The Rise of Sia’s “Cheap Thrills”

By: Nick Vinci

Why “Cheap Thrills”

Interning for RCA Records this summer, I tracked 25+ artists (including Sia) on multiple music platforms

The success of “Cheap Thrills” peaked during my 10 weeks interning as the song stayed in the #1 position on

multiple music charts

Analyzing how this Sia hit rose to

such success

Who is Sia?

•  Australian Singer and Songwriter •  Known for:

– Hit singles “Chandelier” and “Elastic Heart”

– Hiding her face with a wig – Unique, raspy singing style

What Makes a Song a Hit? •  This is one of the most debated questions in

the music industry •  While there may be no one specific formula,

many patterns have been made signifying certain similarities between the biggest hits

•  Those factors mixed with my personal findings are some of the reasons “Cheap Thrills” has seen so much success

According to Research

Hit Songs...

Have Repetitive

Words

Appeal to All Ages

Sung to Someone (i.e. “you”)

Come From A Popular

Artist

The Wig’s Contribution The most recognizable part of Sia’s persona,

her wig, has aided in the success of Sia’s career Distinction

•  For an artist to become a household name, they must stand out making her wig the perfect catalyst

Anonymity

•  The wig’s strategic covering of Sia’s entire face allows for the mystery of her true identity

Appeal to All “The hit that spreads around the world the quickest is the one that toddlers will

dance to and the one that older generations will dance to”

- Meghan Trainor

•  The catchy beat of “Cheap Thrills” gets its listeners to sing and dance along easily •  The song starts off saying, “turn the radio on” appealing to the nostalgia of an older crowd while also appealing to the youth who can relate to using the radio •  Sia refrains from explicit language meaning it is appropriate for all ages to listen to

Sing and Repeat Hit Songs are generally.... •  Sung to Someone

–  Sia urges her listeners to participate in various commands throughout “Cheap Thrills”

–  i.e. “Hit the dance floor” –  i.e. “Come on, turn the radio on”

•  Repetitive –  There are endless repetitive phrases making it easy

for listeners to remember lyrics –  The entire song consists of 3 stanzas that repeat

with minor alterations

Personal Thoughts

While agreeing with what research believes makes a hit single, there are additional factors that I believe contributed to the

success of “Cheap Thrills”:

1.  The music video 2.  The second release of the song featuring

Sean Paul

The Power of Music Videos

Sia has released music videos for each of her past 3 singles all featuring Dance Moms dancer, Maddie Ziegler

Each of these videos has contributed to the hype about them, knowing that Sia will include Maddie as well as her unique dance moves and facial features

The “Cheap Thrills” video features Maddie dancing in the signature Sia wig alongside the singer who supports the dance moves with her strong vocals

From a Solo to a Duo •  Sia’s song surged in playtime when she

released a follow-up version that featured rapper, Sean Paul

•  This version was released February 11, 2016 – almost 2 months after the release of the original version

•  Sean Paul’s reggae rap style intertwined perfectly with the dance hall sounding “Cheap Thrills”

Breaking Charts •  #1 on Billboard Hot 100 with 23 weeks

on the chart •  #1 in 28 countries worldwide •  1st Woman Over 40 with a #1 since

Madonna in 2000 (16 years) •  Over 122,000,000 plays on Spotify •  Over 561,000,000 views on YouTube

Internship Observations •  During my time interning at Sony Music (RCA

Records), “Cheap Thrills” dominated the charts •  Sia’s CDs were shipped almost daily to radio stations

worldwide •  With the success of the song, we did not need to worry

about Radio Promotion as much as with other songs and artists

•  It was so popular, we would ask stations to sacrifice playing “Cheap Thrills” to feature some of the labels lesser known artists

•  “Cheap Thrills” was the only song to stay on the chart for the entirety of my 10 weeks there

Conclusions •  There is no strict formula on how to make a #1 song

–  Research has found many similar factors amongst current hits that can help, though

•  Practice makes perfect –  An artist’s past success greatly contributes to how well their

music will do –  The more an artist builds their brand, their music style, and their

fan base – the more success their songs will likely see •  It isn’t as easy as it seems

–  Artists with #1 songs do a lot more than simply release the song and watch it thrive

–  As with many other successful artists, Sia made sure to promote her song to aid its potential in any way she could – a music video with Maddie Ziegler as well as an updated release of the song with Sean Paul

Works Cited Hunt, Chase. "Sia's 'Cheap Thrills' Spends a Third Week at the Top of

the Hot 100 Songs Chart." AXS. N.p., 13 Aug. 2016. Web. 23 Sept. 2016.

Molanphy, Chris. "How Sia Beat Rihanna at Her Own Game to Score Her First No. 1." Slate Magazine. N.p., 01 Aug. 2016. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.

Norton, Jessica. "How To Write A Hit Song: Meghan Trainor Shares Her Formula." News. N.p., 04 Nov. 2015. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.

Palmedo, Tree. "The Key Traits of Every Global Smash Hit Song." Mic. N.p., 7 Apr. 2014. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.

"Sia - Chart History." Billboard. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2016.