Zuko Sian releases single 'Spill A Little Tea'
Recorded in a small home studio in Bethnal Green, Spill a Little Tea was born out of intimate sessions that often began with a warm camomile tea and long conversations before the mic was ever switched on. The single infuses jazz-inflected melodies with warm hip-hop production, underscoring Zuko’s signature “Burgundy red” vocal tone— rich, expressive and unflinchingly honest.
“Spill A Little Tea” in fifteen minutes after a falling out with a friend. At the time I had also just experienced a break up. “I’ve always believed in calling things out because I care, but not everyone wants honesty. The song is about standing by your truth, even when people don’t like the version of you that speaks up”.
The track's hook — “You can say what you want, what you want about me but all I ever did was spill a little tea”— captures the song's emotional pulse: the courage to speak truth in a world that prefers comfort over confrontation.
The accompanying music video, directed by Jade Laurelle, reimagines Paul Delaroche’s 1833 masterpiece The Execution of Lady Jane Grey— one of the national gallery’s most haunting paintings. Together with cinematographer Bea da Gama, the creative team meticulously recreated the scene, from handcrafted sets to authentic period costumes to the very lighting tones of the original painting. I sat in my living room hand crafting the broche on the executioner's shoulder; the chopping block is made out of foam.
“I wore a gown worn by Helena Bonham Carter in the 1986 film Lady Jane. The costume company Angels initially sourced a different dress, but upon fitting, it didn’t feel quite right. When the lady went to look for a different option she came back with Helena’s dress. It felt like a full circle moment— a resurrection of history and a tribute to every woman who’s been silenced.”
The visual is not just a music video, but a moving art piece — a meditation on betrayal, power, and the ongoing struggle for women’s autonomy.
“While Delaroche’s painting wasn’t feminist in a modern sense, it highlighted a woman destroyed by structures of male power,” Zuko explains. “That story still echoes today — in laws, in cultures, in daily life. Spill A Little Tea is my way of saying: we won’t be silent anymore.”
Artist Bio
Zuko Sian is a Dutch–South African artist whose music blends jazz, hip-hop, and soul into raw, cinematic storytelling. Born in Amsterdam, she left business school to pursue music with nothing but a mic and GarageBand. After early demos caught the attention of industry executives at ADE Beats, she joined the Herman Brood Academie and soon began collaborating with Grammy-winning producers including Sam Barsh (Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Doja Cat), Jordan Ware (Alicia Keys, Justin Bieber, Brent Faiyaz), and Tim Kellet (Simply Red). Her work is rooted in honesty and female empowerment, exploring themes of family, resilience, and identity. As the creative director of her own visuals, Zuko crafts music videos that blur the line between film and fine art — projects that invite you to sit still, listen deeply, and feel. With her commanding voice and visual storytelling, Zuko Sian is fast becoming one of the most arresting new voices in contemporary soul.
