Sia Her Everywhere

The first time I heard Sia's voice was during the phenomenal ending scene to HBO's Six Feet Under. To avoid spoilers I will avoid discussing the scene, but this final montage matched perfectly with Sia's "Breathe Me," a song of loneliness and love so pure I consider it her masterpiece. This exposure gained Sia (Australian-born Sia Furler) a ton of deserved attention. At a soldout 2008 concert at Hotel Congress, I stood enchanted with a sold-out audience as Sia performed. And when she performed "Breathe Me" for the final song...wow. The energy of the crowd felt heavy in the air. Besides her megahit, Sia performed a wide array of fun, upbeat numbers, including one song where she wore a neon smiley face costume! Her audience interactions and constant beaming smile showed me that Sia was someone who loved her art! Now if only more people knew about this pixie-sized marvel...



But luckily, you cannot turn on the radio these days without hearing Sia's unique voice. Pop stars, electronic DJs, and music lovers around the world are addicted to her unique sound. From David Guetta's #1 singles "Titanium" and "She Wolf" to Flo Rida's "Wild Ones," Sia is part of a megahit barrage this past year.
Below I've written a guide of Sia's works owned by the library. Whether you're tastes run downtempo or along an electronic beat, I hope you find something you enjoy below:

The Six Feet Under soundtrack: A fantastic album featuring bands whose popularity have exploded (much like Sia's) in the past years. Check out songs from the Arcade Fire, Phoenix, Coldplay, and Death Cab from Cutie, but make sure to listen to "Breath Me!"

We Are Born (available through Freegal): This 2010 album is Sia's most accessible "pop" album to date. But before you roll your eyes at another "formulaic pop cd," try out opener tracks "The Fight" and "Clap Your Hands" to experience Sia's unique sound and spin on old sounds. Everyone deserves some quirky dance music in their music library!

Colour the Small One: The most downtempo album on this list. Released in 2004, "Breathe Me" is the best-known song, but check out tracks "Sunday" and "Where I Belong" for some more beautiful songs of longing, love, and life lessons.

Wild Ones (Flo Rida album): If you turned on mainstream radio last year, you probably heard the title track to Flo Rida's Wild Ones. The album is packed with hits, but my favorite of course is the one that features Sia's vocals. This is radio-friendly dance music, nothing more or less (that I secretly enjoy)!

Nothing But the Beat (David Guetta album): Just like Flo Rida, David Guetta's album is stuffed with songs you might have heard on the radio in the past two years..."Titanium" featuring Sia is a energetic dancefloor hit with a postive message. What's not to like?


-James