"I love every gig, but having people shout lyrics back that you wrote in your bedroom is a feeling like nothing else," muses Siobhán Winifred. She's spent the last year or two cutting her teeth in increasingly impressive support slots - Nieve Ella, Rachel Chinouriri, Stevie Nicks. As she catches up with Dork, she's fresh off the back of her very first headline tour, which, as it happens, is a different ball game altogether.
"I've toured before, but I didn't know what to expect. It was better than I thought. I was so busy before the tour that I didn't really get to think about what it was going to be like. Then, that first night in Glasgow, I was just shocked at the volume of everyone singing and how many people came. Everyone was so lovely. The whole tour was such an amazing experience, and I'm so grateful that I got to do it and that people wanted to come."
It's no surprise that people have flocked to Siobhán's shows. This year has been huge for her, and it seems new listeners have been drawn to her distinctive sound in their masses. With her first EP now officially under her belt, she's mastered the art of the indie rock banger. Yet, it's her lyricism that truly lures you in. Earnest, evocative and deeply relatable to many, Siobhán communicates rite-of-passage experiences in a way that makes them more bearable. It's because of that knack that she's managed to build a community of thoughtful individuals, and the tour offered the chance to come face-to-face with a lot of them for the first time.
At her sold-out London show, the fans organised a project where they held signs promising "we will stay for good", a reference to one of the tracks on her EP. Originally recalling a relationship being clung onto despite it going sour, the fans have transformed that track for Siobhán.
"I feel very disconnected from what it was originally about. It's really nice to feel like it has a new meaning and ownership, one that I really enjoy and can identify with. The fan project in London, and I just realised they get it - this is for you."
Her EP - 'Don't Do Well Alone' - is intimately personal and sees Siobhán bare herself to her listeners. It's undoubtedly a nerve-wracking thought to have so much of yourself out in the world, but sharing it has been an experience that has offered some comfort not just for her listeners but also for Siobhán herself.
"I think seeing people relate to things I have written that felt so specific to me, but people across the board relate to is really rewarding and validating. The whole point of the EP is 'don't do well alone because you shouldn't'. It's really nice now that the EP is out to know that I'm not alone in the slightest - everyone experiences the same things."
"I talk about things way more candidly in songs than real life, because I don't want to feel like a burden"
A lot of the time, these open, vulnerable conversations can be incredibly difficult to have. Nobody particularly likes talking about their feelings, and music can often be a bridge to say these things without the uncomfortable nature of doing so face to face. "I talk about things way more candidly in songs than real life, because I don't want to feel like a burden," Siobhán shares. "I think it starts a conversation by writing about it."
It's a conversation that needs to happen. Siobhán often writes about mental health and her own struggles, and those things are don't discriminate - at some point, many of us will experience some difficulty when it comes to our mental health. Having an artist unflinchingly depict theirs is something truly important and special. Siobhán joins a tradition of songwriters pushing for more honesty in that regard - talking about these things works wonders, and so does singing about them.
"Anything that is slightly taboo or people don't feel comfortable talking about, I want to make sure that I do. I think that's who I am as a person. There's nothing you could say that I would judge you for, and every experience is valid. It makes the world a better place if everyone talks about everything that is actually happening. I'm lucky that [artists like Sam Fender and Phoebe Bridgers] have paved the way to feel comfortable doing that."
The titular track on the EP is a perfect example of Siobhán doing that. She delicately describes the nauseous feeling of anxiety rising and how paralysing those thoughts can be, all whilst crafting a true earworm of a track. Her vocals capture that sheer exasperation but in a way that leaves it inevitably stuck in your head. She describes a heavy load to bear, but in sharing it, strips it of that power to consume you. Through writing these tracks, Siobhán has found a way to navigate her own struggles more.
"I don't want to speak as if I'm cured now; I still struggle with anxiety and people-pleasing and these things I talk about," Siobhán admits. "But I definitely have a real awareness of it now. I don't feel like I'm being myself when I'm like that. I feel like someone else has taken over. I was getting really sick of it. I think with new music, I'll still touch on similar topics, but there's a lot more positivity, which is really nice. I'm independent, but I love being around people, and that's when I light up. It feels like I'm really being proactive and trying to be better. The EP was a reminder to myself not to do that because you'll feel better if you leave the house and talk to someone."
Her music has already begun to turn in a new direction - one track on the EP, 'Lungs', was previously uncharted territory for Siobhán. An ode to a lover who has brought new life to her world, it's a soaringly intense, anthemic version of Siobhán.
"I've always wanted to make music like that," Siobhán explains. "Lyrically, I didn't want to be cheesy, writing about falling in love. So, I wanted to make it sound very indie rock to be the antidote for it sounding too cheesy. It's really nice to write about something that makes me happy. It felt really nice to feel that I'd told that person how I feel about them, but also made something I really love."
Siobhán's sound grows bigger with each release, quickly becoming something more and more fit for bigger stages. She's had her fair share of experiences with those of late, and those experiences have bled into her sound more and more. There's something magical about a gig experience that really moves you, and sharing the same stage as those capable of that has had a huge impact on Siobhán.
"I think going to gigs, even if I'm not supporting - if you want to be a musician and performer, it's the best way to learn what you want to do," reflects Siobhán. "It's so inspiring. When I saw Rachel Chinouriri, that was a dream come true. I had messaged her when my first single came out, just saying I love you, this is my song, if you ever need a support act…then it actually happened two years later. I was up on one of the balconies watching her, and I just burst into tears watching it. Her performance was incredible. I'm so lucky to share a stage with these people. It's really surreal, and I'm definitely inspired to curate my set based on what I've seen everyone else do and make it my own."
"I still struggle with anxiety and people-pleasing, but I have a real awareness of it now"
If her headline shows are anything to go off, she's already made quite the start at capturing the fervency of those emotions in a live setting. In a lot of ways, this year seems to have been the opportunity for Siobhán to find her feet. Amongst the myriad of other achievements Siobhán has ticked off this year, signing with Chess Club Records this year is just another glimmer of the upward trajectory she is on. With a different level of support behind her, there is a real opportunity for Siobhán to take things to new heights.
Time flies when you're having fun, and time flies even more when you're accomplishing multiple things on your bucket list. As she approaches the end of a year that has been both a whirlwind and a learning curve, Siobhán is trying to carve out time to really reflect on where 2024 has taken her, and what might follow.
"It's happened so fast, so I think I really have to go back and take note of everything," Siobhán concludes. "I write it all down. I've written everything that's happened to ground myself and know things are going well. You can get a bit lost in just going to the next thing. I think I need to take a moment to just enjoy it and appreciate it. It's a very fast-moving industry, but I think I'm handling it okay. Ask me in a year, and we'll see how I'm feeling."
