Beyoncé Would Be Proud is all about Female
Empowerment. Every week we will be focusing on a woman, celebrity, local or
personal hero, write about their strengths and why they inspire us.
Performing her latest single on the Ellen Show, Sia
reminded us why we love her.
Sia, who no longer chooses to show her face to the
camera when she performs, explains she is reluctant of the limelight as a means
of protecting her mental health, which has suffered in previous years. She shares
with Billboard magazine:
“All I wanted to do was write music for pop stars. For one reason or another it never happened for me. Then I got seriously addicted to Vicodin and Oxycodone, and I was always a drinker but I didn’t know I was an alcoholic. I was really unhappy being an artist and I was getting sicker and sicker” – Sia Furler, Billboard Magazine
Sia decided to take back control of her own destiny. Although she retired from music and removed herself from celebrity culture, Sia continued writing music for artists
such as Rihanna, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, etc. However for someone like Sia,
who has so much passion, innovation and talent for their craft, it is hard to
completely remove them from what they love most.
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| Sia's cover photo for Billboard Magazine |
You can hear this real passion
resonate through Sia's voice when listening to her music. She is a true, genuine artist who uses her music as
a vehicle of creative expression and self-release. From her sombre album
‘Colour the Small One’ expressing the loss of her late partner, Dan. To the more popular,
upbeat ‘We Are Born’. You can tell Sia's passion for her craft through visuals she creates like her album cover art and music videos such as Buttons, The Girl You Lost to Cocaine
and You’ve Changed (below). It is hard not
being influenced by Sia’s infectious, vibrant personality. The girl is
quirky, colourful and celebrates it! What more is there to love?
My friend and I were lucky enough to have the
privilege of experiencing one of Sia’s live concerts in 2011 before announcing
her retirement. The whole thing was such a memorable experience! From the
moment she stepped on stage painted head to toe in black with a pink tutu and started
interacting with the audience, asking if there was a ‘Rebecca’ in the audience
because Sia’s mum requested she say hello. She also encouraged the audience to
yell random words at her so she could personably make up a song on the spot for
the audience.
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| Sia performing in concert 2011 |
She even explained between songs that she gets very
energised and distracted by the audience when performing, as all she wants to do
is interact with audience members. She further explained she gets so distracted
that she sometimes forgets the lyrics to her own songs, which actually happened! She got
so distracted that she apologised and had to hum the rest of lyrics until she
got to the chorus. Since Sia explained herself with such sincerity before the
blunder, it was hard to find this act anything but endearing.
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| Sia's costumer change with fairy wings that blew out bubbles |
Sia is definitely a rare form of artist. Although
there may be artists similar to her, there are none like her. She is truly
unique, exceptionally innovative and a game changer. I am so happy that after experiencing
darkness, she has found a way to reconnect with her craft, while removing
herself from celebrity culture and using things like a paper bag to hide her
identity for the sake of her mental health. I honestly hope Sia successfully
achieves her anti-fame manifesto as she intends.
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| Promo photo for Sia's upcoming album |
