Trench Ganni / Trousers Massimo Dutti / Shirt Tommy Hilfiger / Shoes GH Bass / Glasses Akila

Sienna, how are you? I know you’ve just gotten back from visiting Australia.

I’m good. A bit jet lagged, but good. I don’t even know what day it is. It was insane, though. I think it’s my favorite place I’ve ever been in my life, and like the audience there is crazy. It was my first time visiting and my first time performing outside of the UK as well.

Your debut EP, SINK NOW, SWIM LATER, dropped while you were Down Under. I know it’s not been out that long, but how have you felt about the reception so far?

I think I never really take any time to think about things. I’m like, ‘Oh, next thing, next thing, next thing.’ Because everything’s ahead in Australia, before anyone was up, I had a moment in the sea and just reflected on everything and got a bit emotional about it coming out because I don’t think I have with any of the other releases. After all, there have been so many other things happening at the time. For this whole body of work to come out, it’s felt crazy. I had a little moment of reflection in the sea, which was really nice and I felt very grateful for everyone and everything. 

Jacket Baracuta / Tee Supreme / Cardigan Lacoste / Trousers Reformation

You left school at 16 to properly pursue music. That decision is paying off as we speak, however, was that daunting at the time?

I mean, I was a teenager. Well, I still am. But, I wasn’t thinking. I was like, ‘Okay, I’m gonna do this then.’ I wasn’t really thinking of the repercussions. I was at a music school, but all I’ve ever wanted to do was music. I’ve always wanted this to be my life and it felt like the right thing to do. I actually left for a wrong reason. I was promised by this big producer that something would happen, and thank God, my life went a certain way. I’m glad I left.

What do you believe has been the turning point for you?

Girl, I don’t even know what’s happening. I don’t know. I haven’t felt any specific point was a thing that made a turnaround. But my show, in November, the first show I did, that was a really crazy moment for me because everything’s so online and I’ve spent so much time sharing my music online and connecting with people online, which is amazing. But sometimes you don’t know what that actually is and everything becomes a number and this and that. But then when you go out in the real world and you are like, ‘Oh, you are real, okay.’ I took out my earpiece and I heard people singing “MAYBE.” and I thought I was gonna cry. That was kind of the moment where I was like, ‘Oh, these are real people singing a real song that I wrote.’

You launched your music career a little over nine months ago. How do you reflect over the past year?

It feels like it’s gone fast, but it feels like it was also years ago. I was looking back on my one year ago today memories and I did this little jazz show at this place called Raise and it went so badly, and I hated it so much that I thought my life was over. I watched it when I literally had just done a performance in Australia. So yeah, it’s gone really quick, but it’s also felt like that was five years ago. It’s been crazy. 

Suit Jacket Vintage / Shirt Diesel / Tie Otto Burr

Your single “MAYBE.,” which you just mentioned, has introduced your voice to millions and became your first charting hit. What is it about that song that you believe has resonated and connected with people?

That song, I couldn’t believe the reaction to that. That’s what’s made the song have a new meaning for me. I started getting all these DMs from women, this is quite sad, that were victims of domestic abuse and domestic violence, and the amount of messages I got was really scary. But it’s a very real thing, I guess. Women in today’s society are treated so badly and I think this song resonated with them and made them feel something, whether that also included a relationship or a love setting or something else in their life. I think having that attitude of wanting someone to feel the way you did was something women related to a lot.

One of my personal favourites is “BACK TO BLONDE.” It’s quite dramatic, tell me about it.

I wrote the song when I was 16, so a long time ago, but that was one of the first songs where I was like, ‘Oh, you know, I’ve made a good song.’ The EP is split up into two halves, SINK and SWIM songs, which doesn’t mean sad or happy. “BACK TO BLONDE” would be a swim song. And I think the attitude of that song and “MAYBE.” are ones that I don’t actually personally have in my life, but I was embodying a character when writing it. They’re both very confident and fuck you-type songs. I haven’t killed anyone.

“ORIGAMI” is a unique title for a song. Did you go into the studio wanting to write a song called that?

When I write songs, usually it starts with the melody and making up shit. I’ll say random words and I stumbled on it and was like, ‘What does this mean?’ I explored it a little more by myself for a while, and I went to Fred [Ball] and Justin [Parker] and spoke about what it meant. That song is about a parasocial relationship, which is essentially being in love with somebody who doesn’t know you exist. It’s split into two halves. One is the way today’s society is. There are influencers and celebrities and there’s this style of content now, which makes you think you know so much about this person. There’s lyrics like, “And еven though you don’t know me / I feel close to you.” But then also, in my life personally, when I like somebody, I get really obsessed and I get attached and I feel like they never feel the same way. It’s that whole thing of, ‘I could literally do anything and you would have no idea I was here.’ It’s that kind of feeling. Being in love with somebody that you almost feel like a stalker because it’s so unrequited that you are like, ‘What?’ Like, ‘How do you not love me?’ There are two halves of that song, which I feel close to.

Jacket Pull&Bear / Shirt Tommy Hilfiger / Tie Otto Burr / Jeans Supreme / Loafers GH Bass

“CYANIDE” is also another highlight for me. It’s very cinematic and I like the way you ended the EP on that note. Was that intentional?

The whole EP is very acoustic, except for that song. That was intentional because I think it’s a little teaser for what my new music is gonna sound like. I’m so inspired by cinema and cinematic music. That song is very toxic and I think mixed with the cinematic thing and the hip-hop drums, I feel like it has a cool balance. It shows different aspects of music I’m inspired by.

Your music is very ballad heavy right now. Does that mean more uptempo stuff you’re already thinking about?

For sure. I love singing ballads, it’s what I grew up singing. Hip-hop was another huge inspiration for me and I would love to find a way to blend the worlds of jazz and soul, and commercial and hip hop all together. 

The EP is very emotional. Has it felt like therapy pouring everything into the songs?

Writing has been my therapy since I was 10, to be honest. I have a hard time expressing myself in words and that’s why I started writing because of that. It was the only way I could cater what I really meant and get it across and sing it in a way that made it feel the way I was feeling. If that makes sense. The EP is literally about my life over ages 16 to 18 and the bunch of experiences I’ve been through. From being young, being a woman, to falling in love for the first time, falling out of love for the first time, body image, and insecurities. It covers a lot of those topics and even though some of them are in character, they’re still experiences I’ve had. Keeping it stripped back was really intentional because it’s my first project and it’s my first offering to the world. I wanted people to get to know me and hear my voice and hear my words and be able to listen intimately.

Trench Ganni / Trousers Massimo Dutti / Shirt Tommy Hilfiger / Shoes GH Bass / Glasses Akila

You’re gonna be on tour with Nao, who is amazing. How are you feeling about that?

She’s insane and I’m so excited because one thing that I really felt I was missing last year was playing live and I’m so excited to be doing more. To be able to see new places and meet new people, I couldn’t be more excited about that.

Do you remember your first ever performance? 

I used to sing at school every day, but I remember my first ever performance outside of school was in a pub when I was about 10. It was an open mic night. I used to have this singing teacher duo, and her daughter was a producer and I used to go to their house and scream [laughs]. She used to send me to these pub open mic nights when I was 10 to 13. For the first one, I was terrified, but being on stage and singing in front of people is my favourite thing in the whole world and I don’t think there’s a feeling that will ever be the same as that. So, of course I was scared.

Do you remember what you sang?

I did two songs. My first song was called “Lady in the Mirror.” It was the first song I wrote when I was 10 and it was about being bullied. Obviously, I was a big Michael Jackson fan, hence the title. The other song I sang was a cover of Amy Winehouse’s “Love is a Losing Game.”

Suit Jacket Vintage / Shirt Diesel / Tie Otto Burr / Trousers Massimo Dutti / Loafers GH Bass

It’s funny you mentioned Amy. I feel like your music reminds me a little of her Frank era, like “Take The Box.”

Thank you! Frank is one of my favorite albums of all time. I love her and miss her a lot. She’s a huge inspiration to me.

You seem very driven. Having achieved so much in less than a year, where would you like to see yourself in a couple of years?

I have two very clear goals that I wanna hopefully achieve. One of them is being able to play at the Royal Albert Hall and have my own headline show there. That’s my dream venue with an orchestra. And the other one is to create an album, a proper project of songs that I think I’m proud of and could change music in a good way. I think that’s hard to do when there’s so much input and there’s so much music going on. I just want to make the best project I could ever create.

Follow Sienna