Siena Bjørn‘s sound immediately commands your attention, where some artists might need to blast your ears, she comes off far more subtle and inviting; the Alt-jazz melody and her beautiful voice grow around the soundscape of the moment like a magic garden, “I guess we’re doing this now” you say to yourself, as her song takes you along for the ride, and why wouldn’t it?
Siena’s full on Artiste credentials include dance and Theater as well, which is no wonder, given how her body language in this video communicates just as much as her lyrics do; we were not content just with that, however, so we had to ask her a couple questions:
“Easy Tiger” is about making your voice be heard. Do you often find yourself having to “easy, tiger!” the men around you as a musician?
Yes, although often it’s not overt. I’m constantly learning how to stand up for my ideas and my voice in new ways. Because I try to lead with kindness and openness to new ideas and curiosity, many male figures can mistake that for naivety or weakness of some kind so I find myself having to stand my ground in the ways that I execute my vision. People respect you for standing your ground and those that don’t aren’t worth the time.
Your experiences as a woman shape your music, but have your experiences as a musician shaped you as a woman? How intertwined are those two parts of yourself?
They are extremely intertwined, so much so that to separate the two was very difficult at the start and I was embarrassed when I’d perform for the camera. I had to step back and remind myself that it’s not me, Siena, it’s Siena Bjørn who’s always confident and powerful and doesn’t take shit from anyone. I feel so much more badass in my daily life now too. I’m discovering new things about myself and how I perceive the world with every new song and it only adds to my empowerment and sense of self.
Your music is often described as being “sensuous, smooth, relaxing, cool, sultry, soulful and cinematic”. Any other adjectives you want to see added to that list?
I think those are pretty damn good adjectives and I’ll happily take ‘em all! I’m very proud to be making music that I enjoy creating and listening to! Luckily I’m the boss lady so my vision is never compromised. Maybe, in terms of the lyrics, add ‘honest’ in there too.
Speaking of “sensuous” -and your voice notwithstanding- Is the saxophone the sexiest instrument? It certainly stands out as such in this new song.
It is certainly a sexy instrument, but the sexiest?! It works harmoniously with Easy Tiger, but I think on another song maybe the saxophone doesn’t compliment the music well so another instrument would be sexier. I do love a good jazz improvisation on the saxophone though – you can feel how much fun the musician is having and THAT makes for some sexy music!
…and are tiger stripes the Saxophone of fabric prints?
Hahaha! I’d never thought about it that way – I guess they are in a way. Yeah! They can certainly complement pieces, but they may not always be the best option.
Do you feel like women need to speak up more, men need to listen better or is this something both need to work on?
Women have been speaking and speaking loudly. Men need to listen. Yes we should and need to collaborate, but we can’t even get that far if we aren’t heard to begin with.
Your music often touches on the subject of self-love. What’s an underrated self-love practice you think people should engage in more often?
Oooo, I think saying yes to yourself is wildly underrated. Allowing yourself the simple pleasures of eating what you’d like and taking time for yourself when needed. Listening to your body and giving yourself the space to be without judgement from yourself…it’s very hard for me to do sometimes. Oh and also, self pleasure. It’s not underrated in the slightest and it’s one of my faves.
And lastly: Can a tiger ever change its stripes?
I think in some ways you can change, as we learn and adapt and grow you’re changing all the time. I’m not the same as I was yesterday…hopefully. We work through past traumas and change our beliefs all the time based on new information. But the fundamentals are a little trickier I think. You are who you are and you like what you like. I think awareness and willingness to be open to change is key…but that’s a big question.
CONNECT WITH SIENA BJØRN
photo / Bailey Pilbeam
story / Samuel Aponte