Things have been anything but slow for Sia since the release of This is Acting in January. Currently in the US, the Adelaide-born artist made waves earlier this week with an impressive performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live (beamed in from SXSW no less). With follow-up appearances slated for Amercian Idol and Coachella before she sets out for a string of European tour dates, it seems like it’ll be a while before Sia returns to Australian shores.
Now, the pop artist has released a new clip for latest single Cheap Thrills. The sixth track from her latest LP, the video again features 13-year old Maddie Ziegler, who previously appeared in Chandelier, Big Girls Cry and Elastic Heart.
Co-directed by Sia, the stripped-back clip puts the focus squarely on the dancer’s frenzied and meticulously synchronised choreography. A direct extension of the beat-driven tracks uplifting tone and dance infused message, hectic and claustrophobic filmography certainly throws back to the distinctive visuals of Chandelier. Donning her trademark wig, Furlow herself also makes an appearance, unassumingly performing vocals in the background.
Considering the track’s Carribean percussion, it might not come as a surprise that the track was initially penned with Rihanna in mind. “I realized just as soon as I was cutting it that it sounded a little bit too Brit-pop for her. It’s more Icona Pop. We did actually send it to her, but they passed on it, and then I just couldn’t stop listening to it in the car,” She revealed to Rolling Stone last December. “I wouldn’t normally be just jamming out to my own tunes. There’s something really uplifting about it that put me in a good mood … It felt very summer and fun, and I was like, ‘I’ll put that on there.'”
Image: Mary Ellen Matthews