From writing music for big, A-list performers such as Rihanna and Beyoncé, to being the new face behind not only the controversial music videos of Chandelier and Elastic Heart, but behind the enormous wigs at award shows covering her face, Sia is the new Lady Gaga. That’s what a lot of people are saying now, but what’s up with her anonymity?
In an article written by the singer on “Billboard,” titled “My Anti-Fame Manifesto,” Sia wrote that if anybody who is not a famous person knew what it was like to live a life in the spotlight and cameras, they would not want to.
She then continued to write about the people behind the computers and a world of their own anonymous possibilities at their fingertips. She called them the stereotypical, “highly opinionated, completely uninformed mother-in-law character” — aka the bored people of the Internet. “That’s what it’s like, even the smallest bit of it. Of course, that’s if you even allow yourself to stay in touch with the world using public media. If I were famous, I wouldn’t,” she wrote.
Now, if you searched her name in Google, you would not be surprised that the world has already decoded her face, her name and numerous amounts of information on her. So why did she still vows to not face the audience when she performed on “Ellen,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” and “Saturday Night Live?”
Who is Sia? The singer, born Sia Kate Isobelle Furler in Australia, could explain. “I’ve never been very famous, but I’ve worked with a lot of famous people, and I’ve seen a lot of their mother-in-laws. And I can tell from what I’ve seen that I don’t want one of my own.”
Ali Kay, a freshman hospitality and management major sees Sia`s point and agrees with her. “I think her being anonymous is actually really cool because it brings something new to the table that we have hardly seen in the world of pop culture,” she said. “The thought of being famous and not having to deal with paparazzi sounds like an incredible deal as well. It sends out a mysterious vibe.”
In another interview, Sia shares a story in which she was out shopping one day on her own and heard her own song being played throughout the store. “They were playing my music on the store’s radio, and it was nice to not be noticed by anybody around me. Once I realized that nobody recognized me, it became clear that this experiment was working.”
“That idea is really smart. If I were famous I wouldn’t want people following me around everywhere and knowing all of my personal information without my knowledge or consent,” said Ashley Gilbert, a freshman psychology major.
