My latest little obsessions? Lush’s Sticky Dates body spray, peanut butter cups, and Sienna Spiro — on repeat. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t JUST jump on the bandwagon for the London-born singer-songwriter, nor is it because she’s coming to Toronto this fall for her Sienna Spiro: My House Tour. But when a song mirrors a part of your own life so precisely, things just feel different.
Spiro began songwriting at just 10 years old, and by the time she was 16, she dropped out of school entirely to pursue music full time. She’s released several deeply personal tracks that are loved by audiences globally, and recently took home the MTV VMA 2026 Best New Artist award. Her success and vocal depth draw comparisons to the likes of Amy Winehouse and Adele, and her aesthetic is heavily defined by a moody and sophisticated 1960s vintage, retro-glamour look.Â
Spiro’s “Great Expectation” was born on a waiting promise that was given to her during her stay in New York City. At the time, she was talking to an older man she was romantically interested in. She’d wake up every morning expecting him outside her apartment. When he wouldn’t show up despite promising, she would walk to the Lower East Side, imagining what their interactions would be like if he had showed up.
“But to each their own, you come and go a lot. It’s black and white, but I go back and change the plot,” Spiro sings on “Great Expectation.”
This personal story of hers happens to mirror what I’m currently going through very closely. I will also be in New York City this reading week. I am also coping with my fear of abandonment. And yes, I also met a man this past summer who my heart was tied to. While experiences like these can act as heavy lessons, we rarely give ourselves the space to sit with the emotions that come with them. But when we look for help, the universe sends it.
To help cheer me up, my friends took me out for Yemeni coffee, booked me a chic haircut appointment, and even hyped me up to remove the man I met this summer from my socials. A decision that helped me become more confident in facing my fear of abandonment.Â
Even someone as talented as the artists we listen to deal with the same problems we do.
It makes you appreciate it when a singer is raw and vulnerable about what they’ve been through because it can help you process your struggles through their art.
While I will unfortunately miss seeing Sienna Spiro perform in Toronto later this month, her music will still be coming with me during my stay in New York City.Â