From bedroom songs to BBC Introducing: Sienna Williams on letting go and navigating heartbreaks
At just 18, singer-songwriter Sienna Williams has already done what most songwriters spend years chasing: written something so specific it became universal. Her debut single, "to have and to let go," is a quietly devastating account of being "almost chosen but never fully held" — and within months of release, it had racked up huge TikTok numbers and caught the attention of BBC Introducing.
Talk to her for five minutes and it's clear the buzz hasn't changed how she thinks about the work. She's disarmingly candid about vulnerability, about the discomfort of admitting she'd been "the disposable person in a relationship," and about resisting the urge to write for relatability rather than truth. Ahead of a couple more releases this year, Sienna Williams talked to us about influences, collaboration, and why she doesn't think anyone has the answers to love and heartbreak.
How would you describe your music without using any genre?
I'd like to describe my music as emotive and reflective. More than anything, I hope it makes the listener feel something, whether that's by directly relating to what I'm saying or finding their own meaning to it and being left with a thought or feeling they didn't have before. I think that's what makes music resonate with me personally, so it's something I try to bring into my own music.
'To have and to let go' is such an evocative title — what was the moment that made you realize that was the story you needed to tell?
I didn't want to admit to myself that I'd been the disposable person in a relationship, let alone put that in a song. But I realised there's actually nothing embarrassing about it, it's a very universal experience. This song is about recognising that I'd lost a sense of control, and regaining my autonomy and integrity through letting go. I also felt that in order to let go I needed to verbalise my emotions through a song.
The song is about being "almost chosen but never fully held" — how do you find the line between writing something personal and writing something universal enough that other people see themselves in it?
I don't think you can write a song with the intention of it being relatable. For me, that has to be a secondary result of writing something genuinely personal and specific. If I'm thinking too much about whether people will connect with it, I think it becomes less authentic. I actually think the more specific and personal you are, the more universal it can become. Chances are, someone else has experienced that same feeling in some form, or they'll connect with the lyrics through a completely different context than I intended. The fun thing about a song is that it can be taken in so many ways, and even for me, a song I may have written a year ago can become more or less relatable in different periods of my life and I find different meanings each time.
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What was the hardest lyric or line to write, and why?
The hardest lyric to write was, "all I'm hearing is you're here for me, but I'm not enough." It's probably the most vulnerable line in the song, and I'm aware that to some people it could come across as a little "pick me". But it was also the most honest expression of how I was feeling, so it deserved to be in the song.
I think that's one of the scary things about songwriting; you don't really have any secrets. Whatever you're feeling is there in the lyrics and susceptible to public criticism.
You worked with Sam Posener on your debut single — how was the collaboration?
It was one of my first experiences working with a producer, and at the time I was being put into lots of different rooms with producers across different genres because I was still figuring out what I wanted my sonic identity to be. Sam really took the time to understand who I was first, and then what I wanted to get out of the song. We spent loads of time going through references and talking about exactly what I liked about each one, and he also took the time to explain parts of the production process that I wasn't as familiar with. I think that really helped me feel involved in the process, and I came away with a song that I genuinely couldn't wait to share with people.
You've named Maggie Rogers, Lizzy McAlpine, and Audrey Hobert as influences — three very different songwriters. What does each of them teach you about songwriting, world-building and telling a story?
Maggie Rogers has really influenced how I think about production. I love how expansive and energetic her songs can feel while still being intimate, and how the production always serves the emotion, and that's been a great reference point for producers I've worked with. With Lizzy McAlpine, it's the emotional depth. She makes very personal experiences feel universal, often through really small, specific details. Audrey Hobert has influenced me most lyrically. I love how conversational and specific her writing is — her lyrics feel honest, funny and incredibly lived-in.
Your debut single racked up huge TikTok numbers and BBC Introducing recognition within months. What's it been like watching a song you wrote in private suddenly belong to thousands of strangers?
Honestly, it's been quite terrifying. I think it loops back to something I mentioned earlier about writing from personal experiences and allowing yourself to be vulnerable through your music whilst knowing that it will one day be out there for everyone to see. When you write a song based on something that's happened to you, it can feel really private and personal, so putting it out into the world and suddenly having thousands of strangers listening to it, relating to it and forming their own connection with it is quite surreal.
There's definitely a vulnerability that comes with knowing something so personal to you is now there for everyone to see and hear. But equally, the response has been so positive, which I'm incredibly grateful for. It honestly exceeded my expectations of how I imagined my debut single would go, especially with the support and recognition from BBC Introducing.
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At 18, you're writing about love, growing up, and letting go — themes people spend a lifetime working through. Do you feel pressure to have answers in your songs?
Not at all. I definitely don't have all the answers, and the older I get, the more I realise that no one really does. Especially when it comes to things like love and heartbreak, I don't think there's always a clear explanation or lesson to be found. A lot of the time, it doesn't make sense at all and is driven much more by emotion than logic. I'm not trying to give people an answer or tell them how they should feel; I'm just documenting how I felt in that moment and trying to make sense of it myself.
You're heading to Berklee — how are you thinking about balancing formal music education with the momentum you're building right now as an artist?
I recognise it'll be difficult to balance both, but I wasn't willing to give up either opportunity. I think being surrounded by people at Berklee who share the same passion will motivate me even more. I've also been fortunate to have had a year out of education to really hone my craft, which I think has prepared me well for this next step.
You've said you plan to keep releasing music next year — can you tell me a bit more about that?
I've got a couple more songs coming out later this year and into early next year, which I'm really excited about. I'm also working towards releasing my EP next year, so there's a lot in the works. I'm excited to keep building on what I've started with my debut and give people a bigger picture of me as an artist!
If I interviewed you again in five years, what would you hope I identify as the first clue to where you were headed?
I'd hope you could look back at the music I'm making now and see that the ambition was always there. I also hope I can look back and be proud of the music I'm putting out now, but also recognise that my music has improved with each song. Hopefully, you'd hear those early songs and think, "You could already see where this was going."