A Chat with Zuko Sian (01.12.25)
Dutch-South African singer Zuko Sian is known for fusing jazz, hip-hop, and soul. Her current single, ‘Spill A Little Tea’, was recorded in a home studio and is known for its intimate yet honest lyrics. The accompanying music video is a contemporary feminist recreation of a historical painting. We chat with Zuko Sian about all things music below.
OSR: ‘Spill A Little Tea’ was written in just fifteen minutes. What was happening emotionally in that moment, and how did the song arrive so quickly?
Zuko Sian: I use music as a place to store my emotions. My songs are my personal museum of thoughts and feelings. I don’t always want to write, but in order for me to move on, I have to let it out. I think that is why it came out so quickly. I didn’t want it to be bottled up.
OSR: You’ve described your vocal tone as ‘Burgundy red’. How do you translate emotion into colour when you’re creating music?
Zuko Sian: I have Synesthesia. It means one sense automatically triggers another. For me, a colour is linked to an emotion, an object or a song. For example, Prince to me is a velvet robe, and Etta James is a glass of port. When I create music, I don’t see a song in my head, I see the music video, the smell, the sound, the colour and the emotion. When I wrote ‘Spill A Little Tea’, I could see the colours of that song; it smelled like old wood, like my grandparents’ old living room walls, it felt like nostalgia and letting go of the past, the colours were white silk and brown. The visuals of the video clip partially translate those senses.
OSR: Your sessions for this track began with long conversations over camomile tea. How does dialogue shape your songwriting process?
Zuko Sian: For me, dialogue with other people is very important. Through their perspective, I see myself. I believe artists can sometimes become too isolated and forget that everyone is connected in their humanity, and it is up to us artists to translate that back to them. I just recently had a conversation with Jade Laurelle, who directed my music video. We spoke about how Van Gogh sent loads of paintings to his brother’s house with corresponding letters. You could look at one of Van Gogh’s paintings and observe a bed. It was only when his sister-in-law started to write about his artwork that it got people talking. Now the painting told a story. For the first time in many years, Vincent had his own house. Painting his bedroom was like saying, “I finally have a place where I belong.” Something that people could relate to. The same goes for Darwin; his sister and mother got his work noticed, and that is how a dialogue around his findings was formed. What I am trying to say is that dialogue is the most crucial part of my songwriting because it is my responsibility to reflect our world back to you in a way that you can relate to my work through your own experience. Like a mirror staring back at itself.
OSR: The fallout with a friend and a breakup both influenced this track. How do you navigate the line between personal healing and public storytelling as an artist?
Zuko Sian: I don’t think I am good at navigating that at all. In fact, I don’t think I or anyone should try navigating it. I heal through public storytelling. I think everyone should try it at least once. Either paint, make a sculpture or write a song about your story and share its story with the public. We were not meant to heal in private. It’s too much of an isolating experience to do it all by yourself. I understand that some people may package their art in a more cryptic way, but if you want to really dissect why we have become so petrified of sharing our story, it is because under the capitalistic/ individualistic structure that we currently all suffer under, it is frowned upon to share “too much”. Perhaps there should be a line between private and public, but I am not afraid to show my wounds.
OSR: You often explore themes of female empowerment. How does ‘Spill A Little Tea’ fit into your larger narrative about women’s autonomy and truth-telling?
Zuko Sian: Women are often silenced, forgotten or mocked for telling the truth. Personally, with ‘Spill A Little Tea’, I wanted to speak my truth. That ties in to the broader narrative where women are still fighting to get their voices heard. It is my hope that I can contribute to women feeling empowered to speak up, stick together and stand in their light.
OSR: The music video reimagines Paul Delaroche’s ‘The Execution of Lady Jane Grey’. What drew you to that painting, and what did you feel when you saw the final set come to life?
Zuko Sian: I visited the National Gallery with Jade Laurelle. When we turned around the corner and saw her (Jane), our breath was taken away. For a good hour, we sat on the bench in front of the painting, talking about Jane, what her life would have been like, what she would have thought in her final moments as a young girl. When I saw the final draft of the video clip, I was very emotional. A lot of women in history have died at the hands of men on power trips or simply because they were deemed a threat. To be able to artistically re-write that narrative in the form of art was very healing. I know for many women that painting invokes a lot of sadness, I hope when they see the video they get to heal a part of that wound.
OSR: You wore Helena Bonham Carter’s gown from the 1986 film Lady Jane. What was the significance of stepping into that piece of history?
Zuko Sian: It was really amazing. When we went to look at the costumes Angels had sourced for us. They initially picked a different dress. When that one did not feel right by chance, the lady came back with an alternative piece. When I was putting it on, I saw Helena’s name written on the back label. I tried to play it cool, but when the lady left the room, so I could try it, me and Jade were jumping up and down. I grew up in a small village in the middle of the Netherlands, watching all her movies, so little me was screaming. It was definitely a full-circle moment.
OSR: You helped handcraft elements of the set yourself. How important is it for you to be hands-on in your visual world-building?
Zuko Sian: As I studied the painting, I knew how things had to look. When I could not find a piece of wood in the exact same shape, I decided to make it myself. The brooch on the executioner’s shoulder stuck together with some glue. Currently, I am an independent artist with no manager or label backing me, so I have to sometimes come up with more budget-friendly creative ideas to bring a project to life. It is very important as an artist to be fully involved with my visual world-building. It is my wish for people to feel invited into the world I create for us, so it is definitely something that I take seriously. Currently, my world has some washed-up pearls laying around on its beach, as I only started building it this year, but I am sure it will continue to grow over the next few years. Perhaps it will become a whole solar system, who knows.
OSR: Your work blends jazz, hip-hop, and soul with cinematic storytelling. How did your collaborations with Grammy-winning producers shape the sound of this track?
Zuko Sian: To be honest, I have been so incredibly inspired and honoured to have worked with different musicians and producers from different genres. It has been such an interesting journey to find my “sound” because I was so influenced by different musical worlds. It gave me a lot of confidence working with people who are established within the industry. No one in my family comes from a musical background, so for me it was really scary to feel like I belonged in the music industry. By the time I wrote ‘Spill A Little Tea’ I felt very confident in my ability to take up more space.
OSR: If listeners take one message from ‘Spill A Little Tea’, what do you hope it is?
Zuko Sian: I hope people take from it what they need. Once I release it, it becomes our song, not just my song. Someone may listen to it and feel inspired to speak up, another will feel empowered to pick up a pen themselves and express their own feelings. I wrote ‘Spill A Little Tea’ because I felt that in my friendships and relationships, people had lost the respect to have a difficult conversation and to sit with that emotion. People these days are quick to get up as soon as conversations get too “confrontational”. If my fans and listeners can relate to that, then that is beautiful.
Many thanks to Zuko Sian for speaking with us. Find out more about Zuko Sian on her Instagram, TikTok, Spotify, and YouTube.
