SZA-approved singer Sienna Spiro is an old head on young shoulders

“I’ve always felt like I was born in the wrong generation,” 19-year-old singer-songwriter Sienna Spiro tells Dazed. It’s definitely not the first time an artist has said this, but, in Spiro’s case, it’s particularly compelling. Where most ten-year olds dealt with their emotions by throwing tantrums, Spiro turned to songwriting and, by the age of 16 she had dropped out of school to pursue music full-time. Today, as she releases her debut EP SINK NOW, SWIM LATER, her heartwrenching power-ballads have already attracted a monthly listenership of over two million. That’s pretty good going.

“I was a very emotional child growing up, and I was never good at verbalising myself,” Spiro continues. “Songwriting felt like the most natural thing I could do to express how I was feeling.” It’s an outlet that calls back to the soul and jazz classics her dad would play growing up, the likes of Motown hit “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and Frank Sinatra’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, and bears fruit in the timeless vocals and emotional maturity Spiro displays on her debut project.

In “Back to Blonde”, Spiro’s gravelly voice soars to astronomic heights as lyrics describe going “back to her old ways, back to no heart, back to that bitch that couldn’t fall in love.” Elsewhere, she talks of “feeling on the run” and being “too far gone”. It speaks to experience far beyond her years, and arrives as particularly surprising given that the 19-year old already has so much going for her. An old head on young shoulders indeed.

Below, Sienna Spiro walks Dazed through the moments that inspired her debut project.

Is the blonde era over now?

Sienna Spiro: Yes the blonde era is over, however, it may be coming back…

I’ve seen some talk about SZA co-signing you online. What’s the story behind this and how did it feel? 

Sienna Spiro: It was crazy! I was in a writing session and she commented on a few of my posts and reposted on her story which at first, I didn’t think was real, I thought it was a glitch on my phone. It was a super surreal moment. I love her and think she’s the greatest and I was just in shock! 

You’re an artist who’s built a huge buzz in just a few singles. Yet, the project title and tracks are filled with melancholy. Is there a mixture of emotions surrounding this release?

Sienna Spiro: The EP is divided into two sections: the ‘SINK’ songs and the ‘SWIM’ songs (not just meaning sad and happy). The project is filled with different emotions, especially because I wrote it between ages 16 and 18 – a time when you’re going through a lot of uncontrollable changes.

There are tracks like ‘NEED ME’ and ‘I DON’T HATE YOU’, which are overwhelmed with intense emotions, that are so introspective and it’s like it’s the only feeling you’ll ever feel. Then, there’s the in-between track, ‘ORIGAMI’, which explores a parasocial relationship. It’s full of delusion, yet carries a sense of confidence, as if saying, ‘If you only knew me, you’d love me.’ Lastly, there’s ‘CYANIDE’, which is completely self-deprecating  and toxic but still has this confident tone. This EP captures the emotional rollercoaster of growing up and navigating all these complex feelings. 

You mentioned that this EP was written during a time of change, could you give us a window into what was going on during this time?

Sienna Spiro: Everything and nothing. Even though it’s only two years between the ages of 16 and 18, it really feels like the biggest change ever.

I dropped out of school when I was 16, had my first relationship, started a career and there was also so much change in my body. It was a natural change that felt unnatural and all the songs are the product of that.

What’s the story behind the tessellated cars on the cover?

Sienna Spiro: Throughout the EP I mention cars a lot and I love cars, even though I can’t drive! I saw this picture from a Japanese photoshoot that really inspired me. I’d also made a playlist of songs that inspired me while writing this EP and the playlist cover was a car. It all made so much sense.

This EP is introspective and about feeling on the outside of everything – looking in feeling like you don’t fit into whatever the circumstance is. In the artwork, all the cars are the same and I’m the only thing that’s different. I’m leaning back trying to go with the flow of them but I’m not the same.

The emotions here are incredibly compelling, but it also left me thinking: what do you do to ‘refill your well’?

Sienna Spiro: That’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot actually. Staying inspired is always something that’s super important and to do that you have to live life, so I’d say I’m still trying to figure that one out.

SINK NOW, SWIM LATER is out now.