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"Dance Alone" w/ Kylie Minogue out now! sia.lnk.to/dancealone

'Reasonable Woman' is out on Friday, May 3rd! sia.lnk.to/reasonablewoman

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One of the world's most prolific songwriters, Sia Furler's songs are cropping up in charts worldwide on the regular. Having worked with Britney Spears, Rihanna and Beyoncé (to name but a few) to acclaim and success, Sia also strikes out on her own. Delivering devastating pop paeans that discuss loss, depression, death, addiction, sex, drugs and, on occasion, happy things, Sia's not a bespandexed pop mannequin; she's a bona fide artist, reeling off the most incisive pop you'll ever hear.

Chances are, if you knew of Sia's solo efforts prior to this year, you'll be familiar with “Breathe Me”, a tender earthquake of a song, replete with her trademark vocal crackles, clips and croaks. However, bursting forth proper, in 2014 we've seen an abundance of top-notch belters; the overwhelming hysteria of “Chandelier”, “Eye Of The Needle” and “Big Girls Cry” is enough to make anyone combust.

Her strategy in recent months, in terms of performing live, has been unusual – reticent, even. For example, on the Ellen Show, she merely faced the back of the set as the dancer from the “Chandelier” video, Maddie Ziegler, pranced as a centrepiece. When she does allow the spotlight to be shone on her, the standout element is her voice. Her singular talent is extraordinary, oozing the kind of heartstring-yanking emotion you get when watching Titanic, reading The Fault In Our Stars... it's a combination of blazing stomach-butterflies, the silent, catastrophic crumble of our universe. Her voice escapes words, frequently. Her pitch is of course flawless; and as a spectacle before your eyes, she's majestic. Make sure to bring tissues. Sia's performances will change your life.

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Absolutely amazing! I was skeptical, for some reason, after reading a couple of mediocre reviews from the Nostalgia tour, but my skepticism eased as soon as the curtains opened and I heard Sia sing live! What an amazing voice! Actually, just watching her stand on stage was enough for me! Although she's not a "performer", she definitely put on a show. Her stage presence is entrancing! I could literally watch her stand in a corner, tap her heel to the beat while grasping the mic and belting that amazing voice all day. Her dancers, of course, were phenomenal! I mean, really! The show moved fast - from song to song - almost like acts in a play, but it was quite enjoyable. She opened with Alive, which was great for getting the energy throughout the packed arena! Big Girls Cry, Bird Set Free, Cheap Thrills and Breathe Me were my performances! She sang every song I wanted to hear so I didn't leave disappointed!

There was no interaction between the artist and the crowd during the show - which I expected from the reviews I read. But after the final bows and as everyone was leaving, Sia spoke! She told everyone to stay seated while she thanked the crowd. Made us laugh and performed an encore! It was THE BEST THING EVER! So much fun! Great energy. Everyone was there for a great time. This was literally the best concert I've attended! So glad to have caught Sia on tour!

Btw: Miguel was an opening act. He was awful! He's not a performer. Reminded me a lot of a high school boy band wannabe! He tried to engage the crowd but I don't think too many people cared to see him. His band was good though!

Sia is by no means a performer known for her strict adherence to convention, but even by her own standards, she’s been acting strangely lately, in the run-up to the release of her sixth studio album, 1000 Forms of Fear. Firstly, she told The Sunday Times that she didn’t want to be famous, apparently not realising that giving interviews to British national newspapers probably isn’t an ideal part of that strategy. More sensibly, she stayed out of the limelight during a performance on primetime U.S. television recently, although she did let Lena Dunham perform an interpretive dance to her track instead - a bizarre move by anybody’s standards. Quite what will be in store for audiences when she does hit the road in support of 1000 Forms of Fear remains to be seen, especially if she’s set on keeping her face hidden - a Kanye West-style mask, perhaps? We can probably expect an array of eye-catching costumes, and if past form is anything to go by, the setlist will lean heavily on her latest record - she’s not one to do things by the book on that front, either. She did away with the piano on her last tour, and given her current direction, that’s likely to be the case this time, too; beyond that, though, it probably isn’t sensible to jump to too many conclusions about one of the world’s most unpredictable pop acts.

Firstly, I love Sia as the most amazing singer/songwriter and being able to attend her live concert was something I was greatly looking forward to.

I wasn't expecting to see her face and I was prepared for that. What I wasn't prepared for was her standing off to the side of the stage in darkness and the audience watching dancers for the entire concert whilst Sia sang to her own music track.

Throughout the concert I wasn't even certain that it actually was Sia there on stage and was she singing live at all or were we just listening to her CD playing while someone was miming.

The lighting was low and didn't focus on her and she remained in the dark for the whole concert. The tv's placed around the stadium did not sinc to what Sia was singing.

To sum it up, I still adore her and will buy her music. She just should not tour if she cannot give what some concert goers want when they pay big bucks to see an artist.

I have loved Sia's voice and her music for several years now. The venue, Phillips Arena, was phenomenal for the concert. That's why we paid $205 to see the her (and Miguel). That said, I found it disrespectful of her to stand up in a corner and sing (honestly, it looked like lip-synching sometimes). Who knows, it might have been be someone else performing on her behalf. I get it on TV presentations... and certainly was hoping that wasn't the case in the concert but sadly it was.

Miguel... not giving any credit to the band behind the screen... rude!

I will not see Sia or Miguel live again... very disappointed.

Thanks for asking.

I should have just stayed home and watch the video. It was difficult to tell if she was even singing. She sounded exactly like her recordings. Even Shazam could recognize the songs. The performers on stage were trying to sequence and dance with the simultaneously played video, shown on the screens. Many times they were out of sync Sia was trying to sing at the same sequence as the video, but many times was out of sync. The audience doesn't know whether to look at the screen or look at the stage it's like two different shows, but the screen was far more entertaining. Like I said I should have stayed home and watch the video.

Electrifying show. Sia's vocal abilities are amazing, She sings her soul out. The dancers were outstanding too, and the choreography was wild and creative. loved it. The Idea of making the video clips of her songs live on stage is nice, but very much limited. We all saw those clips over and over, and we came to see something else. I missed seeing her, Sia, her face when she sings, She was at the back of the stage for the whole show, with her face covered. Wanted her to make some connection with the crowd, and it didn't happen. With all that we had an amazing time.

First, I'd like to preface my review by saying that Sia is my absolute favourite artist!That would be the short and simple review, but that wouldn’t even begin to describe the experience that you get at one of her shows. Apart from the vocal performance of Sia being amazing, there is much more to her show. It was very unique concert! With a lot of Sia magic and mystery. Amazing dancers. Great Stephanie Mincone performance. Amazing vocal performance!! Thank you Sia!!

Truly one of the best performances I've seen. Sia's voice was on top shape and, even though she was on the back of the stage and covered, she was a powerful presence.

The performances by the dancers on every song were expertly choreographed and in perfect sync with the videos projected, so the illusion of having Paul Dano, Kristen Wiig, and Tig Notaro on stage with her was very good.

excellent show so glad I was able to attended it was a birthday present. And enjoyed every minute wish she could have kept going all night LOVE HER. Took my granddaughter with me and she love the show too. Didn't appreciate Miguel have the us say F### Trump I did go there for that purpose I went to enjoy the show but he still gave a great performance except for that.

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Sia review – when she transcends spectacle, she soars

AAMI Park, Melbourne The singer-songwriter’s first Australian stadium gig celebrates women in pop – but can be exhausting and isolating

​Global Australian pop exports are rare; rarer still singer-songwriters who have become household-name pop stars in the second decade of their career. Yet Adelaide’s own Sia Furler – who’s been based in California for the better part of a decade – has made coming late to fame fashionable.

Last night, she kicked off her first tour in Australia since 2011 with her first Australian stadium gig.

Sia’s Nostalgic for the Present tour sounds like a paradox, but she has a point: pop trends move so quickly that we rarely stop to appreciate the art form’s progress. Supported by Amy Shark, Charli XCX and MØ, Sia’s homecoming doubles as a celebration of women in pop. The genre’s most successful and unique ​female auteurs owe much to Sia, both as a public figure and a behind-the-scenes songwriter .

These are Gold Coast native Amy Shark’s first stadium shows, two days after winning her first Aria awards . As she opens her set at the start of the evening, Melbourne’s 30,000-capacity AAMI Park is less than one third full. But the few who are early get to witness a new artist with the self-assurance of a veteran.

Shark’s performance is unpretentious but she has effortless rockstar poise. Adore has become an unlikely breakthrough hit, an uncomfortably naked devotional with a modern pop sheen that only makes it more moving. Her voice is intimate but her arrangements are grand enough to uplift a stadium. She’s the rare up-and-comer who’s more than worth the hype.

Britain’s Charli XCX is only 25, but she might be this decade’s most restless popstar. Since 2012, she’s gone from goth synthpop to bratty pop-punk to futurist electropop. Though not yet a household name, she has a surprising number of crossover hits, having written Icona Pop’s I Love It, Iggy Azalea’s Fancy, and her own Boom Clap. Between running around the stage dressed like Sporty Spice, she delivers Fancy standing fearlessly atop the crowd barrier, holding an audience member’s hand for support. Charli is yet to write her own definitive song, but her latest work is beginning to unite her philosophies: romance and irreverence, new-wave synths and hip-hop beats. Her image is bubblegum pop but her artistry’s deadly serious.

You could mistake the Danish artist MØ’s voice for Sia’s – she too sings from the throat and has the same charming disregard for clear enunciation. But MØ has a sly, wild charm – her voice can be cartoonish and disarming.

Her music fuses the organic with the electronic, turning horns, harmonicas and her own voice into chopped-up samples. The growing audience is never more eager to dance than to the raucous Kamikaze or Final Song, but her Major Lazer collaborations are her best-known songs for a reason: they have the bigger hooks. MØ sings Cold Water acoustic and unadorned, outdoing Justin Bieber’s studio version – and Lean On is the most joyous song of the whole night.

No one knows what to expect from Sia. As the sun finally sets, black curtains fall to reveal the artist in a giant white dress, face covered by her trademark black and white wig. She delivers Alive like she does every song – her voice is raw, her body almost completely still. Then, her dress comes apart to reveal a flock of dancers, with Maddie Ziegler at the centre.

Only 15, making her name on the reality TV show Dance Moms before starring in the film clip for Sia’s Chandelier – and then five subsequent Sia clips, and multiple TV performances – Ziegler is a physical virtuoso to match Sia’s vocal acrobatics, embodying the songs’ emotional turmoil.

The stage is sparse, backed by a blank wall projected with coloured light: a canvas for the dancers to bring Sia’s music to life. Sia’s aesthetic is a mix of childlike innocence and adult weariness – if she’s JM Barrie, Maddie Ziegler is Peter Pan.

Sia is most moving when her vocals are understated. She reclaims Diamonds – her own composition – from Rihanna, as spotlights mingle with the crowd’s lit-up phones to recreate that song’s sparkling imagery. Reaper, the high point of 2016’s This Is Acting, is the most soulful song of her set. She plays only two songs from her pre-popstar days, but Soon We’ll Be Found and Breathe Me translate perfectly to a stadium setting. Their dramatic staging and expanded arrangements connect old to new.

Through the night, Sia’s dancers tell a story of people trapped by their own emotions. As the songs grow more triumphant, they learn to break the cycle of depression and dance out of joy, not pain. But while their silent-film-mime-acting is graceful, you can’t always say the same for the songs themselves. Sia has radically reimagined how a live pop concert can be staged, but she’s not doing the same for pop music.

Sia’s core product is the power ballad, often written around a simple central metaphor, a formula she calls “ victim to victory ”. Her best songs – Chandelier, Elastic Heart – are instantly captivating. Her lesser songs – Big Girls Cry, Fire Meet Gasoline – follow the same formula, but they’re pitched at emotional heights their lightweight metaphors can’t support.

She’s smoothed out the old quirks in her songwriting, while pushing her voice to breaking point on nearly every song. Even Cheap Thrills and Move Your Body – ostensibly dance songs – operate at the same fever pitch. It’s hard to dance when it feels like Sia’s commanding you; the overall effect is exhausting.

Great live shows are defined by the connection between artist and audience. The artist’s little, spontaneous gestures of acknowledgment are the difference between a recital and a performance. Sia’s wig – a novel way to maintain her privacy – has become a crutch. Without facial or physical expressions, her uncanny stillness makes her look marginalised in her own music. She’s a generous ringmaster – her dancers are always impressive – but unlike a singer, they can’t project intimacy all the way to the back row. You get the sense that they perform an identical show every night. All pop shows are choreographed, but they shouldn’t feel like they’re on rails.

Too often, spectacle outweighs the empathy of her older work – but when she transcends formula, Sia soars. The Greatest is a worthy encore, possibly the most buoyant song she’s ever written. Her dancers collapse on the floor, exhausted, as the track fades to a whisper: “Don’t give up / I got stamina.”

But the most fascinating moment happens after the show. The video screens follow Maddie Ziegler as she walks backstage through props and costumes into broad daylight, breaking the fourth wall. She greets Sia – wig on, back facing the camera – and suddenly, the true unmasked artist walks into the shot, smiling. Finally, Sia Furler has been humanised again.

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Who Is Sia?

Sia moved to England to pursue a career in music in her early 20s and sang with the group Zero 7. Her first solo record, Healing Is Difficult , put her career on a new track, and she followed it with such records as Colour the Small One and Some People Have Real Problems . With songs such as "Chandelier" and "Cheap Thrills" propelling Sia to pop chart fame, she has taken to wearing a wig that hides her face, choosing to live in the spotlight as anonymously as possible.

Sia was born Sia Kate Isobelle Furler on December 18, 1975, in Adelaide, Australia. Her mom was involved in the arts and her father was a musician, so Sia was exposed to creative elements at an early age. As a musician, her father was friends with members of the band INXS and also Men at Work’s Colin Hay, whom Sia knew so well growing up that she referred to him as Uncle Collie.

Sia first began performing with a band called Crisp, singing her way through the Adelaide jazz scene in the 1990s. Some success led her to launch a solo career in 1997, but it didn’t work out and she soon made a plan to move to the UK to be with her boyfriend. Tragically, a week before she was set to leave Australia, he was hit by a car and killed. She has described the young man as the love of her life, and his death was a devastating event.

Albums and Songs

'healing is difficult'.

Moving to England in the wake of the tragedy, Sia got her first big break in the form of a backup singing gig for Jamiroquai. That led to Sia joining acclaimed electronica act Zero 7, the success of which she found only put off her real dream: a solo career. In 2000, she took a big step toward that dream when she signed a recording contract with Dance Pool, a division of Sony. That same year her first album, Healing Is Difficult , came out, spawning the hit single “Drink to Get Drunk.” Another single, “Little Man,” was remixed by UK artist Wookie and went on to become a dance-club staple. With these two songs, Sia began generating a lot of buzz, and her career was poised for takeoff.

'Don't Bring Me Down,' 'Colour the Small One'

Sia soon had a falling out with her label, though, prompting her to jump to Go! Beat Records, where she released the EP Don't Bring Me Down in 2003. Her next LP, Colour the Small One , would be recorded after Sia moved to the U.S. and featured a collaboration with Beck on the song “The Bully.” The album wasn’t a chart climber, but it contained a song that would change the trajectory of Sia’s career.

'Breathe Me,' 'Lady Croissant,' 'Some People Have Real Problems'

Colour the Small On e had a beautiful ballad, "Breathe Me," that ended up being a perfect fit for the final episode of the HBO series Six Feet Under , bring the singer a lot of extra attention. Sia made no bones about how important that song’s appearance on the show was, saying that it brought back to life her “truly dying career.” That rejuvenated career led to touring, and Sia’s first live album, Lady Croissant , was the result. Her third album, Some People Have Real Problems , came out in 2008 and debuted in the U.S at No. 26.

'When It Falls,' 'The Garden,' 'We Are Born'

But with success came problems, and Sia fell victim to drug and alcohol abuse and was diagnosed with Graves' disease. She dropped out of the spotlight, concentrating on writing for the likes of Madonna , Beyoncé and Rihanna , who took the Sia-penned song "Diamonds" to No. 1.

Grammy Nods for '1000 Forms of Fear'

When Sia reappeared, she was shrouded in a white wig that completely covered her face. Tired of fame's spotlight, Sia appeared in public obscured by the wig, from TV performances to live appearances. And she only became more famous, with such songs as “Chandelier” and “Cheap Thrills"making waves on the pop charts. The related 1000 Forms of Fear was released in the summer of 2014 and reached No. 1 on the U.S. charts, the first album to do so for the singer/songwriter. Sia later received four Grammy nominations for "Chandelier," including nods in the marquee categories of Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

Soundtracks: 'The Great Gatsby,' 'The Hunger Games'

Sia has done soundtrack work as well, contributing tracks to Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby (2013), The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), Annie (2014) and Fifty Shades of Grey (2015). She also collaborated with dance producer David Guetta on the Top 10 hit "Titanium" and lent her talents to the 2015 Giorgio Moroder dance-pop album Déjà-Vu , singing on the jubilant title track.

'This Is Acting,' 'Everyday Is Christmas'

The following year saw the release of Sia's sixth studio album, This Is Acting. Although most of the tracks had originally been offered to other artists, Sia found success through her own performances of them, particularly the singles "Cheap Thrills" and "The Greatest." The artist followed in 2017 with a holiday album, Everyday is Christmas , with its lead single, "Santa's Coming For Us," released just before Halloween.

LSD and New Solo Music

Sia next teamed up with American DJ/producer Diplo and English singer/rapper Labrinth to form the supergroup LSD, which released five singles before dropping a full-length album, Labrinth, Sia & Diplo Present... LSD , in April 2019. Returning to solo work, she composed the track "Original," which appeared on the soundtrack for Dolittle in early 2020, before releasing "Together" in May.

Personal Life

A vegan, Sia has joined other celebrities in speaking out for animal welfare causes. In August 2014, she married documentary filmmaker Erik Anders Lang at her Palm Springs, California, home. They announced their separation in late 2016.

In November 2017, after learning that someone was trying to sell a photograph of her in the nude, Sia preempted the dealer by posting the photograph to her Twitter account, along with a plug for her upcoming album: "Save your money, here it is for free. Everyday is Christmas!”

In May 2020, the artist confirmed that she had adopted two teenage boys the previous year when they were about to age out of the foster care system.

QUICK FACTS

• Birth Year: 1975
• Birth date: December 18, 1975
• Birth City: Adelaide
• Birth Country: Australia
• Gender: Female
• Best Known For: Known for her aversion to fame, Sia is an Australian pop singer behind such smash hits as "Chandelier" and "Cheap Thrills."
• Astrological Sign: Sagittarius
• Nacionalities

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Sia Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/musicians/sia-furler
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: May 14, 2021
• Original Published Date: May 8, 2015
• If anyone besides famous people knew what it was like to be a famous person, they would never want to be famous. Imagine the stereotypical highly opinionated, completely uninformed mother-in-law character and apply it to every teenager with a computer in the entire world. Then add in all bored people, as well as people whose job it is to report on celebrities. Then, picture that creature, that force, criticizing you for an hour straight once a day, every day, day after day.
• For me, writing and recording the songs are fine, but then promoting it is usually, like ... I think Tom Waits called it 'doing the dishes'-promo, talking about yourself all the time, answering the same questions for, like, a trillion magazines or TV shows or radio shows. And it sort of makes you feel crazy.

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Sia: Inside the World of A Reclusive Pop Icon

Tonya Brewer

She's spent years as one of the world’s most in-demand songwriters, one of Australia’s biggest musical exports, and faced countless demons. Now, armed with her directorial debut, and having adopted two sons into her family, Sia has finally found the happiness she’s long searched for.

Sia Furler is a hard person to get hold of at the best of times. While she’s spent most of the last decade as one of the music industry’s most prolific names, her aversion to fame has seen her become just as famous for her reclusive nature as her songwriting and performing skills. She’s far more outgoing than the likes of Kate Bush, and far more photogenic than a musical JD Salinger, yet her ability to emerge to do promo only when she feels like it leaves her the envy of her contemporaries.

Even as this, one of her rare interviews, is set to take place, her avoidance of the public eye seems to appear once again. As a pandemic rages on, our initial chat is pushed back four days, due in part to the widespread protests surrounding the death of George Floyd. As the rescheduled date looms closer, things are delayed twice more, with the effects of a migraine – an ongoing ailment – putting the Adelaide-born artist out of action for a few days.

When the head of Sia’s security detail answers the call for our chat via FaceTime, the long-awaited event almost feels underwhelming. In fact, it feels normal. Almost too normal. Instead of some highly-anticipated reveal of Sia’s face as she steps out from the shadows in a lavish grand hall, the artist is found casually sitting at a table in the backyard of her Los Angeles home. 

She cheekily calls it “the bush”, laughing as if she’s glad to finally share this joke with a fellow Australian. She continues smiling as she uses her own phone to share a social media post regarding the Black Lives Matter movement. 

“I’m becoming way more aware of shit than I used to be,” she casually admits. “My head of security is black, and a police officer, so he knows all the rules; what’s supposed to happen and what’s not supposed to happen. So I’m just learning. I’m learning myself about systematic racism.”

For an artist whose career is accompanied by her well-documented distaste of the immediate limelight, and a playful, kooky attitude to almost every move she makes, Sia is a remarkably down-to-earth individual. Dressed in a summery, blue and white off the shoulder top with black eyeglasses, her excitable nature is on full display, while her unique blend of a South Australian and American accent peeks through occasionally .

Sia on the cover of Rolling Stone Australia . (Photography, wig, and makeup by Tonya Brewer)

Overall though, she appears relieved. The previous year hasn’t just seen the readying of her directorial debut and new music, it has also seen her adopt two adult African-American sons – a move she says has not only made her hyper-aware of the events going on in the world right now, but has also changed their lives.

Sia only began publicly speaking about her newly-adopted sons – now aged 19 – in May, explaining that they were ageing out of the foster care system when they came into her life in 2019. 

“The first year was just completely insane but now they’re both just fuckin’… different kids. They see hope,” she explains. “They have had extreme trauma and have been in 18 homes each over their entire lives. It’s been the best thing I have ever done; I just love them so much and it feels like that was my purpose. 

“I thought getting famous was my purpose and then I found that increasingly unsatisfying, and then it became, ‘Okay, well, what’s my purpose next?’. I wanted to write a song for Beyoncé and then it happened and then I was like, ‘Well I really want to make this movie but I’m embarrassed because I don’t want people to think that it’s a vanity project’.”

The movie is Music , a labour of love with a history that spans roughly 13 years. Having first originated as a one-page short story of hers written back in 2007, a film version was first announced in 2015, with children’s book author Dallas Clayton helping to flesh out the final script. 

“I was still a little bit insecure, but then when I started directing the video for “Chandelier” and most videos from there, I realised I was actually a pretty good director,” an endearingly-genuine laugh punctuates her admission. “I stopped hating myself, I stopped worrying, and I started believing that I could do it.”

“I stopped hating myself, I stopped worrying, and I started believing that I could do it.”

While Clayton helped encourage Sia to realise her directorial potential, the end result is far different from what had originally been envisioned. Despite being an appropriately titled musical, the film – which stars frequent collaborator and dancer Maddie Ziegler, actress Kate Hudson, and Broadway star Leslie Odom Jr – was never intended to be another addition to the popular genre.

Its origins stretch back to a casual conversation between Sia and Clayton. While professing their mutual fondness for a musical, the latter stated his belief that the former could make one even better.

“I hate musical theatre by the way,” she admits. “I generally hate musicals, and it was originally a narrative film. But everyone kept saying, ‘Are you stupid? Are you not making it a musical?’”

As with any project, Music quickly evolved as more thought went into it. Originally planned to feature Shia LaBeouf in a lead role, this was quickly changed to Jonah Hill. Eventually, the film’s lead was gender-swapped when Sia decided it would take the form of a musical.

Ultimately, the main inspiration behind its status as a musical came about when Sia realised she wanted to work with the likes of Odom Jr and Hudson. Reaching out via social media to recruit her cast, this move enabled the artist to discover talent she claims she would have otherwise been unable to find via traditional means.

“One [actor] I discovered, I just asked for a particular type of person that could dance, [their] size, shape and race,” she recalls. “I couldn’t find through any of the casting directors, so I tweeted it and I found someone perfect for the role who turned out to be an incredibly gifted actor. I love Twitter for that reason.”

Originally planned for release in 2019, the shooting of Music wrapped up four years ago, with much of Sia’s time since being taken up by the gruelling editing process.

“I know what it’s like to make a record and have them take 18 months to strategise how to put it out,” she notes. “When I was new, it was infuriating waiting for things to come out but now I really am in no hurry at all. That’s why it took so long editing it, because I really wanted it to be the best movie it could be.”

Sia has had a long history of unexpected success. Formally beginning her career over 25 years ago with Adelaide jazz-funk outfit Crisp in the mid-Nineties, a pair of releases with the band, a guest appearance as a wedding singer on Home And Away , and a long-forgotten solo album named OnlySee preceded a move to the UK, where she soon began working with the likes of Jamiroquai and, notably, Zero 7.

“I don’t know why I left Australia really, I just wanted to go on an adventure,” she recalls. “I never thought I would leave forever.”

“I don’t know why I left Australia really, I just wanted to go on an adventure. I never thought I would leave forever.”

During her initial time in London, it was a series of open mic night performances which led to a record deal with Sony sublabel Dance Pool.

“That was the beginning of my singing career, like, ‘Oh, people are paying me to do this? Okay, I must be a singer’,” she recalls with a laugh. Her infectious smile provides a peek into the excitement of these early days. “I literally had no big intentions. I thought actually I was going to be an actor and I’m very grateful that I’m not because it’s a much harder job.”

Fast-forward almost two decades, and the film world once again found itself at the forefront of Sia’s mind. With songwriting having taken up most of her time across the last decade, one could almost assume that making the move from writing chart-topping hits for the likes of Rihanna, J Lo, and BTS,  to writing a box office smash would be an easy one; especially when the latter is a musical. Ultimately, the decision to focus her efforts in this field was guided by the encouragement of frequent music video collaborator Daniel Askill, actress and writer Lena Dunham, and producer Vincent Landay.

“For me, writing songs and singing comes easily,” she admits. “I mean it took me 25 years to get to writing this good and quickly. I’m very good at writing songs because I know some of the songs I write are shit, but […] people like them and I know how to please certain demographics and certain artists. 

“But it took me 25 years to learn how to do that, and I just threw myself into this absolute baptism by fire directing the movie. […] I got real lucky with all the actors and with all the crew and with my colleagues it was just an awesome experience and then it was over and I wanted to fucking die.”

“I just threw myself into this absolute baptism by fire directing the movie.”

Music is itself an incredible creation. Self-described by its director as a “drama musical”, the film follows Zu (Hudson), a newly-sober drug dealer, as she looks after her autistic sister Music (Ziegler) following the death of their grandmother. While Sia was proud of the work Ziegler was doing, the young actress’ commitment to the role was even praised by Steven Spielberg.

“Nobody recognised her because she is doing such a stunning job of capturing what it is to be quite low functioning on the autism spectrum,” Sia explains. “I used to go to AA meetings and the sign language interpreter had a son called Stevie and I based her character exactly on him.”

A few days into the pre-production though, Sia recalls a time when the then 14-year-old Ziegler came to her in tears, fearful that her performance as an autistic teenager would be misconstrued as being insensitive. Promising the young actress that she wouldn’t allow her to become the target of critics, Sia made a point of ensuring that Ziegler’s performance was as faithful as it possibly could be.

“We sent it to the Child Mind Institute in New York and they watched it,” she says. “A whole bunch of people with autism watched it, a whole bunch of people who are caregivers, or people that are studiers of the brain – students of the brain – and they gave her 100%.”

Sia is looking towards the release of her debut film, a soundtrack album, and a new record of original material in 2021. (Photo by Tonya Brewer)

Though it’s not marketed as such, Music features moments of tension more powerful than any action film, and more emotion than any Oscar-winning romance. Ultimately though, Sia claims that its creation was rooted in a desire to make its viewers truly feel something, with its somewhat educational nature being likened to that of what she describes as “ Rain Main the musical”.

“I wanted people to have feelings, that’s the main thing,” she admits. “There’s so few of those [films] at the moment. Where have all the Forrest Gumps gone, you know? Where have all the What’s Eating Gilbert Grapes gone? I was just really nostalgic for that period of film-making and how it made me feel when I watched those movies. I was really shooting for an all-round ‘break your heart, put it back together again’ feeling.

“I also wanted to give hope to the caregiver and to the autism community that it’s not all negative. They’re gifted.”

“I was really shooting for an all-round ‘break your heart, put it back together again’ feeling.”

As her friends, family, and followers would know, Sia has never been one to do things traditionally. In fact, the mere mention of her name conjures up images of a musical icon subverting expectations (and managing anxiety) by hiding their face with her now-iconic wig (“I’m an old dear, but the wig never ages,” she jokes).

However, this unconventional way of handling herself even manages to seep into the world of her filmmaking. Maybe it’s her aversion to traditional musicals (most don’t feature an on-screen cameo from their creator, after all), or maybe it’s a desire to constantly reimagine an approach to her craft. But one of the most unique aspects of Music is the way in which Sia’s songs are woven into the film.

While traditional musicals would tend to use a song to help progress the narrative, Music utilises Sia’s compositions to show the title character’s experience within the world; effectively showcasing each track as a self-contained music video to help the viewer appreciate not only the story, but the complexity of the neurodivergent mind. 

In fact, the clip for lead single “Together” is lifted directly from the film’s final scene. For Sia, this not only helped to tell the story she wanted to, but aided in the creative process, with a decision to exclude lip-syncing throughout the movie, meaning that script changes wouldn’t affect the narrative.

“I rewrote all the lyrics at the very end of the project so that it reflected the narrative of the film,” she explains. “They were dancing to different lyrics, but they were dancing to the same song, to the same production, to the same music but to different music.”

Sia purposely hadn’t written any music for the movie originally. Rather, she pitched a handful of songs she enjoyed, despite not being what she would call her best work. Even “Together” was written during the filming process, with its segment filmed as a reshoot.

As Sia shares an all-too quick glimpse of her backyard (revealing a hilly skyline in the distance, while palm trees surround an impossibly blue swimming pool), it’s clear that a weight has been lifted. The release of a long-awaited film should be a joyous occasion for any director, but Music follows a period which has kept its creator not only feverishly busy, but affected to the point of illness.

“The making of the movie was fun but the editing portion actually made me sick.”

“The making of the movie was fun but the editing portion actually made me sick,” she recalls. “I had an illness and severe pain. I really believed it was the fear of making something mediocre and the pressure I put on myself to make something outstanding.

“I couldn’t seem to find the right editor – someone who understood the magic I was trying to make happen. Finally we did, but I got really sick and also really depressed. My PTSD was just out of control, and I nearly didn’t leave the house for three or four years.”

It was during this time spent at home that Sia focused her efforts into the film’s editing process. With the only music arriving in this time being 2017’s Christmas album Everyday is Christmas (which hit number seven in Australia and followed the release of 2016’s chart-topping This Is Acting ), the task of editing managed to give the artist a sense of purpose following her split with husband Erik Anders Lang in 2016.

“I spent about three or four years in bed after my divorce. I went gung ho into making the movie, which gave me purpose and helped to distract from the devastation and loss of that relationship.”

Throughout her life, Sia has repeatedly been candid about the struggles she’s faced in both her professional and personal life. Despite personal tragedy, relationship breakdowns, bipolar disorder, an autoimmune disorder, an addiction to drugs and alcohol, and even the contemplation of suicide, she notes that the last three years of her life were in fact what she considers to be her worst yet.

More than two decades into her career, Sia has found a new lease on life. (Photo by Tonya Brewer)

“I’m surprised I’m alive and I’m very grateful for Prozac,” she admits. “I was having very bad complex PTSD and a lot of suicidal ideation and as soon as I finally got on Prozac, six days later it was like my brain [had been] broken. I no longer had that suicidal ideation. It was just gone, just like that.

“I was like, ‘Oh my god, PTSD really is just something in the brain and it needs Prozac to become normal again and its normal typically-functioning self’.”

Despite these dark days, Sia affirms she’s now got the worst of it behind her (“It’s been great not being suicidal,” she quips). In fact, even before she admits it, the pleasure is obvious. A brief visit from one of her sons results in a full-body hug that shows a glimpse of pure love, while her usual animated self boasts a smile larger than anyone would have seen in quite some time. Truly, it’s clear that the demons that once plagued her are no longer in control, replaced by a happiness so rare it almost could make one feel jealous.

“I have everything I could ever want and need, so my purpose is to make someone else’s dreams come true or to make someone’s day or do a good deed.”

“I’m on Prozac and then I’m on a number of other things,” she explains. “No opiates, but other pain treatments and they seem to be working.

“I’ve never been happier [than] this last year, never been happier. I think choosing my sons and helping them through their trauma — and being able to have the resources to help them through all of their trauma — has been meaningful to me and I’m really appreciative of all of my friendships.

“I met all my professional goals and now I have two sons that [means] I’ve met all my personal goals. I don’t have a boyfriend but I don’t long for one. If it happens, that would be fine and fun I’m sure, but I’m not…” she pauses. “I’m totally whole.”

This rare feeling of being whole has seen Sia begin to look outwards in an effort to ensure those in her immediate circles are taken care of. From her altruistic efforts which saw her donate $1 million to CORE, Sean Penn’s COVID-19 charity (though she later admits she wished she kept half to donate to the Black Lives Matter movement), to taking care of her family, Sia notes that her immediate thoughts are on others.

“I have everything I could ever want and need, so my purpose is to make someone else’s dreams come true or to make someone’s day or do a good deed,” she explains. “That’s what I like to do best, it gives me the same high that drugs used to.

“I’m in a really good place where my brain is sane for the first time; my brain feels happy. I couldn’t be prouder of the boys and how far they have come just in this last year and I can’t wait to see them grow and blossom.”

Despite everything that has gone on in these past years – whether it’s the creation of a new film, new music, and a new family – Sia insists she’s the complete opposite of a workaholic. Even with her own admission that she spends at least 18 hours a day in bed watching television on her ceiling, Sia reveals she not only has two more movies written, but that there’s a TV series in the works as well.

“My life is the most ridiculous pageant of the bizarre.”

“We’ve got a season of a new TV show that Dallas [Clayton] and I wrote just based on my ridiculous life because I am so private but my life is the most ridiculous pageant of the bizarre,” she explains.

“It’s super stupid and funny but he’s just like, ‘If you keep living the way you live, we’ll have like 16 seasons.’ I guess it’s based on me, but it looks like that one will come out next year at some point too.”

As she looks toward the future though, it’s clear that Sia’s thoughts aren’t focused on her. Though she had previously stated her main goal was that of having a number one song (which she achieved when “Cheap Thrills” topped the Billboard chart in 2016), her future ambitions aren’t centred around statues and awards. In fact, she doesn’t have a Grammy, she downplays her ten ARIA Awards (“I gave them to fans”), and says her focus on her own achievements is so minimal that she doesn’t even have photos of herself in her home – save for the pencil drawing that features in the “Chandelier” video.

Now though, the question of recorded music comes to the forefront of the conversation, with Sia having stated in early 2020 that she had two albums all set for release, though they wouldn’t arrive until after the film’s premiere. One of these albums is a soundtrack to Music , featuring the vocal talents of its actors, while the second features Sia’s own versions of the songs.

“After that, I have an album ready to go,” she adds, noting it won’t arrive until the latter half of 2021. “I’m only competing with myself if I put shit out, so that’s why I don’t just drop it all right now. 

“I have to be really smart about when I’m releasing things because I am quite prolific.”

Even with new music on the way, the future of Sia’s career might not look anything like what fans are used to. Her 2017 trip to Australia and New Zealand served as the last real tour she embarked on; those who missed out may be left wanting for a repeat engagement.

“I’ll probably never go on tour again,” she admits. “I’m not really a tourer, I’m a homebody.”

After so many years spent proving her resilience, fighting her way out of the darkness, and above all, achieving more than most musicians could in multiple lifetimes, it’s easy to feel proud of Sia. 

“I just have to do what’s going to keep me serene,” she explains. “I don’t have any particular goals with music and right now, I’m really focused on making my children’s dreams come true.”

She pauses, gazing out into “the bush” as she gathers her thoughts, seemingly realising just how hard she’s managed to push herself. 

“I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself my entire career. I’ve worked like a dog and I’ve worked myself to the bone, and on a number of occasions I have burnt out. To be happy is very weird.”

Sia’s  Music is on track to be released in early 2021, while the soundtrack to the film will be released on February 12th, 2021 via Monkey Puzzle/Atlantic.

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Recorded Music Artists

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In a career filled with ups and downs, Sia Furler was an in-demand guest vocalist; a quirky singer-songwriter; a hitmaker for the likes of Rihanna and Beyoncé; and more popular than ever as an artist in her own right in the 2010s. Although raised in Australia, Furler rose to fame after moving to the U.K., where she worked as a guest vocalist for several groups — including the electronica duo Zero 7 — and released her own solo albums. Born in 1975, she first performed on the Adelaide jazz circuit during the ’90s as a vocalist for the band Crisp. An attempt to launch a solo career in 1997 didn’t pan out, though, and she eventually hopped on a plane to London. While there, she landed a gig as a backup singer for Jamiroquai and inked a solo contract with DancePool, a sublabel of Sony.

Some People Have Real ProblemsSia released her first single, “Taken for Granted,” in early 2000. Although the song only peaked at number 100 on the Australian charts, it rose to number ten in the U.K. and increased European demand for her debut album, Hearing Is Difficult, which followed in 2001. At the same time, a string of big names in the British music scene began asking for Sia’s services; offers from Zero 7 and William Orbit ensued. Although some projects only called for Sia to sing on one song, her association with Zero 7 proved to be a recurring thing. She ultimately remained with Zero 7 for three albums, serving as the group’s go-to vocalist while also furthering her own career with solo releases like Colour the Small One and Some People Have Real Problems.

Lady Croissant Meanwhile, Sia also began building an audience in America. One of the songs from Colour the Small One, “Breathe Me,” gained attention when it was used in the elaborate final scene of the Six Feet Under series, and the resulting buzz allowed her to enjoy a successful stateside tour. That tour was documented on her first live release, Lady Croissant, in 2007. By the following year, Sia’s American audience had increased to the point that Some People Have Real Problems, her third album, debuted at number 26.

BionicZero 7 began working on another album in 2009, but Sia had already shifted most of her attention to furthering her own career, and the band hired another singer in her place. Working alongside bassist Sam Dixon, she boosted her songwriting cred by writing several songs for Christina Aguilera, who put the songs onto her 2010 release Bionic. Sia also continued writing songs for herself, and We Are Born marked her most upbeat album to date in 2010. It also went on to become her most successful, charting around the world and going to number two in Australia.

But Sia, whose shy and withdrawn personality was at odds with her public persona, began to struggle with the pressures of fame. She became addicted to alcohol and drugs and almost committed suicide before a phone call from a friend persuaded her to enter rehab instead. She spent the next few years out of the spotlight, continuing her parallel career as a backroom songwriter for the likes of Madonna, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Celine Dion, and Rihanna, for whom she wrote the worldwide number one smash hit “Diamonds.” In 2013 she started on a new album, working once again with producer Greg Kurstin.

Wary of another breakdown, she eventually negotiated a near-unprecedented contract with RCA which stipulated that she would not have to tour or do press; her first public appearance to promote the album on The Ellen DeGeneres Show saw her perform her new single “Chandelier” with her back to the audience. The album, entitled 1000 Forms of Fear, arrived in July 2014.

Featured Albums

Some People Have Real Problems

Sia Tour Dates

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IMDbPro Starmeter See rank

• Contact info
• 5 wins & 47 nominations

• Sia (singing voice)

• Popstar Without Borders

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• Soundtrack ("Never Give Up", as Sia Furler)

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• In-development projects at IMDbPro

Personal details

• 5′ 4½″ (1.64 m)
• December 18 , 1975
• Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
• Spouses Dan Bernad May 2023 - present
• Parents Loene Furler
• Peter Furler (Cousin)
• 1 Pictorial
• 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

• Trivia On December 30, 2016, she filed for divorce from her husband Erik Anders Lang .
• Quotes I'm an advocate of 'it's not what you are, it's who you are.'
• Trademarks Platinum blonde bob hair and wigs.
• How old is Sia?
• When was Sia born?
• Where was Sia born?

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