We get into the complete package with Siena Larsson

~ Hi ~

I’ve been an aspiring musician since I was very young and whenever I had the chance to speak to professional musicians, I was always so intrigued to know all about the early stages of their careers.

How did they become involved in the music industry? What inspired them? What does the journey look like? Now, as I can excitedly be described as a professional singer songwriter (although in the very early stages of my career) I thought it might be interesting to reflect back and answer those questions myself.

My name is Siena Larsson, I’m 25 years old, currently living in Brisbane, Australia. Whilst I’m definitely still learning and growing, I’m incredibly lucky to be at a point in my life where I’m financially supported by my music and have the chance to spend every moment devoted to my passion. So… here’s a little insight into my journey and my life now!

~ The Writing & Rehearsal Process ~

My day-to-day, behind the scenes, consists of writing and rehearsing, and rehearsing and writing… there is no end point, no one to tell you’ve done enough, no one to tell you “it’s perfect now, you can stop”…

So begins the never-ending cycle of every spare moment directed towards jotting down song lyrics, playing a melody over and over again on guitar and playing with vocals and harmonies.

It’s not hard to do when you love it, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to some sore fingers or a hoarse throat some days. Then there are those sleepless nights when an idea pops into my head that I know will be lost in the morning if I don’t record it at the time… I’ll often wake up to multiple 2am voice memos of lyric ideas and new melodies.

I guess one day I’ll have to release a mashup of the mess that are those half-asleep voice memos! Many of them turn into actual songs. Honestly the hardest thing to do is create ideas out of nothing, force lyrics or rush melodies, it just doesn’t work, so you do have to be patient and when the ideas are flowing, be thankful, drop everything and let that be the priority, even if it is 2am!

My latest single, ‘Useless Information’ is a great example of this. Lyrically this song is one of my favourites, I wrote it all in one sitting, one night driving home, alone in my car.

The entire song flowed from one line…I was driving down an empty highway, thinking about my ex (eek! as you do)… ‘do you still drive late at night when you feel lonely?’ … and the whole song flowed from there.

That thought at the time, felt so individual to me yet, since the single release, I’ve had so many people reach out, friends & strangers, to tell me how they’ve related to the track, how they’ve felt ‘seen’, how moments they had experienced all alone now felt like they were shared, knowing I had ‘been there’ too. This is my absolute favourite aspect of my music.

~ Admin & Marketing ~

In contrast to the lyrical, passionate, creative side of the music industry is the promotional, marketing, administration side. It’s one thing to put yourself out there when you perform and be vulnerable like that but needing to promote yourself as well is a whole different sort of vulnerability.

I have never been comfortable with self-promotion; I’m not one to shout about my music from the rooftops. The requirement to be both vulnerable with my music but strong enough to market myself is a tricky balance.

You have to learn to promote the rawest side of you and your emotions and it takes practise for sure. People forget that you’re actually self-employed as a musician, particularly early on in your career.

You are your own business and your own marketing manager, and most importantly you are both the sales team and the product you’re selling. As far as marketing content goes, I personally like to spend time focusing on videoing stripped back acoustic versions of my songs which I post to keep people engaged.

When I’m in my room rehearsing, it’s my world; I figure if people like my music, then they’ll like the authenticity in the chance to see a daily rehearsal or a songwriting session. I also love to share behind the scenes snippets of my recording sessions.

My producers are just amazing to work with and there’s always so much chaos (good chaos) happening behind the scenes in production. I think it’s great to let people share in the fun.

Rather than creating ‘content’, I just share life outtakes, moments in my day and a little behind the scenes of the life I’m lucky to be living. That’s what little Siena loved, in other artists, and that’s what I hope my listeners today, and into the future, will continue to appreciate.

When it comes to marketing a single release that’s when you have to trust in your artistic vision.

Consistency between the song, the album art, the promotional content and the energy around the song and the release is super important. Keeping things aligned helps with engaging those listeners that are going to love your track and the energy of your content.

This is such a fun part of the process because it’s the opportunity for people to hear your song and for you to paint them the picture you envisioned alongside it.

~ How to Release ~

If you are someone who is looking at releasing their first song, this process can feel so so daunting.

The first release is definitely the most difficult, it’s all new and there are just so many decisions involved in the initial process.

You are the one that has to decide how your music should be recorded, where it should be released, so many questions that ultimately will start to shape the artist you become.

There are no wrong answers though, remember that! Just start! What’s right for me, may not be right for someone else but you have to trust in your creative process and those decisions just get easier and easier.

Early on in my recording career, I would book studio sessions with producers only after I had 100% completed my lyrics, my melody, I had acoustic versions, recordings and a clear vision; sometimes that is best for me.

On more recent tracks, like my upcoming single ‘Package Deal’ the process has been much more organic. With ‘Package Deal’, I met with my producer with a lyrical idea, he introduced the melody and from there we collaborated to create the track, a process I absolutely loved, and turned out was just perfect for the song.

The production process as a whole is incredibly fun, it’s the chance to hear the ideas that have only existed in your head, come to life. If you’re a perfectionist, like me, you’ll find the last 10% the hardest part.

I love perfecting each of the elements, adjusting the final touches, I find the beauty in the detail but there comes a time that you have to stop and step back. Just trust in your creative vision, trust your gut and GO FOR IT! That’s what I’d tell little Siena today.

~ Live Performance ~

I have been performing ever since I was 5 years old. For me, everything leads up to the point at which I walk on stage, the crowd goes quiet, the nerves literally disappear, and I have the opportunity to just do what I love.

Whether I’m performing to an audience of 2 as little Siena often did to her parents or having the chance to perform to thousands as I did recently while being live streamed globally, I honestly feel the same excitement and a true love of the performance moment.

The ability to connect with an audience through song is immensely powerful and something I don’t take for granted. The opportunity to write a lyric, no one else has heard, about a time that was important to me, and then have others share that experience and that moment with me, is incredible.

I have always said songwriting is my free therapy. From the moment I could write I wrote lyrics, from the moment I could sing I was out busking, playing gigs and accepting any opportunity to perform.

You have to! Every opportunity can be a great one, every performance is practice, every crowd teaches you something and every show I’ve ever performed has helped me grow as a performer.

After years of writing, playing and performing all on my own, I started more recently to collaborate with local musicians. Friends at first and then other artists, people I met at networking events, people I’d seen perform and asked to jam with, you name it.

As artists we are the result of the experiences we’ve had and the people we surround ourselves with. I think one of the most exciting things about performing for me these days is the chance to share my work with other artists.

The chance to create a set list for a show, bring together a talented team of musicians and introduce them to my latest songs, my newest lyrics. The chance to sing my music with a team of talented people that add energy, warmth and individuality to my work is life changing.

I owe every artist I’ve worked with so much love for that.

~ What’s Next ~

I’d love you to come and experience the connection and fun I’m talking about at my next headline show (YAY). I’ll be performing with my beautiful band to celebrate the release of my new single

‘Package Deal’. The show is on the 10th of May 2024, in West End, Brisbane, at a cute venue called ‘It’s Still A Secret’. Tickets are only $25 and you can buy them HERE. Plus, I’ll be around after the show, so please come and say hi:)