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Berlin (dpa) - The Australian musician Sia could be one of the biggest pop stars in the world - if she wanted to.
She wrote songs for Rihanna (“Diamonds”), Beyoncé (“Pretty Hurts”) and many other megastars, then she became famous with her own hits like “Chandelier”, “Cheap Thrills” or “Move Your Body”.
Their songs, often powerfully dark ballads, have the character of hymns, as if made for large stadiums.
Now she has written a musical and is also releasing a new album with the songs from the film.
But why is Sia not as famous as her well-known colleagues?
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Maybe because she almost never shows her face.
Because, since she became known, she has mostly appeared with an oversized wig or with a paper bag over her head.
In her performances and in her music videos, the 45-year-old lets the young dancer Maddie Ziegler or others perform with a wig reminiscent of Sia's own hairstyle.
Ziegler is also a leading actress in «Music», the musical written by Sia that has just come onto the market as a stream.
At the same time, the album with the songs from the film will be released.
It is about an autistic girl and her family, is full of bright and trendy singing and dancing.
In addition to writing the songs, Sia is co-writing the script and making her debut as a feature film director.
The songs are more cheerful than one is used to from Sia.
The squeaky single «Together» was released in advance.
In the music video, the main actors - in addition to Ziegler, top actress Kate Hudson, who has been nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance, and her colleague Leslie Odom Jr. - dance in colorful costumes to the catchy sound.
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Glockenspiel rings in Sia's unmistakable voice that can switch flexibly between registers.
In “Together” she sings powerfully and high-pitched, occasionally interrupted by striking croaks.
Sia's voice is voluminous, but shouldn't sound smoothly ironed.
That runs through Sia's life as through her music: She is a little edgier than other stars, and before her career as a pop musician she did trip hop and jazz, among other things.
In interviews, she told of previous alcohol and drug addictions and the stress of a life in public.
That's why others are in the spotlight in "Music", even if Sia has a small guest appearance.
Back to the music on the album: “Saved My Life” is a classic Sia song with its dramatic structure.
A piano-based ballad that creates emotional impact in the chorus with a sudden onset of striking stadium drums.
The song is simple, but with her piercing voice, Sia makes every word feel.
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This is her recipe for success: She manages to sound like she is fighting her way out of desperation with every syllable.
That is pathos in the best sense of the word and of course fits in with a musical that tells of how an outsider family fights against the world.
The line between pathos and kitsch is known to be fine.
Sia usually manages the trick of skillfully balancing on it.
But unfortunately the melodies of «Music» are not quite as compelling as on previous albums.
Just think of her acclaimed album “This Is Acting” from 2016, which almost exclusively contained songs that were rejected by other artists.
Songs like “Cheap Thrills” (actually for Rihanna), “Alive” (Adele) or “Move Your Body” (Shakira) were then great successes.
But in the end was Sia happy that other musicians weren't singing these songs?
Her appearances suggested otherwise: Even when these songs were already big hits, Sia continued to perform them with a covered face.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210209-99-361876 / 5
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