Miriam Maslin has told Music Week that one of the most important parts of being a manager is “being the most honest person in the room”.
Method Management’s Maslin (above, left) has been steering the career of Sienna Spiro (right) since the singer was 16, and today (July 3) marks perhaps the biggest moment of her career to date, as Spiro's debut album, Visitor, is released via Capitol.
Spiro stars on the cover of the new issue of Music Week, with Maslin joining her alongside Capitol Music Group CEO and chairman Tom March and the company’s president Lillia Parsa.
Maslin spoke to Music Week for our On The Radar interview with Spiro at the end of last year, in the wake of her nomination for the BRITs Critics’ Choice award.
At that time, we reported that Spiro had 1.7 million followers and 58.5m likes on TikTok, which powered the rise of her biggest hit to date, Top 10 single Die On This Hill (713,329 sales, according to the Official Charts Company).
Now, those figures have ballooned to 4.2m followers and 132.1m likes.
We have focused on building a world that feels honest and long-term rather than chasing quick moments
Miriam Maslin, Method Management
Maslin had a simple answer when asked if she could put her finger on how the numbers are rising at such a rate.
“Consistency in posting, but also releasing great music,” the manager said.
As well as unflinching honesty, which Maslin speaks about in the Q&A below, she explained that the key to Spiro’s blossoming success has been patience.
“I think the biggest driver has honestly just been patience and conviction,” Maslin said. “From the very beginning, me and Sienna have focused on building a world that feels honest and long-term rather than chasing quick moments.”
“Everything has been very intentional and keeps evolving as we continue with music, visuals and live shows. And then beyond that, it’s just about being consistent and working incredibly hard as the team. There’s been no ‘overnight success’ moment.”
Read on to find out more about Maslin’s relationship with Spiro, the changing parameters for success for a debut album and where she thinks the singer will go from here.
The partnership with Capitol is clearly working very well – was there a specific reason to go with a US label rather than a UK one?
“The partnership with Capitol Records has been genuinely great and they have been such a collaborative partner. There’s a real respect there for long-term artist development and for allowing things to unfold organically rather than forcing commercial decisions that may work in the moment but not age well long term. The US also just made sense for us as it changes the scale of the campaign. The reach is obviously huge, but more importantly it opens doors creatively and culturally. You’re suddenly operating in a much broader landscape in terms of collaborations, media, touring and audience discovery. But equally, we’ve been very conscious about keeping the campaign intimate despite the scale increasing.”
Sienna told us the album started life as an EP but the fullness of the concept and the songs meant a change of plan. A debut album is a huge moment for any artist. Can you say why now is the right time for Sienna's?
“I think the project simply outgrew the limitations of an EP. The more we got into the music and the themes surrounding Visitor, the more it became clear this was establishing itself as a body of work that felt like an album.”
What are your aspirations for it? Have the parameters for what makes a debut a success changed in the modern industry?
“I think success looks very different now. Of course, everyone wants commercial success, but longevity is ultimately the goal. The industry moves so quickly today that I think building an artist with a lasting connection to people matters far more than a first-week statistic. Obviously I want the album to perform well, but the bigger aspiration is that it cements Sienna as an artist with true longevity and artistic credibility.”
What do you think sets the record apart? What does it say about Sienna and her artistry?
“I think what sets it apart is the emotional intelligence of it. Sienna has an ability to articulate very complicated feelings in a way that feels timeless rather than trend-led. There’s a maturity to her writing that people don’t necessarily expect from someone her age.”
The industry moves so quickly today that I think building an artist with a lasting connection to people matters far more than a first-week statistic
Miriam Maslin, Method Management
She's drawing on classic influences – how is she making things like her love of jazz clubs accessible?
“What Sienna connects to in jazz clubs or older music culture is intimacy and timelessness. She translates it into a modern context rather than trying to recreate the past literally. There’s also something really refreshing about younger audiences discovering references outside of hyper-digital culture. Her world feels nostalgic but modern at the same time and jazz plays a huge part in that. The live shows especially play a huge role in making those influences feel immersive and accessible rather than intimidating.”
Who are her fans and how are you growing the fanbase?
“What’s been really beautiful is how varied her audience already is. We have younger fans discovering her through TikTok but we also have older listeners connecting to her. I noticed that when we did the David Attenborough performance at the Royal Albert Hall, she gained a lot of new fans. Growth-wise, we’ve focused heavily on community and consistency. The live side has been hugely important because Sienna converts audiences incredibly quickly in person. Socially, we’ve also tried to make content feel authentic and consistent.
When it comes to your relationship, how would you describe it?
“It’s definitely much deeper than a traditional working relationship at this point because we’ve grown through so many stages of life and career together. I’ve managed Sienna since she was 16, so there’s an enormous amount of trust there. I think the role of a manager is ultimately to help create the conditions for an artist to thrive creatively and personally. Sometimes that means pushing them, sometimes protecting them, sometimes helping them navigate pressure or difficult decisions. It’s also about seeing the bigger picture constantly, not just reacting to moments, but helping shape a career and identity long term.
“I also think one of the most important parts of being a manager is being the most honest person in the room. I know Sienna would say the same. My role is never to be a 'yes' person or to allow the environment around an artist to become an echo chamber that feeds ego instead of potential.
“The job is to give honest feedback, even when it’s uncomfortable, because ultimately that honesty is what helps an artist grow. There has to be somebody the artist can turn to who will tell them the truth creatively, strategically and personally, without agenda. That trust is incredibly important.”
Where does Sienna go from here? What are your biggest hopes and dreams for her?
“The biggest hope is longevity. I want Sienna to become one of those artists who genuinely leaves a lasting imprint on people and continues evolving for decades. I’d love to see her headline Glastonbury, to play her own orchestral performance at the Royal Albert Hall and to do a Bond song, which is a combined dream of hers and mine.”
Read the full Sienna Spiro interview in the new issue of Music Week, subscribers can find it online here.
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