Boo!…Ghostwriters

Sia is one of my favorite musical artists because I love her strong vocals and powerful lyrics. There are a lot of things I love about Sia, but her lyrics are especially important to me. In songs such as “Chandelier” and “One Million Bullets” from 1000 Forms of Fear and This Is Acting, respectively, Sia writes of deep topics such as addiction and heartbreak. These songs, like many of her others, showcase Sia’s ability to write songs with real emotion and meanings.

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Although it is not well known, a number of people have finally began to notice that Sia is also responsible for writing a number of other musical artist’s songs. After learning that Sia has written a song for another artist, it is easy to hear the Australian singer’s influences. “Diamonds” is probably Sia’s most successful song that was written for another artist, this one being sung by Rihanna.

 

This pop hit went platinum and put Rihanna in the spotlight for such a great performance on the track. Upon further listening however, one can recognize characteristics of Sia’s music, such as the soaring vocals and upbeat hook. In the most recent segment of “Carpool Karoke” with British talk show host James Corden, Sia sings “Diamonds” and one can tell that the song is a perfect match for her voice. (Plus she sings other things, which are simply amazing. Sia is simply a great human and you can check out the video here.)

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This is a gif of Sia & James jamming out to “Chandelier.”

Like Sia, many artists write music for other artists but do not put themselves in the spotlight. It’s rare to have an artist write a whole song by themselves, as most at least team with other artists or producers to complete a project. For example, one of the most popular songs on the radio right now is “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber. While Bieber did in fact assist in writing this song, Ed Sheeran wrote the majority of it. Think about it. You can kinda tell now, right? From the catchy acoustic guitar hooks to the witty lyrics, “Love Yourself” is just screaming Ed Sheeran’s musical style. Mind. Blown.

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Ghostwriting happens all the time in the musical world, and it is usually successful in bringing singers fame and attention. “Diamonds” and “Love Yourself” are perfect examples of wonderfully talented artists teaming up with a few of biggest pop stars in the industry to produce some of the best pop songs of this decade. Some other songs that were written musical artists by other artists include:

  • “Irreplaceable” – Beyonce, written by Ne-yo
  • “Til the World Ends” – Britney Spears, written by Kesha
  • “Party in the USA” – Miley Cyrus, written by Jessie J
  • “I Do Not Hookup” – Kelly Clarkson, written by Katy Perry
  • “Whataya Want From Me” – Adam Lambert, written by P!NK
  • “Forget You” – Cee Lo Green, written by Bruno Mars

To me, all of these songs are still great ones to sing along and jam out to, no matter who wrote them. Although I believe there is more credibility in singers who write their own songs, I appreciate talented writers sharing their creativity with other artists. The next time your favorite song comes on the radio, remember to think about all of the people that were involved to write and produce that single song. It’ll make you appreciate it much more. 🙂

One thought on “Boo!…Ghostwriters

  1. Woah. I didn’t know that Sia wrote all of these! Tbh, diamonds has got to be my favorite. When I was on the wrestling team for my high school, that was literally our pump-up song. I had no idea that this whole time it was written by someone else!

    Dope dope dope. Awesome post, and It was really cool to hear about phenomenon of Ghostwriting!

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