Uncomfortable with her growing fame, she took a hiatus from performing and focused on songwriting for other artists, producing successful collaborations "Titanium" (with David Guetta), "Diamonds" (for Rihanna), "Wild Ones" (with Flo Rida) and "Pretty Hurts" (for Beyoncé).

Billboard 200 and generated the top-ten single "Chandelier" and a trilogy of music videos she co-directed, starring child dancer Maddie Ziegler.

[16][17] In 2000, Sia signed a recording contract with Sony Music's sub-label Dance Pool and released a single, "Taken for Granted", which peaked at No.

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

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

[22] Dissatisfied with Colour the Small One's poor marketing and the album's struggle to connect with a mainstream audience, Sia relocated to New York City in 2005.

[4] During that time, "Breathe Me" appeared in the final scene of the U.S. HBO television series Six Feet Under, which helped increase Sia's fame in the United States.

[30] 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.

"[23] She refused to do promos for her tours, began to wear a mask on stage and became increasingly dependent on drugs and alcohol on the road; she considered suicide.

She soon penned "Titanium" for American singer Alicia Keys, but it was later sent to David Guetta, who included Sia's original demo vocals on the song and released it as a single in 2011.

[51] 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).

[62] Elsewhere, the song experienced similar commercial success, ranking in the top ten of the record charts in Australia and numerous European regions.

[65][66] In January 2015, Sia released a solo version of "Elastic Heart" as the fourth single from 1000 Forms of Fear; it eventually reached the top 20 on the Hot 100.

"[74] The video for Elastic Heart "courted controversy and plaudits in equal measure", with some commentators perceiving it to have paedophilic undertones due to the relative ages of the dancers.

[77][78] Gia Kourlas wrote in The New York Times in 2016 that Sia's collaborations with Heffington have "done more to raise the standards of dance in pop music than nearly any current artist integrating the forms".

[85] In November, Sia collaborated with composer J. Ralph on the soundtrack of the environmental documentary Racing Extinction, co-writing and singing the song "One Candle".

[91] In April 2016, Sia gave a widely acclaimed performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival that went viral online.

[100] From May to August, Sia performed in nearly a dozen festivals and other concerts in America and European and Middle Eastern countries, including Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Poland, the United Kingdom, Russia, Lebanon and Israel.

[122][123] She promoted it by releasing the singles "Santa's Coming for Us" and "Snowman",[124][125] the latter of which she performed during the finale of the 13th season of The Voice and on The Ellen DeGeneres Show with Maddie Ziegler.

[141] Mark Kennedy wrote, for the Associated Press, "Sia hasn't lost a step [in her] ability to switch from hurt and broken ("I Forgive You") to ecstatic lover ("Towards the Sun") to vengeful, hell-releasing angel, like on "I Had a Heart".

In addition to the Khan duet, the best songs are "Dance Alone" with Kylie Minogue, "Incredible" with Labrinth and "Fame Won't Love You" with Paris Hilton" although he says that Sia "rarely shift[s] out of third gear" on the album.

[145] With Colour the Small One (2004) and Some People Have Real Problems (2007) she moved into jazz[146] and folktronica,[147] although the album's biggest hit, "Breathe Me", is described as alternative rock and a power ballad.

[149][150] Sia stated, "Colour the Small One ... couldn't be more derivative of Kings of Convenience and James Taylor and the things that Zero 7 were playing on the [tour] bus.

[171] In the 2014 South Park episode "The Cissy", Sia provided the vocals for the fictional Lorde track "Push (Feeling Good on a Wednesday)".

[184][185] Prior to Thanksgiving in 2019, at a Palm Springs, California, Walmart and TJ Maxx, Sia paid for peoples' groceries and shopping in disguise.

[189] The same year she donated $100,000 to Australians in need in collaboration with Nova FM DJs Fitzy & Wippa[190] and another $100,000 to community bail funds in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

[196][197] She performed her song "I'm in Here" at the Beagle Freedom Project Gala in 2013,[198][199] and, in 2015, "Free the Animal" was used for PETA public service announcements supporting cruelty-free fashion.

[200] During her Nostalgic for the Present Tour in 2016, Sia partnered with various animal rescue organisations to set up dog adoption fairs at each of the shows.

[207][208] During a 2014 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Sia was asked if she was religious, to which she responded, "I believe in a higher power and it's called 'Whatever Dude' and he's a queer, surfing Santa that's a bit like my grandpa, so yes.

[228] She has also stated that she was diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder, stemming from childhood traumas including being sexually abused at the age of nine.