Sia

Sia Kate Isobelle Furler (/ˈsiːə/ ^ⓘ SEE-ə; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. When Crisp disbanded in 1997, she released her debut studio album, OnlySee, in Australia. Sia moved to London and provided vocals for the British duo Zero 7. She released her second studio album, Healing Is Difficult, in 2001 and her third, Colour the Small One, in 2004.

Sia moved to New York City in 2005 and toured the United States. Her fourth and fifth studio albums, Some People Have Real Problems and We Are Born, were released in 2008 and 2010 respectively, and both were certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association and attracted wider notice than her earlier albums. Uncomfortable with her growing fame, she took a hiatus from performing and focused on songwriting for other artists, producing successful collaborations "Titanium" (with David Guetta), "Diamonds" (for Rihanna), "Wild Ones" (with Flo Rida) and "Pretty Hurts" (for Beyoncé).

In 2014, Sia broke through as a solo recording artist when her sixth studio album, 1000 Forms of Fear, debuted at No. 1 in the U.S. Billboard 200 and generated the top-ten single "Chandelier" and a trilogy of music videos she co-directed, starring child dancer Maddie Ziegler. Since then, Sia has usually worn a wig that obscures her face to protect her privacy. Her seventh studio album, This Is Acting (2016), included her first Billboard Hot 100 number one single, "Cheap Thrills". In 2016 she also began her Nostalgic for the Present Tour, which incorporated dancing by Ziegler and others, and other performance art elements. Sia's eighth studio album, Everyday Is Christmas, was released in 2017. In 2019, Labrinth, Sia and Diplo released an album, LSD. Sia has written many songs for films. She released her feature film directorial debut, Music, in 2021 to generally negative reviews, alongside an album, Music – Songs from and Inspired by the Motion Picture. Her tenth album, Reasonable Woman, was released in May 2024.

Sia is an advocate for animal rights. Among her accolades are ten ARIA Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, and nine Grammy Award nominations.

Sia Kate Isobelle Furler was born on 18 December 1975 in Adelaide, South Australia. Her father, Phil Colson, is a guitarist, and her mother, Loene Furler, is an art lecturer. She is the niece of actor Kevin Colson. At age 12, Sia stayed with family friend Colin Hay in New York City for a month, during which Hay attended the Grammy Awards. She cites watching the ceremony from his limousine as inspiration to pursue a music career. As a child, Sia imitated the performing style of Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Sting, and has cited them, in addition to Hay, as early influences. She attended Adelaide High School.

In the mid-1990s, Sia started a career as a singer in the local acid jazz band Crisp. Sia collaborated with the band and contributed vocals to their album Word and the Deal (1996) and EP Delirium (1997). In 1997 Crisp disbanded, and Sia released her debut studio album, OnlySee, on Flavoured Records, in Australia, on 23 December. The album sold about 1,200 copies. Unlike her later albums, OnlySee was marketed under her full name, "Sia Furler". It was produced, and the songs were mostly written, by Jesse Flavell, with Sia co-writing or writing six tracks.

After Crisp disbanded in 1997, Sia moved to London, where she performed as a background vocalist for British band Jamiroquai. She also provided vocals for English downtempo group Zero 7 on their first three studio albums and toured with the group. On Zero 7's 2001 album Simple Things, Sia contributed vocals to two tracks including the single "Destiny", which peaked at No. 30 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2004, she provided vocals for Zero 7 on "Somersault" and "Speed Dial No. 2" (from the album When It Falls). In 2006, Sia collaborated with Zero 7 for their third album, The Garden.

In 2000, Sia signed a recording contract with Sony Music's sub-label DancePool and released a single, "Taken for Granted", which peaked at No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2001, she released her second solo album, Healing Is Difficult, which blends retro jazz and soul music and lyrically discusses Sia's dealing with the death of her first love affair. Displeased with the promotion of the album, Sia fired her manager, left Sony Music and signed with Go! Beat, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group (UMG). At the APRA Awards of 2002, Sia won the Breakthrough Songwriter category alongside Brisbane pop duo Aneiki's Jennifer Waite and Grant Wallis.