Sia is a songwriting secret weapon. The 47-year-old Australian-born artist has written some of the most popular pop songs on the planet. In just this list below, she is responsible for nearly one billion song streams on YouTube alone.
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But while Sia is known today as a solo star, who often obscures her face with big hair and bows, she is also an important figure for many other pop star peers. From Britney Spears to Katy Perry to Maroon 5 and more, Sia’s magic touch has been part of many a hit.
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To wit, we dive into this handful of tracks here below for a taste of her genius. Here are five songs you likely didn’t know Sia wrote for other artists.
1. “My Heart Is Open,” Maroon 5 feat. Gwen Stefani
Written by Rodney Jerkins, Adam Levine, Sia, Benny Blanco, Andre Lindal
Released in 2014 on the Maroon 5 album, V, this song includes many a capable hand as part of the production. Unlike cooking, there can be many chefs involved in a song, and here Adam Levine, Sia, Benny Blanco and more penned a track that also features No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani. On the pop offering, which concludes the 11-track LP, Levine sings,
I know you’re scared, ooh, I can feel it
It’s in the air, I know you feel that too
But take a chance on me, you won’t regret it, no
One more ‘no’ and I’ll believe you
I’ll walk away and I will leave you be
And that’s the last time you’ll say no, say no to me
It won’t take me long to find another lover, but I want you
I can’t spend another minute getting over loving you
2. “Hey Hey Hey,” Katy Perry
Written by Max Martin, Sia, Katy Perry, Sarah Hudson, Ali Payami
From Perry’s 2017 album, Witness, this song blends rock with electronic elements and is another composed by a number of artists, including Sia and super-producer Max Martin. The song includes a lot of bravado and boisterous lyrics. Indeed, Perry sings,
A big beautiful brain with a pretty face, yeah
A babydoll with a briefcase, yeah
A hot little hurricane, ha!
‘Cause I’m feminine and soft, but I’m still a boss, yeah
Red lipstick, but still so raw, yeah
Marilyn Monroe in a monster truck
3. “Boy Problems,” Carly Rae Jepsen
Written by Sia, Greg Kurstin, Carly Rae Jepsen
From pop hit songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen’s summer 2015 album, Emotion, this song was sketched out as far back as 2013 when Jepsen was on tour for the album Kiss. But it took its final form months later thanks to the help of Sia, who wrote the bridge to the song. On the equally melodic and percussive song, Jepsen, known for her 2012 hit, “Call Me Maybe,” sings,
Listen, just leave or stay
But I’m done listening to it
If you’re gonna go then go
She said to me on the phone
So tired of hearin’ all your boy problems
If you’re gonna stay then stay
He’s not gonna change anyway
So tired of hearin’ all your boy problems
4. “Passenger,” Britney Spears
Written by Sia, Katy Perry, Diplo, Djemba Djemba
The marquee names keep coming for Sia! Maroon 5, Perry, Jepsen, Stefani and now Britney Spears. The eighth song on Spears’ 2013 album, Britney Jean, this song was co-written by Sia, Perry and others. It also earned a little bit of controversy, with some saying it wasn’t Spears herself who sang on the track. This was later disproved. Sia helped write this song, which blends EDM elements with rock. And on the track, Spears (we assume) sings,
I can’t let go of control
I can’t let go and not know
Don’t know the way you’re heading me
One day at a time is all I need
There was a time without trust
There was a time without love
But it took you to show me
I could handover the keys
5. “You Lost Me,” Christina Aguilera
Written by Christina Aguilera, Sia, Sam Dixon
Sia connects with yet another big-name pop star for “You Lost Me” by Christina Aguilera. This song was released on Aguilera’s 2010 album, Bionic. The slower, more emotive song is about infidelity and the aftereffects of a toxic relationship. In the swelling ballad, Aguilera sings about a cheater, offering succinctly,
I am done
Smoking gun
We’ve lost it all
The love is gone
She has won
Now its no fun
We’ve lost it all
The love is gone
And we had magic
And this is tragic
You couldn’t keep your hands to yourself
(Photo by Kevin Winter/BBMA2020/Getty Images for dcp)
