Sia: Alive

Alive by Sia

Album: This Is Acting
Album Release Date: 18th February 2016
Single Release Date: 24th September 2015

Album tracklist: Bird Set Free / Alive / One Million Bullets / Move Your Body / Unstoppable / Cheap Thrills / Reaper / House On Fire / Footprints / Sweet Design / Broken Glass / Space Between//

Sia’s newest release, This Is Acting, came as a surprise to me. Her previous album release, 1000 Forms of Fear, was unbelievable. 1000 Forms of Fear is the epitome of her change and development from when she was on her way to fame to then completely rejecting the idea and reality of fame altogether by creating this outside persona that can be recreated by anyone.

The current portrayal of herself as being unknown and anonymous adds a completely different element to her music and work. This anonymity, although knowing the name/person behind the release albeit a single or an album, etc., creates this link to Roland Barthes theory of ‘The Death of the Author’. This link then asks the question of whether her position as an artist, with her own portrayal of privacy and anonymity, actually has any addition towards the work itself? Does her position as a face-less artist affect the work itself either personally and intimately or physically, perhaps through the use of her voice?

Due to 1000 Forms of Fear being so intimate towards herself via her mental health and recovery towards this new idea of rejection of fame, it’s had this noticeable contrast to her newest release. From what I’ve read, This Is Acting is built up on songs that Sia has written for other artists in the past decade or so that have been rejected by the intended artist, thus giving the reason behind the title of the work where she acts her way through the album as someone else, as these other characters. This concept is a complete contrast to the album prior to this and is somewhat difficult to wrap your head around. I think this disconnection draws a lot from the album and demonstrates an obvious withdrawal when equated to 1000 Forms of Fear. There isn’t a track on 1000 Forms of Fear that doesn’t just by listening to it, justify it’s reasoning as to why it is a part of the album; the tracks on 1000 Forms of Fear illustrate a concept and story and although the tracks on This Is Acting do just that they feel disconnected from each other not creating this image from start to finish; making the album feel more like a compilation album.

Although I might, for now, not like the album as much as the previous, I do have a few favourite tracks. One of the songs on This Is Acting that stands out for me is Alive, along with Bird Set Free and Reaper. Alive is a powerful track and feels much more to the standards that were set in 1000 Forms of Fear. I was reminded of the track when the promo for the album was released. The promo was a video of a crowd of individuals walking through streets and city squares in Sia’s, now infamous, wig and the track that was playing in the background was Alive. Alive was originally written with Adele in mind to sing and release the track but it stayed with Sia and Adele now as a co-writer of the track, after recording a demo version of the song for her newly released album. Alive feels like it should be Sia's track. Although we have only heard her version, she has already succeeded in putting her stamp on her recording of the track. It fits with the expected style that was present in the previous album – a stormy up-beat track with her powerful vocals pushing the track to its very end. “I had a one-way ticket to a place where all the demons go / Where the wind don’t change and nothing in the ground can ever grow / No hope just lie, and you’re taught to cry in your pillow / but I survived / I’m still breathing, I’m alive.” Alive was a great choice for a single release from this album and is definitely the stand-out track of This Is Acting - have a listen below!