Biographic - Sunday August 31, 2014 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

Biographic Steve McGarry Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler was born in Adelaide, Australia, on December 18, 1975. Both her parents are musicians and played together in a rockabilly band. While studying in Italy as a teen, Sia developed an interest in singing, and upon her return to Adelaide, she began singing with a local jazz-funk band. The group released two albums, after which Sia branched out on her own and released her debut solo album in 1997. She moved to London, but her career momentum was derailed by the death of her boyfriend - a tragedy that took Sia years to overcome. A 2001 album yielded a top 10 single in the U.K. but the anticipated breakthrough wasn't forthcoming. She changed record labels a couple of times and, by 2005, was living in New York City. Over the next three years, Sia's music was featured in such TV shows as "Six Feet Under" and "Private Practice," and she enjoyed chart success back in Britain when she provided vocals for the band Zero 7. Slowly but surely, her reputation was growing. She collaborated with Christina Aguilera and producer Samuel Dixon on tracks that were included on Aguilera's album "Bionic" and in the movie "Burlesque." Sia's own songs were featured in numerous TV shows, including "The Vampire Diaries," "Gossip Girl" and "Nikita." In 2010, Sia was forced to cancel tour dates after receiving diagnosis of Graves' disease, but after six months of treatment and rest, she was back in the harness. She was the featured vocalist on huge top 10 hits by David Guetta and Flo Rida in 2011. The next couple of years saw major artists such as Rihanna, Britney Spears, Eminem, Katy Perry and Beyonce enjoy success with songs co-written by Sia. In late 2013, she graced the cover of music industry bible Billboard - with her head hidden inside a paper bag! The bag bore the legend: "This artist is responsible for 12 M track sales, has a new single on the Hunger Games Soundtrack & doesn't want to be famous..." The reluctant superstar didn't get her wish. Propelled by the single "Chandelier" and its stunning video featuring 11-year-old "Dance Moms" dancer Maddie Ziegler, Sia's "1000 Forms of Fear" album soared to the top of the U.S. album charts this summer!

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