"Alive" is the lead single from Australian singer and songwriter Sia's seventh studio albumThis Is Acting. It was co-written by Sia, Adele, and Tobias Jesso Jr. The song was produced by Jesse Shatkin. "Alive" was released on 25September 2015. The song was originally intended for Adele's third studio album, 25, along with "Bird Set Free". However, since Adele decided not to use the songs, she let Sia use them for her seventh studio album. Musically, it is a midtempo pop and synth-pop song. On 22 September 2015, Sia posted a tweet on Twitter which hinted that the single would be released on 25 September. The next day she released a 15-second preview of the music video on her Vevo account. The song achieved moderate commercial success, reaching the top 40 in over 15 countries, including Spain, Belgium and France. In the UK, the song 30 on the UK Singles Chart. The song reached number 56 on the US Billboard Hot 100, failing to reach the upper half of the chart. The music video for the song was released on 5 November 2015. It has received over 100 million views. The song received generally positive reviews, with critics praising Sia's powerful, electrifying vocals. Sia has performed the song multiple times on camera, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Saturday Night Live, and The X Factor.
Background
In September 2015, Sia confirmed that This Is Acting lead single "Alive" would be released later that month and was originally written for Adele. She described that the song "was about Adele's life" and "written in Adele's perspective". She further explained to Ryan Seacrest that the song was written in a writing session with Adele for her third album 25, but was rejected at the last minute. Rihanna also rejected the tune.
Release
On 22 September 2015, Sia posted a tweet on Twitter which hinted that the single would be released on 25 September. A 15-second preview was uploaded to Sia's Vevo channel on 23 September and the release date was made 1 day earlier to 24 September. Sia further updated on her Twitter that it would be released on the morning of 24 September. The single was premiered on Snapchat at about 7 a.m. and released to other services soon after.
Composition
"Alive" is written in the key of F minor with a tempo of 100 beats per minute. The song follows a chord progression of Fm–Cm–D–Fm–Cm–D–Bsus2, and Sia's vocals span from F3 to E5. "Alive" is a midtempo pop and synth-pop power ballad.
Music video
The music video for the song directed by Sia and Daniel Askill was released on 5 November 2015. It was shot by cinematographer Mathieu Plainfosse. It stars child karate star Mahiro Takano. The music video was filmed in Japan. A lyric video has been uploaded on 20 October 2015 on Sia's Vevo channel. The video features a black-and-white background, with female figures without their faces shown. Sia wore a two-toned black and blonde wig and the lyrics of the song were written on the walls. The Japanese official music video was released on 7 March 2016. It stars Japanese actress Tao Tsuchiya, who studies Buyō at Japan Women's College of Physical Education, dancing uniquely. Due to a big attention to this video from Japan, "Alive" peaked No. 1 on Billboard Japan Hot 100 on 21 March 2016.
Reception
Rolling Stone critic Jon Blistein described Furler's vocals as "devastating, electrifying," and wrote, "while the dramatic build of "Alive" sounds straight out of Adele's wheelhouse, the outsized pop production — courtesy of Jesse Shatkin — and the ragged, throat-cracking, enrapturing vocal run Sia embarks on at the end are quintessentially her." Dan Weiss of Billboard said that the song has a "chandelier-shattering chorus that proves a power ballad can still be, well, powerful in the age of EDM." "Alive" also came in at #56 on the annual Triple J Hottest 100 for 2015.
Commercial performance
In the United States, the song debuted at number 56 on the US Billboard Hot 100, selling 54,000 copies in its first week. In Australia, the song debuted at number 10 and has been certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association.
Live performances
Sia first performed the song during the forty-first season of Saturday Night Live, with Donald Trump hosting, on 7 November 2015 with Mina Nishimura dancing. Later, throughout December the song was performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show as well as The Voice on 1 December, followed by an X Factor UK performance on 6 December. Sia appeared on French TV show :fr:C à vous|C à vous on 9 December and two days later, 11 December on :fr:C'Cauet|C'Cauet. The same day she gave a performance on The Graham Norton Show and then performed the single on New Year's Eve on TFI Friday. When performing the song live, Sia usually sings in the key of E minor, one tone below the recorded version.
