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There is no artist in the world like Sia. Try to think about an artist who transformed from an in-demand indie pop vocalist and chanteuse into a global pop superstar more than a decade into their career. Try to imagine that same global pop superstar writing and producing music for many of the other most iconic stars of our time. And then let yourself think about how Sia Furler has racked up more worldwide streams and hits (6 in the “Billions Club” on Spotify, and counting…) all while never showing her face, never compromising her artistic vision, and never letting anyone else define pop stardom for her. It’s staggering to imagine any artist doing just one of these things, let alone all of them, over the course of a career that continues to reach new heights. It’s worth repeating: there is no artist in the world like Sia.
Some quick background: Sia Furler grew up in Australia the daughter of musicians. Starting out in Adelaide, singing in bands and releasing her own music in 1997, Sia moved to London and released her debut album Healing Is Difficult in 2001. That same year she first appeared as part of Zero 7 on their debut album Simple Things – a collaboration that would continue with two more albums and a series of world tours. 2004’s Colour The Small One included “Breathe Me,” which famously soundtracked the final scene of the final episode of HBO’s Six Feet Under. More albums followed (2008’s some people have REAL problems, 2010’s We Are Born) before Sia began writing and co-writing, and featuring on songs for other artists, including Rhianna, David Guetta, Flo Rida, all of whom had massive, chart-topping hits thanks to Sia.
Her song “Chandelier,” from 2014’s Grammy-nominated 1000 Forms Of Fear, not only changed the way pop music sounds, but it revolutionized the art of music video with the groundbreaking clip starring Maddie Ziegler. More worldwide smashes followed in quick succession: “Elastic Heart,” “Big Girls Cry,” “Alive,” “Together,” “Dusk ’Til Dawn” with Zayn, and “Cheap Thrills” – a Billboard number one single for 8 nonconsecutive weeks. Over 50 billion audio streams don’t lie. Her Christmas album, released in 2017, has one of the top 10 most streamed holiday songs of all time. She directed her first feature film, titled Music, in 2021, and in 2022, a song from 2016’s This Is Acting – “Unstoppable” – became a viral sensation, pushing it past a billion plays on Spotify and onto the charts again in multiple countries around the world seven years after its release. Meanwhile, Sia co-wrote songs for other icons like Miley Cyrus, Paris Hilton, and more; wrote songs for countless films and TV show soundtracks; gave away money to Survivor contestants (her favorite show!); put her energy into animal rights advocacy; and more.
And now – there is Reasonable Woman, Sia’s first proper album since 2016. Reasonable Woman is so filled to the brim with pop perfection, it almost overwhelms with how effortless it is for her to craft such instantly connectable songs. The collection is everything Sia does best, and the sonic equivalent of a myriad of things: an empowering embrace, secrets told late at night, going to the best party in the world, the vulnerability of declaring you love someone, the steadfast determination to keep going, even if your love isn’t returned; the messiness of being human; the exuberance of being human. In essence, it is life – happening to us, happening for us; the songs on Reasonable Woman mirror back to us being alive with every chorus.