Since the 2010s, Sia Furler has written dozens of songs for other artists after being approached by Christina Aguilera to write some songs for her 2010 release Bionic and ended up writing several more tracks for the album. They continued collaborating with Sia co-writing “Bound to You,” featured in the film Burlesque, starring Aguilera and Cher.
At the time, the Australian singer and songwriter was newly sober and needed a break from touring and segued into writing songs for everyone from Celine Dion, Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Kanye West, Britney Spears, Shakira, Fall Out Boy, the B52’s Kate Pierson, and Maroon 5, among many more throughout the next 15 years.
Sia has mastered the formula for a great pop song. Through her intrinsic storytelling and songwriting, her catalog has spanned multiple genres, and her work as a solo artist, from her 1997 debut OnlySee to her tenth album Reasonable Woman in 2024.
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[RELATED: 8 Songs You Didn’t Know Sia Wrote for Other Artists]
“It’s really just hit or miss, and I think the reason I’m pretty successful is actually because I’m really productive, not necessarily that I’m a great songwriter,” said Sia on songwriting in 2015. “I think I’m a good curator, so I know how to choose tracks that feel like they’re anthemic, or that seem to have an uplifting quality in the chorus.”
Sia’s songwriting collaborations have also produced some of her biggest hits from Rihanna‘s 2012 No. 1 “Diamonds,” which she wrote in 14 minutes and went to No. 1 in 20 countries, Flo Rida’s “Wild Ones,” and more. Here’s a look at just five memorable Sia collaborations, including featured spots.
1. “Titanium,” David Guetta, Featuring Sia (2011)
Written by Sia, David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, Nick van de Wall
When French DJ and producer David Guetta invited Sia to help write some lyrics and a melody to one of his songs for his fourth album Nothing But the Beat, within 40 minutes, she ended up with “Titanium.”
You shout it out, but
I can’t hear a word you say
I’m talking loud, not saying much
You shout it out, but
I can’t hear a word you say
I’m talking loud, not saying much
I’m criticized, but all your bullets ricochet
Shoot me down, but I get up
I’m bulletproof, nothing to lose
Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
Before the single featuring Sia singing was released, another version featuring Mary J. Blige on vocals was leaked. “The first time I heard what Sia did because she was not in the studio with me, I fell in love with it,” said Guetta. “I didn’t even want to give it to anyone else; it was perfect the way it was. It’s not only about how big you are in America, it’s about the song and the voice.”
Katy Perry also convinced Guetta to keep Sia on the song. “I was like, ‘I think you’re crazy not to just keep Sia’” said Perry. Guetta eventually released the original demo with Sia’s vocals without telling her, and it topped the UK Singles and Dance charts and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.
2. “Beautiful Pain,” Eminem, Featuring Sia (2013)
Written by Sia, Eminen, Emile Haynie, Luis Resto
On The Marshall Mathers LP 2, the sequel to his 2000 release The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem wanted to experiment more with old-school hip-hop and a more minimalist approach in production. The album went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and features guests Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Skylar Grey, and more, along with Sia on the rap ballad “Beautiful Pain.” The two also collaborated on “Guts Over Fear” from Eminem’s 2014 compilation SHADYXV.
Yesterday was the tornado warning
Today’s like the morning after
Your world is torn in half
You wake in its wake to start the mourning process
And rebuilding, you’re still a work in progress
Today’s a whole new chapter
It’s like an enormous asthma
Thunderstorm has passed ya
You weathered it and poked its eye out with the thornbush that ya
Used to smell the roses
Stopped to inhale, can’t even tell your nose is
Stuffed, so focused on the bright side then you floor the gas pedal
And hit the corner faster, more assertive
Never looking back, may hit the curb
But every day is a new learning curve as you steer through life
Sometimes you might not wanna swerve but you have to
To avert a disaster, lucky no permanent damage
‘Cause they hurt you so bad
It’s like they murdered your ass
And threw dirt on your casket
But you’ve returned from the ashes
And that hurt that you have, you just converted to gasoline
And while you’re burning the past
Standing at inferno and chant
3. “Cheap Thrills,” Sia, Featuring Sean Paul (2016)
Written by Sia, Sean Paul, Greg Kurstin
In 2016, Sia had her first No. 1 as a solo artist with “Cheap Thrills,” along with another remix featuring Jamaican artist Sean Paul. Co-written with Sia’s longtime collaborator Greg Kurstin, “Cheap Thrills” topped the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
Sia’s dancehall-pop, tropical house track was originally written for Rihanna’s 2016 album Anti, but when it was rejected, Sia used it on her seventh release This Is Acting.
Gyal come on to mi
Come over here and perform for mi
Gyal come on to mi
Turn up yuh temperature, mek it warm fi me
Gyal come on to mi
Gyal come on to mi
Gyal come on to mi
Come over here and perform for mi
She whine like a gypsy
From left onto right she a swing deh
Man a try getti get fling weh
But yuh nah feel di vibe weh dem a bring deh
Need you over right yeh weh mi deh
But yuh inna yuh own ah worl’, nah pree mi
She nuh realize I am the DJ
Suh mi tek up the mic and den say
4. “The Greatest,” Sia, Featuring Kendrick Lamar (2016)
Written by Sia, Kendrick Lamar, Greg Kurstin, Blair MacKichan
Released on the deluxe edition of This is Acting, is another version of “The Greatest” featuring Kendrick Lamar. The power pop ballad of resilience reached the top 20 on the Hot 100. The music video of the original version without Lamar, featuring actress Maddie Ziegler, is a visual tribute to the victims of the June 2016 shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, which claimed 49 lives.
Uh-oh, running out of breath, but I
Oh, I, I got stamina
Uh-oh, running now, I close my eyes
Well, oh, I got stamina
And uh-oh, I see another mountain to climb
But I, I, I got stamina
Uh-oh, I need another lover, be mine
Cause I, I, I got stamina
Don’t give up, I won’t give up
Don’t give up, no no no
Don’t give up, I won’t give up
Don’t give up, no no no
I’m free to be the greatest, I’m alive
I’m free to be the greatest here tonight, the greatest
The greatest, the greatest alive
The greatest, the greatest alive
5. “Dance Alone,” Sia, Featuring Kylie Minogue (2024)
Written by Sia and Jesse Shatkin
The second single from Sia’s tenth album Reasonable Woman, which also features guests Chaka Khana and Labrinth, “Dance Alone,” a duet with Kylie Minogue, is a song of defiance, and being fine on one’s own—even on the dancefloor. “It really seems like the general public responds well to songs about salvation or overcoming something, or that everything’s going to be OK, or that things are fun,” said Sia. “I think that my skill is more upbeat curating, as in choosing the right tracks and then sort of trying to understand the will or nature of popular culture.”
Late night, you and I
Post-fight, it’s my life
Let’s roll, there’s the door
I’m all for 4/4
I watch you walk away, it’s just another day
Don’t need you to stay, oh
I am not afraid, I know I’ll be okay
There’s nothin’ you can say, oh
I just wanna dance alone, I ain’t ever goin’ home
I just wanna dance alone
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella
