Meet Sienna Spiro, a 20-year-old Brit with ‘the voice of a generation’

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Just four hours before her first U.S. tour begins, 20-year-old London singer-songwriter Sienna Spiro is watching the setup from the empty balcony of the Troubadour. She’s looking down as the crew rolls a grand piano onto the stage.

Honestly, it’s a little overwhelming to think I’m over eleven and a half hours away from home. And the idea of being in a room full of complete strangers… people I’ve never even seen before… it’s just wild! I’m definitely feeling a bit scared about it all.

Spiro’s performance in West Hollywood on Tuesday featured her hit song, “Die on This Hill.” This powerful pop ballad, about stubbornly staying in a difficult relationship – with lyrics like “I’ll take my pride, stand here for you,” and “I’m not blind, just seeing it through” – has become incredibly popular, racking up over 300 million streams on YouTube and Spotify since its release in October. Driven by dramatic piano and Spiro’s incredible vocals, the song reached No. 9 in the U.K. and the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Last month, Spiro, who counts SZA, Mark Ronson, and Alex Warren among her fans, was nominated for the Critics’ Choice award at the BRIT Awards in England.

“Die on This Hill” is a powerfully emotional song that feels reminiscent of classic ballads by British artists like Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Lewis Capaldi, and Olivia Dean (who recently won a Grammy for best new artist). However, Spiro’s voice is truly exceptional. It’s full-bodied and textured, and she uses a distinctive vocal crack to amplify the song’s emotional impact – making her potentially the most exciting vocal talent to come from England since Adele.

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Sam Smith, the acclaimed English singer, describes Sienna as a remarkably talented artist who captures the spirit of her generation. Last year, Smith, who uses nonbinary pronouns, invited Sienna to perform “Lay Me Down” with them in New York, where she made a powerful impression. Because of her incredible performance, Smith invited Sienna onstage again Wednesday night at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, this time for a duet of “Die on This Hill.”

Says Smith of the younger artist: “The world is at her feet.”

Singer Spiro considers her passion a true calling. Performing at the Troubadour – after a sold-out show on Tuesday, she’ll return for another performance on Friday – she explains she’s known she wanted to be a singer “since I was a little kid.” Sitting on a wooden bench with her legs crossed, wearing a black and white striped turtleneck and with her dark hair down, she’s preparing for the show, where she’ll style her hair in a 1960s-inspired look.

She explains she often felt overlooked, both at school with her friends and at home as one of three children. It wasn’t about feeling sorry for herself, but she always wrestled with questions about her place in the world. She says music is the only thing that’s ever made her feel truly present and connected to herself.

Are we to believe that one of pop’s bright new stars was once … kind of a bummer?

“In my own way, yeah,” she says with a laugh. “It’s OK. It happened. Character building.”

Spiro had a comfortable upbringing in London as one of four children. Her father, Glenn Spiro, is a well-known jeweler with clients like Jay-Z. He introduced her to classic artists like Frank Sinatra and Nina Simone, and the film “Profumo di donna” when she was young. By the age of ten, she had already written her first song, “Lady in the Mirror,” and performed it live at a pub near Heathrow Airport.

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“Luck… or Something” is the singer and actress’s new album, her first in over ten years. She discussed the challenges of combining her career with raising a family.

I first heard about this artist when I learned she was studying at East London Arts and Music – she actually called it the next big thing after the famous BRIT School, which launched the careers of artists like Adele and Amy Winehouse. But her time there was surprisingly short! On her very first day, she put a cover of Finneas’ “Break My Heart Again” on TikTok, and it went viral with industry people. Before you knew it, she left school and was flying back and forth to LA to seriously work on her music. It’s a pretty amazing story, really.

Spiro describes a complicated relationship with the town she spends a lot of time in, calling it a “love-hate” situation. She notes that she appreciates the directness of English people – you always know where you stand with them. What surprised her about this place was that people often didn’t express their true feelings or intentions.

She explains that she felt incredibly lonely, which made it difficult to create music. While her songs are often sad, she found it especially challenging to be a teenager, separated from loved ones, and forced to act more mature than she felt.

Did suffering among the two-faced liars of L.A. ever lead her to question her commitment to music?

No, it simply made me rethink my approach. And it’s not true that everyone is dishonest; there are genuinely good people around.

Was she ever at risk of becoming a two-faced liar herself?

“Oh, I’m too English for that,” she says. “If I did that, I’d get a slap.”

Spiro began her music career in 2024, releasing singles that quickly led to a record deal with Capitol Records. She gained attention in the past year while opening for Teddy Swims on tour, and her song “You Stole the Show” – a moody, atmospheric ballad – drew comparisons to Adele’s “Skyfall.”

Spiro co-wrote “Die on This Hill” with Michael Pollack and Omer Fedi, who also produced the final version alongside Blake Slatkin. She aimed to capture the frustration of going to great lengths for someone, only to not receive the same effort in return. Although the lyrics came easily, the recording process was much more challenging. Spiro playfully admits she created hundreds of different versions of the song, experimenting with sounds ranging from Silk Sonic to Lauryn Hill before landing on the final track.

She was really craving a faster-paced song, especially since almost everything she’d released up to that point had been a slow ballad. Despite this, Fedi encouraged her to record the song live, with only her vocals and Pollack playing piano. The producer said they recorded it four times, and the final version is based on one of those takes.

Fedi describes the recording process as ‘old-school and very human.’ He admits he might sound a bit old-fashioned, but believes that when it comes to Sienna’s voice, simplicity is best. He explains that her voice is powerful and distinct, and deserves to be showcased without unnecessary effects – like simply shining a light on it.

Spiro recently gained a lot of attention after a striking performance of “Die on This Hill” on Jimmy Fallon’s show – a clip from that performance has already been viewed over 70 million times on TikTok. She’s known for her unique fashion choices during these performances, including a vintage mini dress featuring a photo of Johnny Carson and, more recently, a dress decorated with images of the Beatles for a BBC Live Lounge appearance.

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I’ve just listened to the new album from this 28-year-old country artist, and honestly, it feels like a real coming-of-age moment for her. She told me it’s all about finding your footing and embracing where you are in life – a sort of ‘I’ve got this’ energy that comes with getting older and wiser. She calls it ‘Cloud 9,’ and that title definitely fits the vibe.

Performing at the Troubadour, Spiro wore a dress decorated with images of famous Los Angeles landmarks – the Chateau Marmont and the Capitol Records building. She explained this was a preview of her upcoming single, “The Visitor,” which will be released on March 13th. While she’s been working on her first album for two years, she’s also planning to include some older songs from 2024 in her upcoming headlining shows.

Some, not all.

Honestly, I wasn’t always true to myself in my earlier work,” she admits, as her drummer begins testing the equipment. “I was trying to portray a different persona because I wasn’t confident in who I was at the time.”

Can she point to an example?

She describes her song ‘Back to Blonde’ – a track similar in style to Lana Del Rey, about a woman who dyes her hair after getting rid of a bad partner. She admits releasing it was a mistake, explaining she did it for the wrong reasons and now regrets it, calling it an inauthentic decision.

What were the wrong reasons?

It’s complicated, and honestly, not worth getting into. I’ll just say I wasn’t motivated by a love for the song itself. Ultimately, though, my reputation is on the line, and I need to take responsibility for my actions.

That’s why she’s being so careful with her new album. While some artists her age aren’t focused on making full albums anymore, Spiro truly believes in the format. She loves albums like Sinatra’s “In the Wee Small Hours,” Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life,” Adele’s “21” – which she calls a ‘perfect album’ – and Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft.”

She appreciates albums where every song feels like it belongs and has a clear purpose. She loves it when there’s a deliberate reason for each track being included.

She’s hesitant to share many details about what she’s currently working on. She jokes that she tends to reveal everything, and she acknowledges that’s not ideal.

“Oh, I know it’s meant for you,” she said, laughing. “But I can’t use it myself, because then I’d have nothing left to share when I finally reveal it!”

She did reveal one thing: the album won’t have twelve ballads. She glanced upwards, seemingly calculating how many songs will actually be on it.

“I mean, there’s a lot of ballads,” she says. “I just love a ballad — I can’t help it.”

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2026-03-06 14:33