50 facts about Sia Furler, singer, songwriter and music video director

In 2014, Sia released her sixth studio album, 1000 Forms of Fear, which was preceded by the top-ten single "Chandelier". Learn 50 things about the singer.

1. Sia Kate Isobelle Furler, known professionally as Sia, is an Australian singer, songwriter and music video director.

2. Musically and artistically precocious, Sia became interested in performing in the style of musicians including Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Sting.

3. In the mid-1990s, Sia started a career as a singer in the local Adelaide acid jazz band Crisp.

4. By 1997, when Crisp disbanded, Sia released her debut studio album titled OnlySee on Flavoured Records in Australia.

5. Following the event, Sia moved to London, England and provided lead vocals for British duo Zero 7.

6. In 2000, Sia signed to Sony Music's sub-label Dance Pool and released her second studio album, Healing Is Difficult, the following year.

7. Displeased with the promotion of the record, Sia signed to Go! Beat and released her third studio album, Colour the Small One, in 2004.

8. Dissatisfied with the project's struggling to connect with a mainstream audience, Sia relocated to New York City in 2005 and began touring across the United States.

9. Sia Furler released her fourth and fifth studio releases, Some People Have Real Problems and We Are Born, in 2008 and 2010, respectively.

10. In 2014, Sia released her sixth studio album, 1000 Forms of Fear, which was preceded by the top-ten single "Chandelier".

11. Sia Furler is currently working on her seventh studio album This Is Acting.

12. Sia's music incorporates hip hop, funk and soul as a base for her vocal styling.

13. In 2014, she was ranked the 97th richest Australian person under the age of 40 by BRW magazine, with a reported net worth of AU$20 million.

14. Her music has received an array of accolades, including ARIA Awards and MTV Music Awards.

15. Sia Kate Isobelle Furler was born on 18 December 1975 in Adelaide, South Australia.

16. Her father, Phil Colson, is a musician, and her mother, Loene Furler, is an art lecturer.

17. Sia Furler is the niece of actor-singer Kevin Colson, and musician Colin Hay, a member of Australian group Men at Work.

18. Sia Furler said that as a child, she imitated the performing style of Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Sting, who she counted as her early influences.

19. Sia Furler attended Adelaide High School, graduating in 1994.

20. In the mid-1990s, Sia started a career as a singer in the local acid jazz band Crisp.

21. Sia Furler collaborated with the band and contributed vocals to their two albums: Word and the Deal (1996) and Delerium (1997).

22. By 1997, Crisp disbanded, and Sia released her debut studio album entitled OnlySee on Flavoured Records in Australia.

23. Following the disbandment of Crisp in 1997, Sia moved to London. While living there, she performed as a background vocalist for British band Jamiroquai.

24. Sia Furler also provided lead vocals for English downtempo group Zero 7 on their first three studio albums and toured with the group.

25. On Zero 7's 2001 album Simple Things, Sia contributed vocals to two tracks: "Destiny" and "Distractions."

26. In 2004, Sia provided vocals for Zero 7 on "Somersault" and "Speed Dial No. 2" (from the album When It Falls).

27. In 2006, Sia collaborated with Zero 7 for the group's third album, The Garden. Sia is regarded as the "unofficial" lead singer of Zero 7.

28. In 2000, Sia signed a recording contract with Sony Music's sub-label Dance Pool and released her first single, "Taken for Granted", which peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.

29. In 2001, she released her second solo album, Healing Is Difficult, which blends retro jazz and soul musical styles and lyrically discusses Sia's dealing with the death of her first love affair.

30. Displeased with the promotion of the album, Sia fired her manager, left Sony Music and signed with Go! Beat, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group (UMG).

31. At the APRA Awards of 2002, Sia won the Breakthrough Songwriter category alongside Brisbane pop duo Aneiki's Jennifer Waite and Grant Wallis.

32. In 2004, Sia released her third studio album, Colour the Small One. The album employs a mixture of acoustic instruments and electronic backing to her material.

33. In 2007, Sia released a live album entitled Lady Croissant, which includes eight live songs from her April 2006 performance at the Bowery Ballroom in New York and one new studio recording-"Sunday".

34. Sia Furler released her fourth studio album, Some People Have Real Problems. The album peaked at number 41 in Australia and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association. It charted at number 26 on the US Billboard 200, becoming Sia's first album to chart in the United States.

35. In May 2009, Sia released TV Is My Parent on DVD, which includes a live concert at New York's Hiro Ballroom, four music videos and behind-the-scene footage.

36. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2009, Sia won the Best Music DVD category for TV Is My Parent.

37. In 2009, American singer Christina Aguilera approached Sia about writing ballads for Aguilera's then-upcoming sixth studio album. The final product, Bionic, includes three songs co-written by Sia.

38. Later in 2010, Sia also co-wrote "Bound to You" for the soundtrack of the American film Burlesque, which starred Aguilera and American singer Cher.

39. In May 2011, Sia appeared on the inaugural season of the U.S. version of The Voice as an adviser for Aguilera, who served as a vocal coach and judge.

40. In October 2013, Sia released "Elastic Heart" featuring The Weeknd and Diplo for the soundtrack of the American film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013).

41. In July 2014, Sia released her sixth studio album, 1000 Forms of Fear.

42. 1000 Forms of Fear‍ '​s lead single, "Chandelier" was released in March 2014. Sia received four nominations for "Chandelier": Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Music Video.

43. Sia, who is a vegan, participated in an advertisement for PETA Asia-Pacific, with her dog, Pantera, to encourage pet neutering.

44. Sia Furler has also joined other publicly known figures for the "Oscar's Law" campaign, in protest against large scale pet breeding.

45. Sia Furler is also a supporter of the Beagle Freedom Project, performing "I'm in Here" live at the Beagle Freedom Project Gala on 9 September 2013.

46. On 6 June 2014, Sia's engagement to documentary filmmaker Erik Anders Lang was announced by her mother.

47. They were married at her home in Palm Springs, California on 2 August 2014.

48. Sia Furler is the cousin of popular Australian Christian rock musician Peter Furler.

49. In June 2010, Sia's official website announced that all scheduled promotional events and shows had been cancelled due to her poor health. She cited extreme lethargy and panic attacks and considered retiring permanently from performing and touring.

50. Sia revealed on The Howard Stern Show that she believes in God and is a feminist.

Source: Wikipedia.org