This Is Acting is Sia’s seventh studio album, released in 2016 and built almost entirely from songs she originally wrote for other major pop artists, then reclaimed when they were rejected. The record functions as a kind of pop shapeshifting exercise: on tracks like “Alive,” “Move Your Body,” “Cheap Thrills,” and “Reaper,” she leans into styles associated with Adele, Shakira, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, and Kanye West, while still delivering the huge, cathartic choruses that define her solo work. With production from Greg Kurstin, Jesse Shatkin, and others, the album moves between pounding empowerment anthems, club‑leaning bangers, and mid‑tempo ballads, all tied together by Sia’s raspy, towering vocals.Lyrically and conceptually, the project blurs the line between genuine confession and performance, reflecting Sia’s idea of “acting” as she inhabits different pop personas. Songs like “Bird Set Free,” “Unstoppable,” and “Broken Glass” traffic in her trademark imagery of survival and resilience, even when they were written with other voices in mind, creating a slightly surreal feeling of both personal and impersonal expression at once. Critics note that while the album can feel like a grab bag of repurposed hits, its relentless hooks, theatrical delivery, and self‑aware premise make it a striking snapshot of Sia at the height of her powers as one of pop’s most in‑demand songwriters and performers.
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