REVIEW: "This Is Acting" by Sia

The Australian singer-songwriter Sia returns with her seventh studio album This Is Acting.

By Matt Gross

The famously masked producer, songwriter and pop star returns with This Is Acting (RCA Records), a spectacular album comprised of tracks she initially intended for other artists to record. Over the course of her career, Sia has crafted widely-recognized Top 40 hits including Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” Beyoncé’s “Pretty Hurts,” Britney Spears’s “Perfume” and Kelly Clarkson’s “Invincible.” With the release of her last album, 1000 Forms of Fear, Sia was thrust into the spotlight herself, and her groundbreaking video for the single “Chandelier” just reached an astounding 1 billion views on YouTube. On This Is Acting’s lead single, “Alive” — originally written for Adele — Sia continues to create inspiring and thought-provoking pop.

Meanwhile, on “Reaper,” co-written by Kanye West, she sets her one-of-a-kind vocals against a robust hip-hop beat with incredible success. Sia will perform her first full live show in five years at this year’s Coachella Festival (April 17 and 24). An extensive North American tour is expected to follow this summer. Add Sia on Twitter @Sia.