Sia, 1000 Forms of fear.
Sia Furler has had an unusual path to success. The Australian 38-year-old has been writing and singing since she was a teen, with this her sixth solo release, and slowly been gaining international recognition.
After suffering a sort of meltdown, she decided to take a break from music after releasing
We Are Born in 2010. Strangely enough, that's when success really came knocking - writing massive hits for other people, like Rihanna, Beyonce, David Guetta, Christina Aguilera, Kylie Minogue, Flo-Rida and Eminem, and singing guest vocals on many more tracks.
Being this uber-successful woman-behind-the-songs seems to have suited her too - she's written an Anti-Fame Manifesto, and always kept her image low profile. But this year she's decided to come back swinging, with her own album full of potential pop hits.
That list of names and her unique perspective should give you some idea of what to expect - pretty impressive pop wizardry that manages to stay away from being cheesy or self-obsessed. She's a chameleonic vocalist who can channel everyone from Rihanna to Amy Winehouse, Gwen Stefani to Lady Gaga, and has distinctive soulful edge.
The only but, is that by channelling her creative self into work for others, she seems to have lost some of the style that would make her distinctive.
