If you’ve fallen in love with Sienna Spiro’s \u201cGreat Expectation\u201d, there is an enormous amount of music waiting for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The trick is knowing where to look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spiro’s breakthrough isn’t built around the production style dominating most modern pop. Instead, it combines enormous vocals, old-fashioned songwriting, cinematic arrangements and the sort of emotional intensity that makes you want to stare dramatically through a window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song reached No. 1 in the UK in September 2026 and remains near the top of the chart in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you’re looking for songs that create a similar feeling, start with Adele, RAYE, Yebba, Celeste and Amy Winehouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But don’t stop there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, Spiro’s voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She doesn’t sing as though the goal is to make every note sound effortlessly perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can hear the emotional pressure building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Second, the arrangement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Piano and strings give the recording a timeless quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Third, the songwriting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song is about falling in love with the version of somebody you have imagined rather than the person actually standing in front of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That creates an emotional contradiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You know the relationship isn’t delivering what you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But you cannot stop believing in its potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If that combination is what you’re looking for, these fifteen songs are the place to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Possibly the closest recommendation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll I Ask\u201d allows Adele’s voice to carry almost the entire recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The piano provides the foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everything else is emotional delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The narrator knows a relationship is ending but wants one final moment before the separation becomes permanent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you enjoy the way Spiro makes relatively simple words feel enormous, Adele is the obvious next stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also try \u201cLove in the Dark\u201d and \u201cTo Be Loved\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RAYE brings a more theatrical approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOscar Winning Tears.\u201d moves between spoken delivery, jazz-influenced arrangements and explosive singing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like Spiro, RAYE draws heavily from classic soul while remaining unmistakably contemporary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song also shares Spiro’s interest in the difference between someone’s promises and their actual behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Start here if the drama of \u201cGreat Expectation\u201d appeals to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the recommendation for people who care most about vocals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yebba’s emotional control is extraordinary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her famous live performances of \u201cMy Mind\u201d demonstrate how much a singer can communicate without enormous production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The vocal begins with restraint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then gradually becomes almost unbearable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If Spiro’s voice is the reason you keep replaying \u201cGreat Expectation\u201d, Yebba is essential listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Devastating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Winehouse could make a song feel emotionally exhausted before the first chorus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLove Is a Losing Game\u201d belongs to a much older tradition of jazz and soul ballad writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is also a useful connection with Spiro’s music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neither singer sounds particularly interested in hiding imperfections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The emotional vulnerability becomes part of the performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Celeste has one of the most distinctive voices in modern British soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStrange\u201d is built around a simple, painful idea: people who were once deeply important can eventually become strangers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The arrangement leaves enormous space around her vocal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you enjoy the cinematic quality of \u201cGreat Expectation\u201d but want something quieter, this is an excellent choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now go backwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Much further backwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Etta James recorded \u201cI’d Rather Go Blind\u201d in 1967.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It contains many of the qualities contemporary singers such as Spiro continue drawing from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A huge voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Direct emotional writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An arrangement that builds around the singer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song describes the unbearable feeling of watching somebody you love become interested in someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nearly sixty years later, the emotion hasn’t changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you’re looking for vocal intensity rather than conventional pop structure, Nina Simone is essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI Put a Spell on You\u201d feels almost confrontational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Simone doesn’t simply describe desire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She makes the listener feel trapped inside it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spiro has cited classic singers including Simone among her influences, and the connection becomes understandable once you explore their recordings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before Jessie Ware became closely associated with sophisticated disco-pop, she recorded some extraordinary ballads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSay You Love Me\u201d is one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The track builds slowly around her vocal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has a beautiful combination of vulnerability and restraint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There’s also a thematic connection with \u201cGreat Expectation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both songs are concerned with what happens when someone wants emotional certainty from another person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And doesn’t receive it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Laufey takes a gentler approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her music draws heavily from jazz, traditional pop and classic songwriting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPromise\u201d captures the difficulty of trying to distance yourself from somebody when the emotional attachment hasn’t disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If \u201cGreat Expectation\u201d has made you interested in older styles of songwriting, Laufey is a natural next artist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her arrangements are generally less explosive than Spiro’s, but the emotional territory overlaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a slightly different direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
La Havas brings guitar-driven soul, jazz harmony and an extraordinarily expressive voice into the same recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBittersweet\u201d is about accepting that relationships and life can contain beauty and pain simultaneously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The production is warmer and more rhythmically driven than \u201cGreat Expectation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But both singers have the ability to make emotional complexity sound completely natural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some listeners will arrive at Spiro through modern pop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Others may discover that what they actually love is traditional dramatic singing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If that’s you, explore Barbra Streisand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Way We Were\u201d is built around memory, regret and emotional distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recording is enormous without needing modern production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It also demonstrates why cinematic ballad writing has survived for generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A brilliant melody doesn’t expire because production trends change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dean is considerably warmer and more conversational than Spiro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But both are helping bring classic soul influences back into mainstream British pop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Hardest Part\u201d explores change and emotional independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The vocal delivery feels human rather than aggressively polished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If Spiro appeals to you because she sounds different from heavily processed contemporary pop, Olivia Dean is worth exploring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Radar already has a broader guide to artists similar to Olivia Dean, making that a useful next read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sam Smith’s early material often relied on relatively traditional ballad writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLay Me Down\u201d places the voice front and centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The arrangement grows gradually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The emotional message remains direct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s a useful comparison for people drawn to Spiro’s ability to make a small relationship story feel enormous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A masterpiece of restraint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song was written by Prince, but O’Connor’s version became the definitive recording for many listeners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rather than overpowering the arrangement, she makes the emotion feel exposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Radar has already explored the song’s surprising history, including its first commercially released version by The Family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you enjoy the emotional directness of \u201cGreat Expectation\u201d, O’Connor is another essential singer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A second RAYE song deserves inclusion because it demonstrates a different aspect of her talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIce Cream Man.\u201d is emotionally raw and deeply personal, dealing with sexual assault and its aftermath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It isn’t casual background listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But if you admire singers who can communicate difficult experiences without relying on enormous production, it is a powerful recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Approach it for the songwriting and honesty rather than expecting another dramatic breakup anthem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soul-pop is a useful starting point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are also strong influences from:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
jazz<\/p>\n\n\n\n
traditional pop<\/p>\n\n\n\n
cinematic ballads<\/p>\n\n\n\n
classic R&B.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That explains why comparisons with Adele are common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both singers occupy a space where a powerful voice and emotional songwriting can carry a recording without needing a particularly fashionable production style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Spiro’s influences extend further into older jazz and classic soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Start with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adele \u2013 All I Ask<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RAYE \u2013 Oscar Winning Tears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yebba \u2013 My Mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those provide the closest combination of vocal intensity, emotional storytelling and dramatic arrangement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then move towards Etta James, Nina Simone and Barbra Streisand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You’ll begin hearing where much of this musical language came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Follow the vocalists rather than one exact production style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That’s the real attraction of Sienna Spiro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She is part of a lineage of singers who make listeners care about the performance itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The arrangement matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The melody matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But ultimately, you’re listening for the voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And there are decades of extraordinary voices waiting to be discovered.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If you’ve fallen in love with Sienna Spiro’s \u201cGreat Expectation\u201d, there is an enormous amount of music waiting for you. The trick is knowing where to look. Spiro’s breakthrough isn’t built around the production style dominating most modern pop. Instead, it combines enormous vocals, old-fashioned songwriting, cinematic arrangements and the sort of emotional intensity that makes you want to stare dramatically through a window. The song reached No. 1 in the UK in September 2026 and remains near the top of the chart in October. If you’re looking for songs that create a similar feeling, start with Adele, RAYE, Yebba,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4903,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3011,2292,2415,2291],"coauthors":[2],"class_list":["post-4902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-adele","tag-great-expectations","tag-raye","tag-sienna-spiro"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n