This Is Acting

This Is Acting
Standard edition cover
Studio album by Sia
Released	29 January 2016 (2016-01-29)
Recorded	2014–2015
Studio	Various Echo Studio, Los Angeles, California Harmony Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California Hot Closet Studios, Los Angeles, California Kingslanding Studios, Hamptons, New York City Magical Thinking Studios, Los Angeles, California The Rib Cage, Los Angeles, California Wizard Tone Studios, Adelaide, South Australia
Length	46:32
Label	Inertia Monkey Puzzle RCA
Producer	Greg Kurstin Jesse Shatkin Kanye West Jack Antonoff 88-Keys Jake Sinclair T-Minus Nikhil Seetharam Chris Braide Josh Valle Cameron Deyell Alan Walker Oliver Kraus
Sia albums chronology
1000 Forms of Fear (2014) This Is Acting (2016)
Alternative cover
Deluxe edition cover, featuring Maddie Ziegler
Singles from This Is Acting
"Alive" Released: 24 September 2015 "Cheap Thrills" Released: 11 February 2016 "The Greatest" Released: 5 September 2016 "Move Your Body" Released: 6 January 2017

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	6.4/10
Metacritic	67/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
The A.V. Club	B+
Billboard
The Guardian
Idolator	4/5
The Independent
NME	4/5
Pitchfork Media	6.8/10
Rolling Stone
Slant Magazine

This Is Acting is the seventh studio album by Australian singer and songwriter Sia. It was released on 29 January 2016 by Inertia, Monkey Puzzle and RCA. The album is mostly composed of songs written by Sia for other female pop artists, but were not included on their albums. Sia described songwriting for others as "play-acting," hence the title This Is Acting.

"Alive", the album's lead single, was released on 24 September 2015. The second single, "Cheap Thrills", was released on 11 February 2016, becoming a top 5 in a number of markets and marking her first number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. The remix of the track featured guest vocals from Sean Paul. A deluxe edition of This Is Acting was released on 21 October 2016 featuring seven new tracks, including the single remix of "Cheap Thrills" and the solo and Kendrick Lamar-assisted versions of "The Greatest". The fourth single, "Move Your Body" was released on 6 January 2017.

The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, who complimented Sia's vocals and deemed it a concept album. However, some criticized the impersonal and indirect nature of the songs. The album debuted at number one in Australia, and also reached number four on the US Billboard 200, selling 81,000 album equivalent units in its first week—of which 68,000 were from pure album sales, becoming Sia's highest first week sales in the country. To further promote the album, Sia embarked on the accompanying Nostalgic for the Present Tour in September 2016. This Is Acting was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album.