Sienna Spiro talks about her journey to self-confidence, why there are no more apologies in “Die On This Hill” and how the song stormed the Spotify charts.
From Frank Ocean to Amy Winehouse, heard Sienna Spiro is definitely one of the most exciting newcomers in British pop. With the song “Die On This Hill”, the 20-year-old British singer-songwriter stormed the global Spotify top 10 in January 2026. Her emotional lyrics and her unique voice inspire millions of listeners worldwide, she played live with Jimmy Fallon and sold out her “The Visitor Tour” in 2026 within seconds. What more could you want?
A conversation about the creative process, about the struggle with your own femininity and about internalizing the fact that you don’t have to apologize again and again.
ME: You can’t ignore “Die On This Hill” at the moment, the track is playing everywhere right now. How does that make you feel?
Sienna Spiro: I’m just incredibly grateful. And I still can’t believe it. But I’m really glad it’s this song because it’s very close to my heart and I’m really happy that people can relate to it.
Can you tell us more about the history of the track?
“Die On This Hill” is actually a title I’ve had for ages. It’s a kind of saying that a lot of people use, like, “I’d fight to the death for this.” My mother said this often, so I’ve felt it my whole life. One evening I was sitting at the piano and watching a video of Benson Boone playing “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Then I thought, “I have to learn to play Bohemian Rhapsody.” So I tried to learn the instrument, even though I played the piano really badly. I immediately did it completely wrong and then came across different chords that I played over and over again. The first half of the song was then created.
Fighting to the death for something is pretty extreme and exhausting. Did songwriting put you under any pressure?
No, absolutely not. The next day I put on my suit – I had this weird habit of wearing suits back then – went to the studio and we finished writing the whole song. It came easily because the message is one I’ve felt my whole life. It just built up and wanted to finally be spoken out. Things happened really quickly over the next six months. I was totally against “Die on This Hill” being a ballad, so there were guitars, drums, trumpets and probably ten versions of the song. But then I was convinced when the producers said to me: “Just try it on the piano.” I was pretty reluctant at first because I’m stubborn. But it actually really helped the vocal performance and I thought: “Okay great, so that’s how you write songs!”
What is your favorite aspect of being a musician? Is it the creative work, the studio work or the performances? Or maybe the Fame?
Definitely the songwriting and the performance. It’s kind of in between, because I’ve been writing my whole life. I just have to, and it’s the one thing you can never give up. You can always go on and on, and there is so much music out there, so much to create and so much to express – there are no limits to songwriting. You can spend your whole life discovering music. There are hundreds of instruments, hundreds of sounds, hundreds of people, that’s why songwriting is so important to me and always will be. And then there’s performing, which is so important because that’s the only place you’re really present and that’s the only place you can be. Because where do songs come from anyway? You come in and there’s nothing there, and then you go out again and there it is. It’s just really strange and you don’t know where it comes from. Sometimes it doesn’t feel so serious. At first you think it’s all coming from your head, and then suddenly you appear and see people who have heard the song and followed the creation process from the idea to the recording to the mix to the music. You see all these people understanding what you’ve created and you think: Wow, this is actually reality! You see how they identify with it and you just think: crazy! These two things.
But is it a challenge for you when you have so many options when making music, so many sounds, melodies and rhythms that you can combine?
I think it’s difficult because I would never do anything dishonest. I can’t write words I don’t feel. Even when I find the right words that work but don’t trigger anything in me, I just keep looking. But honestly, in my opinion, songs don’t just happen. They come from something else and you are just a vessel, a translator, so to speak, to convey that to the outside world.
Do you find it easy to be honest with yourself and to openly convey this honesty to the world in your music?
It’s hard to be honest with yourself, but I think you get better with age. I think the reason for this is that over time I’ve just gotten better at making music because I’m more honest with myself and others and can confidently say what I really think. But that’s difficult for everyone at first. It’s like recognizing things that aren’t very pretty or feel weird – everyone knows that. And I think putting it into a song is a way to make something really difficult a little easier.
What influenced you and your music the most so that your music is what it is today?
I have so many influences. Emotions, life experiences, people and so much more influence me to be honest.
The topic of femininity is also a theme in your texts. How do you define femininity for yourself and how do you express it in your music?
That’s a really good question. Well, I try to express them in my music by not constantly apologizing. I think “Die On This Hill” is a good example of that because it’s a song about staying strong, staying true to yourself and being confident. I struggled with my femininity for a long time myself, and it’s a really strange thing. There are many social rules about it and many ways of portraying it, especially by male artists. I’ve started to process this in my music by no longer apologizing in my songs. You can tell that in my first song “Need Me,” where I kept apologizing, but in “Die On This Hill” there are no more excuses!
This is very inspiring. What are your plans for 2026?
I will be writing a lot in 2026. I’m writing again, feeling inspired and really looking forward to performing! It’s just unbelievable that this is my job and the reality is just crazy. Yeah, I’m really, really, really, really excited.
Editorial recommendations
You’re the only artist in the UK top 10 who hasn’t released an album yet. As far as I know, you haven’t announced anything publicly yet – can we expect new music in 2026?
Let’s see!
And if you want to see her live: Sienna Spiro will be performing live in Die Kantine in Cologne on March 21st.
