My rediscovery of Sia comes after procrastinating an assignment in which I briefly discussed her relationship with Maddie Ziegler, a young dancer fresh from Dance Moms fame, and watched all of their collaborations in the name of “research”. I became enthralled with their performances and after listening, I couldn’t believe that Sia’s other songs weren’t receiving as much attention, even from myself. I feel as though I should preface this article by saying that I’ve never considered myself to be anything more than a casual fan of Sia. However, I’m very aware of her presence in the music industry, both with her own releases and her work on albums for other artists and I fully acknowledge that she is arguably one of the most talented artists we have today. Despite only knowing a handful of her songs, I find it impossible to ignore the level of artistry she presents in her work and undeniable that she cares deeply about her work.
Her music is filled with a truly brilliant energy. In 1000 Forms of Fear, the album that made Sia into a household name, she dazzles listeners on well-known tracks like “Chandelier” and “Elastic Heart”, but she also soars in lesser-known anthems like “Burn the Pages” and haunting ballads like “Cellophane”. The balance between diversity and uniformity of sound is something to be admired because it’s something that many artists have difficulty achieving; none of her songs sound the same because of her use of different musical techniques, but they all have a common thread, which in my opinion is her unique voice and emotionally charged lyrics. Sia’s music is a force that provides comfort but also commands respect.
Not only are the songs beautiful, but the visuals that Sia creates to accompany her music are spectacular and awe-inspiring and serve as rich supplementto the songs themselves. She employs Maddie Ziegler and together they choreograph beautiful pieces to characterize the lyrics of her songs. Maddie’s dancing and Sia’s lyrics are put forth on a very bland setting, allowing their collaboration to shine. It’s clear that both of these artists are exceptionally talented and complement each other extremely well.
I find Sia’s music to be both understanding and unsettling. She knows what it means to be human, but the way that she executes her sound is so distinct from anything I’ve ever heard. Because of this, Sia has proven that she has staying power, both under her own name and penning songs for other artists and we can all be sure that she isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.