- Born Sia Kate Isabelle Furler in Adelaide Australia in 1975.
- She started her career in the mid 90s, as the singer for the acid jazz band Crisp, based in Australia. In 1997, the band broke up. She signed with a local independent record label, and her debut album, OnlySee, was issued, using the name Sia Furler. Its style is considered trip hop (a combo of electronic/hip hop music), and it sold 1,200 copies.
- She moved to London and she worked as a background vocalist for acid jazz group Jamiroquai. She also worked as lead vocalist for the band Zero 7 for their first 3 albums, and toured with the band. She continued to collaborate with them until 2006.
- During that time, she also released two solo albums – Healing is Difficult and Colour the Small One. The music was written by Sia, and was a blend of jazz, soul, acoustic and electronic music. Singles from these albums did not sell well, due to practically no marketing by the record label.
- Dissatisfied with the status of her career, she moved to New York City in 2005. One of the singles from her third album, Breathe Me, was used in the HBO series Six Feet Under, which increased her visibility in the U.S.
- In 2008, she released her fourth studio album, Some People Have Real Problems. It peaked at #26 on the Billboard 200 chart – her first album to chart in the U.S. It had 4 singles, which were popular in dance clubs.
- In 2009, Christina Aguilera asked her to write songs for her upcoming album. Three songs were selected for the album. Additionally, Sia co-wrote Bound To You for the soundtrack for the film Burlesque, which featured Aguilera and Cher.
- From 2011 to 2013, Sia stopped recording and touring, growing uncomfortable with her growing fame, and wanting a more private life. She focused on songwriting for other artists. She co-wrote Flo Rida’s hit Wild Ones, which peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- During this time, she wrote the song Titanium for Alicia Keys. A demo of the song with Sia on vocals was sent to David Guetta, who contributed to the final version. Guetta considered other vocalists, but ended up going with Sia – without Sia’s permission – and issued the song on his Nothing But the Beat album in 2011. It peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
- In 2014, she returned to recording, and released the album 1000 Forms of Fear. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, and ultimately sold over 1 million copies worldwide. The single Chandelier was a huge success – it received 4 Grammy nominations.
- For performances of songs from this album, she chose not to show her face. Rather, she hid it behind an oversized platinum blonde wig. She said that she did this to maintain privacy
- Her seventh studio album, This is Acting, was released in 2016. It reached #4 on the album chart, and sold over 1 million copies in the U.S. It includes her first #1 single, Cheap Thrills.
- The list of artists that she has written or co-written songs for is impressive – it includes Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, Christina Aguilera, Shakira, Carly Rae Jepsen, Jesse J, Kelly Clarkson, Maroon 5, Eminem, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, Kylie Minogue, Beyonce, Celine Dion, and Rihanna.
- Sia has certainly had success in her eclectic career. She knows how to write a pop song for sure. Her video for Chandelier has had over 1.6 billion views on YouTube. However, the woman in the video is not Sia – she chose not to be in it, due to her desire for privacy. Here’s the video.