Sia Furler, or simply Sia, is an Australia pop singer best known for her song "Breathe Me" from the ending sequence of the HBO series Six Feet Under. With a Chicago stop on her tour and a new album, We Are Born, Sia sings and dances to the beat of her own drum.
Windy City Times: Hello, Sia. Where are you calling from right now?
S: New York. You don't want to be in New York today because it is rainy as fuck. I just went out for a walk and I am saturated. I even had my rain boots on, just like any good 5-year-old. It was still putrid and I am completely damp.
WCT: Well, if you were in Chicago you would get all the snow.
S: I love the snow. That's a whole other kettle of fish. There is nothing like putting on a garbage bag and throwing yourself down a hill when it's snowing!
WCT: That's true. You are originally from warm Australia.
S: That's true. I grew up in Adelaide, Australia. When I was 21 I went to London for eight years. Then I went to L.A. for three years. Now I have been on and off in New York, L.A. and Australia for the last three years.
WCT: So, you are all over the place.
S: I am all over the place, Jerry! [ Laughs ]
WCT: Did you always want to be a singer?
S: Actually, no. I always wanted to be the center of attention as a kid. I thought I would be an actor for some reason. But both my parents were musicians. My mom was a visual artist, an art teacher, as well as playing the bass. My dad played the guitar. My mom brought home the money to pay the bills and my dad brought home the money to the groceries.
I hated going to all these art exhibitions as a kid. I didn't mind going to their gigs every Saturday night. I would sleep underneath a table in my sleeping bag. I was devastated when I didn't get the lead in the school play when I was 12; I knew I deserved it. Now I can see I was tyrant. I think I wanted attention and that was how this beast was created.
WCT: So you started young.
S: As a 10-year-old I just wanted to be famous and loved. I tried out for acting school and got in. I took off a year and started singing. I got up in a karaoke bar in Italy. I didn't know the songs because they were in Italian so I had everyone clap their hands and I sang Bill Withers "Lean On Me." A guy who was a DJ in the audience offered 50 pounds for me to make a record, which sounded amazing because I was, like, 17. I wrote some words over a house track and he gave me fifty pounds and samples to make a song of my own. It was a really sad kind of Jamiroquai like song saying hello in a bunch of languages. I gave it to my friends in London who were in a covers band. They asked me to sing with them and that was the beginning for me.
WCT: I have been listening to you for a while. The song "Breathe Me" brought you to my attention.
S: It didn't just bring me a lot of attention; it resuscitated my dying career. There was really nothing going on in my solo career around that time. When they used it on the show, I was scrambling to get over here to cash in on that success! Thank you, God.
WCT: You have been working with Christina Aguilera, correct?
S: Yeah, how exciting. I nearly pooped my pants when I got the call to set up a meeting with her. I took my friend Sammy, who used to be my bass player for 17 years. We were nervy because she has a reputation of being hardcore. She wasn't. She was such a softie bum and a real sweetie. She was easy to work with and we ended up with four songs on the record. They flew us back to write another song for her movie Burlesque with Cher.
WCT: Oh, really?
S: Yes, this album can do absolutely fuck all but I can do fine, thanks to Christina. It takes a lot of the pressure off. [ Electronica band ] Zero 7 did that to me. They made me enough money originally to sabotage my solo career over and over again.
WCT: Well, you are free to do what you want now. Christina has lots of guest artists on her new album, I heard.
S: Yeah, Santogold, M.I.A. and Le Tigre. She works with lots of people. Her new record is fucking amazing. You are gonna die, it's so good.
Don't forget your friends to see Sia live at the Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield, Sunday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m. To learn more about the birthing of We Are Born visit www.siamusic.net .
Find out more about Siaincluding who her famous girlfriend isonline at www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com .