteered to fill in. Was it because I was insanely high on some pill I found in the bathroom? Absolutely.

SIMONE JACKSON (disco star): Of course, I knew who Sarvia Noor was. I'm pretty sure everyone knew who she was. She hadn't even taken a step on a stage before and she was already famous. That night that she got up on that stage and belted out whatever song came to her mind changed everything. If it was even possible, more people were looking at her. Her voice sounded angelic in a way. It was clear she was doped up, but that's what her voice always sounded like back then. It was something nobody had heard before, that's all I know.

SARVIA: I started singing more often. Club owners would give me gigs here and there because people liked hearing me sing and I liked doing it. Singing made me feel alive. And the drugs. The drugs made me feel a lot of things. I don't remember a lot of the times I sang, but if I had to guess, I'd say I did it at least a hundred times. The only night I really remember was the night I met Daisy.

DAISY JONES (singer, Daisy Jones & The Six): The first time I hit up the Sunset Strip I was fifteen and honestly... I was a little nervous. I had never done something like that and I was doing it all alone. I didn't have any friends, I was an only child, and my parents practically ignored my existence. The first club I was able to get into was Whiskey a Go Go. When I first walked in, my attention moved to the girl on the stage. She was singing "Spooky" by Dusty Springfield.

SARVIA: I'm pretty sure the only reason Daisy remembers the song I sang is that she was sober. Nobody else in that club was sober, that's for sure.

DAISY: I couldn't stop watching her. She had this aura around her. When people tried to describe to me the aura I have when I sing, I never understood. Then Simone explained that Sarvia and I were similar in that way. We captured the audience's attention and didn't let go. After that I finally understood.

SARVIA: I saw her in the crowd. Her red hair was glowing in the yellow lights and she looked beautiful. I didn't talk to her right away 'cause I went to get a drink. She found me at the bar.

Sarvia was leaning against the bar, her heavy bangles clacking against each other as she raised her hand to get the bartender's attention. "Another vodka soda, Scotty."

"You got it," Scotty, the usual bartender, got to work.

Daisy plopped down in a seat nearby. "You were good up there."

"Thanks, new girl," Sarvia appreciated her words. "I've never seen you around here."

"Yeah, well..." Daisy trailed off as Scotty came towards them.

Scotty placed the drink down in front of Sarvia, then moved his attention to Daisy. "What can I get 'ya, Red?"

At that moment, every drink Daisy had ever heard of seemed to vanish from her head. "Oh... um...."

"Get her a lemon drop," Sarvia ordered for Daisy, laughing slightly.

DAISY: I was trying to be confident. It's hard to talk to a pretty girl who just charmed you with one song. When the bartender asked what I wanted, I froze, and she laughed. She laughed. And it was beautiful. She ordered me a lemon drop.

SARVIA: I thought it was funny.

DAISY: We talked for a few minutes before she was pulled away by some guy. I didn't even get her name. Well, I didn't get her name until I asked the man next to me who she was. He told me everyone knew Sarvia Noor.

SARVIA: Teddy Price wanted to sign me. He always bugged me at whatever club I was singing at, and I kept turning him down. It wasn't like I didn't want to make music, I just didn't have any lyrics. I'd create pieces here and there off the top of my mind, but I never wrote them down.

ROD REYES (manager): Look, she had big potential. Teddy knew she could be big. That night he pulled her away from Daisy was the night she finally accepted. He wasn't sure what changed her mind so suddenly, but he had a suspicion that it was Daisy.

SARVIA: I thought of my first song that night. I sat down and wrote "Ivory" in two hours. When I found Daisy in a club a week later, drinking and dancing with whoever wanted to, I sang it while looking at her. She was really something.

DAISY: My life changed a lot in just a few weeks. I was going out, partying, drinking, doing drugs, and facing the realities of life. One thing that stayed the same was seeing Sarvia everywhere. I tried to stop thinking about her, but it just never worked. 

SARVIA: I've always liked Daisy Jones. Even if I didn't know her name until two weeks after the first time I met her.