True artistry should dig under the skin and uncover the observer’s darkest fear and best-guarded secret. Sia Furler owns her role as a hit-maker by doing just that. “Bird Set Free,” the first track on her unconventional album, This Is Acting, begins with an insistent piano roll accompanied by heartbreaking lyrics that can only be written from experience. In the pre-chorus of “Bird Set Free,” she blatantly pleas “I don’t wanna die, I don’t wanna die.” With that line she uncovers the human condition, one that cannot be cured. From there she takes on the chorus, which sends a defiant message to the listeners: “I don’t care if I sing off key- I find myself in my melodies- I sing for love, I sing for me- I’ll shout it out like a bird set free.” With each chorus, Sia strengthens her argument for her selfish need to make art by pushing her vocals through the melodic structure with an authentic power rarely heard on the radio. It only takes one track to establish the fact that Sia Furler is first and foremost a songwriter.

This Is Acting is a compilation of songs rejected by artists Sia believed to be worthy of releasing. Despite her undeniable songwriting chops, this combination of torch songs makes for a slightly awkward body of work. While the album lacks cohesiveness, several tracks still stand out in particular. These anthems shed light on Sia’s unforgiving childhood. In Sia’s June 2014 interview with Howard Stern, she speaks candidly about her drug use as a child, which she believes led to her bipolar disorder. She goes on to discuss her father’s terrifying dual personality disorder; which she refuses to blame for her troubled past. Sia’s ironically public disappearance from the spotlight brought her an onslaught of success as a songwriter. Before her hiatus, she struggled with alcoholism, drug abuse and mental illness. These themes decorate the majority of her work by hiding behind brilliant metaphors and electrifying melodies. Penning hits for big artists such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Brittany Spears, Sia made it evident that her talents stretch far beyond vocal versatility. In the same interview, Sia gives insight to her desire to be a songwriter by sharing that she wanted to figure out a way to make her gift work in her favor without having to sell a piece of her serenity.

Sia re-emerged onto the charts as a pop star with the release of her 2014 album, 1,000 Forms Of Fear. She maintained her identity (and serenity) by covering her face with outrageous wigs, saying that pop music is lacking mystery. Her unique sound began dominating the airwaves with a defiance highlighted by the twists and cracks in her massive vocals. Her single “Chandelier” spent 46 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart and earned four Grammy nominations. This autobiographical song took on the disease of alcoholism head on, unapologetically exposing its destructive qualities with a chorus similar to that of a desperate cry for help. Sia Furler seems to find this brilliant sweet spot of language formation and musical texture in every hit she writes. Songwriters of her capacity are well-deserving of recognition, even if they reject it.

Integrity becomes an afterthought in commercial music, yet it’s what fills our ears and becomes an integral part of our everyday lives. Sia is a songwriting machine with integrity. With every electro-pop infused line, she delivers a message strong enough to speak directly to our fears. As an artist, she proves that pop music can both assert a heavy message and remain sonically superfluous. In this day and age, that is exactly what society needs.