Sia speaks at length about working with Adele: "We're just naturally alpha..."

07 December 2015, 12:50 | Written by Laurence Day

(News)

(Sia) (Adele) (Rihanna) (Beyoncé) (Shakira)

In a new Rolling Stone interview, Sia explains just how new LP This Is Acting came about, and what life in the studio with Adele, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Beyoncé, Kanye West, and Shakira was like.

The interview is an interesting look at her writing process, and what steps she takes to create hits, as she gears up to release new record This Is Acting - a collection of songs written by Sia for other artists.

She also discusses, in depth, what it was like working with Katy Perry ("I actually quit within the first hour of our first session..."), Kanye West and Rihanna ("neither of them showed up..."), and Adele.

Speaking about the sessions that she and Adele went through for the latter's new record 25, Sia says:

"We're both very confident in our skills, we're just naturally alpha in some way in terms of our work... sometimes I'll steamroll them, and I'll realize I'm doing it. Because I'm so fast, for me, it's all channels. Words come out and it's just like, 'bluh'. It comes out, and I'll just write the lyrics. I don't overthink it...."

"I remember the day after I wrote with Adele. I wrote her saying, 'I'm just writing because I want to make sure I wasn't too overly dominant. I'm feeling a bit insecure that it was a bit annoying working with me as opposed to satisfying.' That was what my experience was like. I felt kind of insecure. I'm a fan and I want to do a good job and I want to work for the artist when I'm writing with them. Sometimes that can bring up insecurities. Then she wrote me back and was like, 'What are you talking about?' [Laughs] I was like 'Riiight, okay!' I'm just a human being who's on my own trip. Trying to be of service, walking through life trying to make sure I'm being the best version of myself I can be."

"I chose the people that we worked with and I choose those people because they're so incredibly talented and they check their egos at the door too and allow me to be the artist. Then when I want to bring another artist, I try to check my ego at the door and be of service to them and allow them to be the artist. But in the case of Adele, I'm not sure if I did that or if I succeeded. Maybe that's why those songs ended up on my album and not on hers because it was too much my voice and not enough hers."

Sia's new record This Is Acting is out 29 January.

Read the full interview on Rolling Stone.