The world of pop music is always in search of the next new thing. But it’s surprising how often that next new thing sounds an awful lot like a popular old thing. The Bay City Rollers were going to be the new Beatles even though Squeeze’s Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford were the new Lennon and McCartney. Across the pond, at least a dozen scruffy-looking singer-songwriters were lining up to be the new Bob Dylan.
There’s nothing wrong with being influenced by successful artists. I’d guess that early on, almost every would-be star chooses a role model or two and basically tries to replicate their success. Most of them – even the pretty good ones – never become anything more than vaguely faded copies of the original. Establishing your own voice is hard enough for anyone.
Doing it in the highly competitive and fickle field of pop music seems nigh on impossible. I marvel that we even have performers the likes of Olivia Rodrigo and Jelly Roll – artists who have been able to apply their own unique voices to established traditions. They may have started off sounding like someone who came before, but in time they sounded like themselves.
Sienna Spiro channels Amy Winehouse on her latest song
We’re about to see if Sienna Spiro can climb that mountain.
England and the rest of the world have been looking for the next Amy Winehouse ever since she passed away 13 years ago. Winehouse was the latest member of the sad club of iconic musical artists to die at the age of 27. Two of her most obvious successors, Jorja Smith and RAYE, are that age now. Both have established very successful careers. RAYE is currently up for the Best New Artist Grammy. But we remain on the prowl for the next big thing – which sounds like a popular old thing.
Sienna Spiro credits iconic performers as influences, like Frank Sinatra and Etta James. However, her latest single seems to be the most direct reference imaginable to Amy Winehouse. The song is “Back to Blonde” and though it does many things differently from Winehouse’s “Back to Black,” it is hard to hear it without wondering how intentional the similarities are.
Both are breakup songs, with the suggestion of self-destructive behavior in the wake of a failed romance. Spiro’s new track expands a bit on the musical approach of her earlier singles like “Maybe.” and “Need Me” which used little more than a simple piano to underscore Spiro’s dramatic delivery. “Back to Blonde” introduces the strings right up front. In the earlier songs, those strings sinewed their way into the mix over time. “Back to Blonde” plays up the drama bigger right from the start.
Fortunately, Spiro has the voice to pull it off, and the song itself is strong enough to stand up to the overt emotionalism. At this point, Spiro does not have a voice that can truly approach Winehouse, or two Adele, another artist with whom she shares a resemblance. But she’s just 19 and there is time for growth. I just worry that hewing so close to Winehouse may prove a dangerous course. Winehouse had a once-in-a-lifetime voice.
As it happens, another young British singer, Olivia Dean, dropped her new single, “Touching Toes,” the same days as “Back to Blonde.” It was produced by Max Wolfgang, who has helped launch Spiro’s career. Dean occasionally gets lumped into that same “next Amy” crowd, but that is a stretch. Dean leans much more closely to more traditional pop with a touch or two of soul but doesn’t give off the same jazz/blues as a performer like Spiro.
Dean’s new song is quite nice, but Spiro’s has more depth. The only problem is that at least a portion of that depth is derived from a music legend, and Spiro is going to spend at least part of her career trying to escape that shadow. “Back to Blonde” is a very good song, but it might end up being a ball and chain for Spiro if she continues to be the next Amy Winehouse and never becomes the first Sienna Spiro.