The Timeless Talent of Sienna Spiro
I meet Sienna Spiro in the lobby of the Ludlow Hotel on a hectic day. After being exiled from her room after staying (far) past the checkout time (“I thought they’d let me stay, but they kicked me out!”), she’s speaking to me, then running to a photo shoot, then finally flying home to London.
I meet Sienna Spiro in the lobby of the Ludlow Hotel on a hectic day. After being exiled from her room after staying (far) past the checkout time (“I thought they’d let me stay, but they kicked me out!”), she’s speaking to me, then running to a photo shoot, then finally flying home to London.
It’s no wonder she’s being pulled in all different directions: that’s what happens when you’re one of the most in-demand new names in music. It was only four years ago that Spiro dropped out of school to pursue singing and songwriting full-time; now, with 1.2 billion global streams already under her belt, the 20-year-old has released her debut album, Visitor, via Capitol Records. The project follows the runaway success of Spiro’s lead single, “Die on This Hill,” an aching, piano-driven ballad textured by her raspy contralto. (When Spiro performed it on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon earlier this year, she earned multiple applause breaks mid-song.)
Here, Spiro talks to Vogue about this magic moment.
Vogue: “Die on This Hill” is everywhere, your debut album is coming out, and you just sold out your world tour. Where is your head at these days?
Sienna Spiro: All I can think about right now is a chicken sandwich. [Laughs.] Since I’m visiting New York, Chick-fil-A is on my mind. But no, I’m just very, very grateful. I’m trying to be as present as I can and take it in, because I know this is not normal. I know this is not real life. It’s just very, very crazy.
Tell me about how “Die on This Hill” came to be, because I understand it was pretty much written by accident?
I was in LA and I was just scrolling, looking at YouTube videos, and I saw someone playing “Bohemian Rhapsody.” While I’m not amazing at the piano, I just felt the urge to learn it. I was trying to, and it just was not working at all, so I kind of gave up. The chords that I managed to figure out were wrong, but then I rearranged them, and then played those over and over again. Meanwhile, the phrase “die on this hill” was always something I wanted to write about, since it’s a saying, so I just started writing it over those chords. The next day, I remember I went into the studio with [producers] Omar Fedi and Michael [Pollack], who I met for the first time, and we ended up finishing it that day.
Borrowing a phrase from chicken sandwiches, did you know at the time the song had that special sauce?
The song was really different for a long time, to be honest with you. It was originally on the guitar, and it went super fast; like The Fugees or Lauryn Hill kind of thing. I was desperate for an uptempo song. It was really Omar who said, “This should be a ballad.” I am very stubborn, as you can probably tell by listening to the song. So I said, “No, it’s not.” I wanted anything with drums in it so I could move in some way on stage. But I was trying to force something that wasn’t right…he was correct, because it definitely felt right as a ballad. That taught me a lot about giving a song what it wants and not what you want, and I think that’s a mistake I’ve potentially made in my earlier music. I was a bit selfish in the way I made music because I was like, “Oh, I want this to be in the song, so I’m gonna put it in there,” not really considering what was correct for the song and what fit.
There’s a quote by Bob Dylan I love and often think about: “Songs are floating in the ether and you’ve got to catch them.” Would you agree with that?
Yeah, totally. It’s very weird. I don’t know where songs come from, to be honest. It really baffles me every time I’m able to write a new one. So maybe all great songs are already written, because when you hear one it feels so familiar to you. The sign of a truly great song is something that feels correct, you know?
You’ve said in the past that you have an innate sadness in you. Why do you think that is, and is it cathartic for you to process that sadness through music?
I don’t mean this to sound sad or make me sound like a victim or anything, but I just think some people are naturally sad, and I definitely feel that way about myself. I think it runs in my family. My dad’s this way, my grandma’s this way, and I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I think it’s a very normal, human way to be. Some people just wake up and they naturally feel quite low, and they are also absolutely able to experience happy moments. And that is very lucky, in a way, because I think some people aren’t able to experience happy moments. But I remember just feeling very sad and for no particular reason. I just had this in me, and that’s when I started writing songs. I started trying to understand why, and I think I’ve always felt very insecure because I go a bit deep with things. My friends would be like, “You’re being so dramatic, you’re being too much, you’re overwhelming us.” But I was just being how I was naturally.
At the same time you have this innate talent. When did you realize that you could sing like this?
I’ve always sung, to be honest. I’ve been singing since I could even remember. I wasn’t always a great singer, but I just love the way it makes me feel more myself than anything else. It makes me feel very confident and like I have a purpose. It’s truly the one thing that’s been a constant in my life.
It was only four years ago that you dropped out of music college. Can you tell me about that time?
The school [East London Arts & Music] was actually amazing; it changed my life, and I’m so glad I went there. But I already had a manager, and I was doing sessions that I was loving. I was making music every day. I felt like school was holding me back. To be honest, the reason I left was a bit silly and I won’t get into it now, but it worked out for the best.
Obviously your sound is very old-school, and your style is very ’60s. A lot of retro-style performers, like Olivia Dean and Raye, have been breaking through lately. Why do you think audiences are gravitating to these classic sounds?
Personally, I’ve always loved those old-school artists. That’s been a thing that I’ve listened to ever since I was younger. But I would say, I think people are really craving humanness and human things and feeling real and having things that are tangible. That’s just very evident. You know, I’m 20 years old. I’m very much Gen Z and I crave live music. I crave things that I can hold, that I can go and see in person, and that’s what I try to implement in my music, ’cause that’s what I love. It’s very hard to be present these days; it’s really easy to feel disconnected and detached.
When I was listening to your music, I couldn’t help but think of Frank Sinatra’s ’50s discography, especially your big instrumental introductions. Then I read he is your favorite artist?
Yeah, he was the inspiration for my song “You Stole the Show.” It was one of the first songs we made for the album. I was like, “I just need a Sinatra intro!” I wanted something grand, scaly, and beautiful, and I sang this kind of melody and we put it in. His song “I’m a Fool to Want You” was really an inspiration for that. He inspired a lot of songs, and especially his album In the Wee Small Hours. My dad wanted to be Frank Sinatra, that was his idol. He was always playing in the house, and that was my pop music for a long time.
Speaking of your throwback style, are you constantly scouring thrift shops?
I love, love, love to go vintage shopping; it’s up there for me. I put on my headphones and go by myself. I think it’s because of my dad again; he had such a big influence on me, showing me ’60s-era films. I’m also a big fan of Barbra Streisand and ’60s-era girl groups like The Ronettes. I just love the way they move and I love the way they look. And I just love their hair, you know. I used to listen to music on CDs and I would see, like, these artists with incredible eyeliner and beautiful hair and I’d be like, oh my God! I was so drawn to it. When I tried out their styles, it made me feel so myself and confident because I’m a very insecure person. I love the way I wear my hair now, and the way I do my makeup.
Are you secure on stage when you’re singing and blowing people away? Audiences have a tendency to really react to you.
When I’m on stage, I’m blacked out. That is a sign of a good performance—if you can’t remember it afterwards. I think people underestimate the way singing feels and how cathartic and powerful it is. Melody is more powerful than words could ever describe. Again, I really struggled with my mental health growing up. I know a lot of kids did, but I really, really struggled. Singing was the only thing that kind of helped me through.
This conversation has been edited and condensed
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