Sia will headline the Dubai World Cup (DWC) at Meydan Racecourse on March 25, organisers announced today.
A spokesperson for the Australian pop star said she is “thrilled” to be performing in the UAE for the first time. Her gig will be part of the 22nd edition of Dubai World Cup, a horse racing event known as the world’s ‘richest’ (the top prize is $10 million/Dh36.7 million).
Sia’s performance will be limited to Dubai World Cup Ticket holders. Previous performers have included Jennifer Lopez, Kylie Minogue, and Janet Jackson.
At 41, Sia is known for her wide vocal range, mental health advocacy and attempts to be semi-anonymous. She rose to fame with her 2014 smash hit Chandelier, but the platinum blonde — her short, straight bob has become synonymous with her brand — has been outspoken about the anxiety that fame causes her. She can be found wearing wigs, performing backwards, or donning hats so big they cover half her face. Nevertheless, her music speaks for itself.
ANTI-FAME MANIFESTO
Before becoming a pop star in her own right — and earning eight Grammy nominations — Sia was known to release the occasional solo single. Breathe Me, for instance, dropped in 2004. But she was more likely to appear as a contributor/songwriter on other people’s songs, including Titanium by David Guetta (2011) and Diamonds by Rihanna (2012).
In 2013, she wrote a story for Billboard titled My Anti-Fame Manifesto. Photos of her with a paper bag over her head accompanied the piece; the cover shot read “this artist is responsible for over 12m track sales, has a new single on the Hunger Games soundtrack & doesn’t want to be famous.”
“If anyone besides famous people knew what it was like to be a famous person, they would never want to be famous,” she explained.
“Imagine the stereotypical highly opinionated, completely uninformed mother-in-law character and apply it to every teenager with a computer in the entire world.”
Despite her attempts to cover up, it isn’t impossible to find out what Sia looks like. An unobstructed photo is right there on her Wikipedia page. But nowadays, she’s more likely to be represented by stand-ins, and child prodigy Maddie Ziegler, who features in much of Sia’s work — yes, she’s the mind-blowing dancer in her Chandelier music video — is often used as a visual symbol of her music.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Born Sia Furler to a musician father and an art lecturer mother, Sia grew up imitating the styles of Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Sting. She performed in several bands, including an acid jazz group dubbed Crisp and the British act Zero 7.
By 2000, Sia had released her debut solo album, OnlySee, and signed to a Sony Music sub-label, Dance Pool. Her second, third, fourth and fifth albums failed to make a mainstream impression, and touring took its toll.
According to The Guardian, the singer struggled with Graves’ disease and undiagnosed bipolar hypomania. During a hiatus from performing, Sia began writing for other pop stars.
“I had established this identity that I could not maintain,” she says.
“This quirky weird, cute, bubbly thing, and part of that is definitely my character, but I could not keep that up if I was suicidally depressed at least one year out of every three.”
This Is Acting, her seventh studio album, dropped last year, and the single Cheap Thrills (featuring Sean Paul) became Sia’s first No 1 hit in America.
Don’t miss it!
The Dubai World Cup after-race concert is limited to race ticket holders only. Apron Views tickets, starting at Dh450, are available online from store.meydan.ae.
