Sia: Songs and Collaborations
She wrote Rihanna's greatest song in 14 minutes, and you've been singing it without knowing her name.
Stop for a second and think about "Diamonds". Rihanna's 2012 ballad that took the world apart and put it back together softer. The one that plays in adverts and gets stuck in your head at 3am. Someone wrote that in 14 minutes. Someone wrote it so fast and so right that it became one of the defining pop songs of the decade.
That someone was Sia. And that's the thing you need to know about her: she's written some of the biggest songs in pop music without most people clocking who actually did it.
The invisible architect
Sia Kate Isobelle Furler, born 18 December 1975 in Adelaide, started working as a professional musician in 1996, fronting the acid jazz band Crisp. But the version of Sia you need to know now is something different: one of pop's most in-demand songwriting minds, working behind the scenes on tracks for Rihanna, Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Britney Spears and Flo Rida.
Her writing credits read like a masterclass in pop construction. "Pretty Hurts" for Beyoncé. "Chained to the Rhythm" for Katy Perry. "Perfume" for Britney. Each one fits its artist perfectly, which is the mark of a writer who adapts instead of imposing her own sound. That's the difference between a songwriter and a pop architect.
The voice that changed everything
But Sia isn't just invisible. She also fronts records herself, and when she does, she's unmissable. "Chandelier" in 2014 was the song that turned all those writing credits into something people could attach to a face, even if that face was usually hidden. The raw vocal, the chorus that breaks and rebuilds itself, the video with dancer Maddie Ziegler rather than Sia herself on screen. That's deliberate. Sia is uncomfortable with fame in its traditional form, so she built her own version of it instead.
From "Chandelier" came "Cheap Thrills" (with Sean Paul), then "Elastic Heart" (with The Weeknd and Diplo), then "Big Girls Cry". A run of songs that proved her solo voice was just as strong as her work for hire. She's cited Aretha Franklin as an early influence, and you can hear that gospel-adjacent power underneath even her most electronic productions.
Where to hear her next
Start with the solo songs. Head to Best Sia Songs to hear the tracks that made her a solo star. Then read our guide to Best Sia Collaborations and hear how those same songwriting instincts sound on someone else's voice. Once you've heard both sides, you'll understand why she's been so central to the sound of 2010s pop, whether her name was on the credit or not.