Sia - The Most Underrated Singer/Songwriter of All Time?

What do Christina Aguilera, David Guetta, Rihanna and Flo Rida all have in common?

 
No, it's not some strange fungal mouth disease! The answer is that they've all recently worked with Sia Furler, the Australian singer/songwriter responsible for such hits as 'Titanium' and 'Wild Ones'. While there are still many people out there who haven't yet heard of Sia, I'm sure most of the planet have been exposed to something she has written or sang by now. 2012 was a big year for the star and is set to be capped off by the success of the Rihanna song 'Diamonds', which Sia wrote the lyrics and melody for.

It's an unusual release from Rihanna, as its soft understated beauty stands in stark contrast to previous lead singles such as 'We Found Love' and 'Only Girl In The World'. Listen to the song here.

'Diamonds' is a brilliant example of Sia's songwriting skills, that often contain a fragile vulnerability which both critics and fans gush over. However, Sia's most recent successes prior to 'Diamonds' have taken a more dance-oriented approach through her collaborations with David Guetta. Before 'Titanium' was released from Guetta's 'Nothing But The Beat' album, I would never have paired the two together but actually, Sia's haunting vocals perfectly compliment Guetta's production style, making the song one of his most popular releases yet.

The success of 'Titanium' led to the pair quickly recording another song together, which was released as the lead single for Guetta's reissue of the album. Titled She-Wolf (Falling To Pieces), the track features Sia singing heartfelt lyrics over a typical Guetta beat and with a video that includes a magic wolf that can make people explode, there's no way that the song won't be another giant hit for the duo! Check out the surreal promo here.

 
I think anyone expecting a video similar to Shakira's She-Wolf was in for a very rude awakening just then!

Another unexpected release from Sia came last year in the form of her collaboration with US rapper Flo-Rida. The song 'Wild Ones' was a huge smash worldwide and I think this is mostly due to Sia's quirky vocals elevating the track beyond just being the generic dance hit that it could have been. Here's the official video.

All of these songs have definitely raised the singer's profile but what about Sia's own music!? With five studio albums to her name, Sia has been working in music since the late 90s but she first came to my attention following the release of her third album 'Colour The Small One', which originally came out in 2004. The collection originally went almost unnoticed on the music scene until the highlight of the album, 'Breathe Me', was featured in the last episode of the US TV show 'Six Feet Under'. This beautiful song then began to pick up momentum on radio and led to the album being reissued in the US in 2006. A million TV shows have used 'Breathe Me' since and its easy to see why. The lyrics are incredibly honest and the vocals feel so exposed, to the point where it feels like Sia is almost singing to herself in her own private space.

I never thought that anyone else would be able to do the song justice, let alone a man, but this year, Ex X-Factor contestant Aiden Grimshaw featured a cover of 'Breathe Me' on his first studio album, 'Misty Eye'. Its a bold choice and his masculine but shaky voice bring something new to the song, helping Aiden make it his own. Give it a go if you like the original.

 
Speaking of unusual covers, check out Sia's random cover of Britney Spear's single 'Gimme More', which takes the seductive clubby chorus and somehow transforms it into something sad and mournful. This has to be heard to be believed.

What a stunning cover version.

Sia has worked with a number of huge commercial pop artists in her time, despite her own alternative style, but for me, my favourite Sia collaborations are actually with Britney's old rival, Christina Aguilera. For the underrated Bionic album, Sia ended up co-writing four tracks that ended up on the final version. If only the entire collection had included Sia's input then perhaps 'Bionic' would have performed better because these were easily the best tracks on the album. If I had to pick a favourite though, I would have to go with 'You Lost Me', which performed extremely well critically but failed to make an impact on the charts. The simple piano arrangement and excruciatingly sad lyrics easily make this one of Christina's best and her voice has never sounded better. It's a travesty that the single did not perform better than it did. Christina debuted the song on American Idol and I chose to share this version of the track instead of the official video as this is genuinely one of my favourite live performances of all time. So enjoy it. No need to thank me.

You're welcome.

The creative collaboration between Sia and Christina Aguilera continued into the recording of the 'Burlesque' soundtrack and their song 'Bound To You' even ended up garnering the pair a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song. I like it but not as much as the Bionic recordings. Anyways, listen to it here to make up your own mind.

Sia's career continues to move from strength to strength, including more songwriting credits on Rihanna's upcoming album as well as a rumoured collaboration between the songwriter and Shakira on her next release. What I want more than anything now though is an album of new material from Sia herself. Now that her profile is on the rise worldwide, this is the perfect time for Sia to record some new songs of her own instead of giving all of her best stuff away. To finish off, I thought I would pick another brilliant single of hers to share which shows that Sia is not always just about the heartfelt ballads. 'Clap Your Hands' is from her fifth studio album 'We Are Born' and was a huge hit in Australia back in 2010. If you have a phobia of puppets however, I suggest that you do not press the play button below. Otherwise, enjoy!

Feel free to comment if I've missed out any crucial songs from Sia's career and don't forget to plus, comment, share and all the rest of it. Thanks!