If Olivia Dean Is On Your Playlist, Add Sienna Spiro

I was just scrolling on TikTok when a singer I’d never seen before blew me away. She had an iconic, towering beehive, rocked a vintage mini dress, and her voice was husky and soulful. I’d heard the whole “TikTok is interdimensional cable” joke before, but in that moment it actually felt real, as if I’d just stumbled across someone who belonged in another decade, right there in the middle of my feed. Her name is Sienna Spiro, and if you haven’t heard of her yet, you're in for a treat. Music these days usually pushes for bigger production and louder personalities. Some artists make songs built for 15-second clips. Spiro goes the other way. At only 20, she’s making jazz-infused soul that invites you to slow down, breathe, and wallow in past heartaches. She's often compared to Adele for her rich , soulful voice, with songs filled with longing, insecurity, and hope. Her lyrics have emotional depth far beyond her years. She's only 20, but her music doesn’t make you want to blast it and dance around your room at all. If anything, she makes you want to turn the lights down, pour a glass of wine, and cry. Or at the very least, sit in awe and soak in her amazing vocals. A Voice From Another Era Vintage fashion has become increasingly popular among Gen Z, but for Spiro, it doesn't feel like a trend. I'd say it's more of an extension of who she is. The towering bouffant hair and '60s-inspired silhouettes might make it seem like she's playing a character, but listen to her speak for a few minutes and it's obvious she isn't. “I’ve been singing since I could talk,” she told Interview Magazine. Growing up, her house was full of Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone, Etta James, Dinah Washington, Barbra Streisand, and Al Green. “That was my pop music,” she explained, and she spent those early years trying to copy the way they sang. Those influences are still all over her sound today. Modern singers love showing off every run and riff they can, but Spiro has learned to hold back. She credits producer Omer Fedi with teaching her that “less is more.” Back then she felt like she had to prove she was a good singer by stuffing every riff and run into a song. Now she lets the music breathe instead. When she talks about the artists who shaped her, she often mentions Frank Sinatra’s line: “A singer, to me, is somebody who tells a story.” She keeps that in mind whenever she performs. "I love the humanness of music from back then." You can really hear it in tracks like “Die on This Hill” or “The Visitor.” Instead of hiding emotion under layers of production, she leans into silence, phrasing, and even little imperfections. “I love the humanness of music from back then,” she explained. “You couldn’t auto-tune, you couldn’t punch in.” She records almost everything in one take. “All the instruments are recorded by people. You hear the little mistakes. You hear the breaks, you hear rubbing from my dress. That is so personal.” Spiro seems way more interested in keeping the emotion than chasing flawless sound. Her fashion follows the same vibe. She loves “the personality and character of the sixties” and looks up to women like Nancy Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and Françoise Hardy. The vintage paper dresses, structured mini dresses, and clean silhouettes are part of her everyday look. Along with artists like Olivia Dean and Laufey, Spiro is part of a wave of younger musicians bringing back timeless influences. Her road to this point has felt pretty old-school, too. She's Always Known She wrote her first song at 10 and knew right away that music was it for her. At 16 she left school to chase it full-time after a video she posted got her management. Looking back, she admits she was “very stubborn and headstrong,” but she’s grateful everything worked out. “This is all I ever want to do,” she said. Since then she as built a loyal fanbase with her deeply personal writing. Her debut EP Sink Now, Swim Later brought stories about heartbreak, body image, insecurity, and growing up. Her breakout single “Die on This Hill” put her on the international map, and she later released her debut album Visitor , followed by a world tour across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Even with all the success, she’s still careful not to let social media run her art . She’s thankful for the audience she’s found online, but she refuses to make music just because she thinks it might go viral. “Social media is a blessing and a curse,” she said. “I think art should just come from humans, and be personal in whatever way that means.”