Sienna Spiro Lives Up to ‘Great Expectations’ With Debut MTV VMAs Performance

English singer-songwriter Sienna Spiro marked her first appearance at MTVs Video Music Awards with a stunning performance of her captivating single “Great Expectation.”

Standing tall in a metallic dress, Spiro began her performance under a spotlight while standing on a stage-side replica of a vinyl spinning on a turntable. Soon enough, the lights lifted to reveal the full expanse of the set. Like her fellow Brit Raye, who performed earlier in the night, Spiro was joined onstage by a massive band complete with both horn and string sections, plus backing vocalists who created a lush cushion around her bold vocal performance.

Along with the performance, Spiro is one of the seven nominees for Best New Artist at the VMAs this year. She’s up for the prize along with Bella Kay, Cortis, Magnus Ferrell, Malcolm Todd, Myles Smith, and Stella Lefty. 

Spiro’s career has been growing steadily over the past several years after she first garnered attention with viral videos of her singing covers and originals on TikTok. A string of singles followed, including her 2024 breakthrough, “Maybe,” which appeared on her debut EP, Sink Now, Swim Later.

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In July, Spiro released her debut full-length album, Visitor, which peaked at Number Two on the U.K. albums charts and reached Number Nine on the Billboard 200. The LP spawned several big singles, including “You Stole the Show,” “Die on This Hill,” “The Visitor,” and “Great Expectation,” which Spiro recently performed on The Tonight Show. On top of all that, Spiro also scored a minor hit this summer with “Material Lover,” a track off The Devil Wears Prada 2 soundtrack. 

Following the VMAs, Spiro will perform at the Austin City Limits Festival, which is taking place over two weeks, Oct. 2 through 4, and Oct. 9 through 11. She’ll then kick off a North American tour Oct. 13 in Nashville, with dates scheduled through Nov. 12 culminating in Los Angeles.