By Rudy Ruiz
With an album released earlier this year and frequent appearances at major music festivals like Coachella and Panorama, pop singer Sia has had an eventful year. As the summer died down, Sia released a teaser across all social media platforms and during the MTV Video Music Awards. These teasers featured the hashtag #weareyourchildren, possibly hinting at a new single or maybe even a new album coming soon.
It was soon revealed via Twitter that her new song would be called “The Greatest,” and would feature well-established rapper Kendrick Lamar, which would be the first time that the two artists have collaborated. Speculation immediately started as to what the meaning was behind her new single and the hashtag associated with it, as Sia has been known to be mysterious in terms of her publicity and public appearances.
The music video was uploaded to YouTube on September 5, about a week after it was announced. As the hashtag #weareyourchildren appeared, viewers immediately saw a dark and ominous interior with children dressed in gray and black clothing. Frequent collaborator Maddie Ziegler appears with rainbows on her cheeks as the only source of color in the video.
It was clear that the ominous feelings were intended by Sia through the distorted sounds of bells to Ziegler trading in her platinum blonde wig to a solid black one. When the song starts, the video starts to come alive. As with previous music videos, Sia’s vocals and lack of appearance is met with Ziegler’s interpretive dancing and unique facial expressions.
Towards the end of the video, Ziegler along with the other dancers are seen dancing in sync with each other in what appears to be a warehouse with rotating disco balls scattered throughout the room. As the music fades out, everyone is seen in one group bobbing up and down when suddenly everyone falls to the ground. Everyone, except for Ziegler who opens her eyes, lies motionless as the camera quickly jumps back to the gray interior first seen at the beginning at the video. All of the children are motionless until the final scene where Ziegler cries as her tears fall on the rainbows painted on her cheeks.
While Sia’s music videos are known to be artistically and visually ambiguous, both the lyrics and music video for “The Greatest” are a tribute to the victims who tragically lost their lives during the Pulse nightclub shooting this past June, many of which were members of the LGBT+ latino community. The rainbows painted on Ziegler’s face are more overt examples, as the rainbow is associated with the LGBT+ community.
Sia’s repetition of lyrics such as “I got stamina” and “I’m free to be the greatest here tonight” could be interpreted as the strength seen by the LGBT+ community who continuously show their strength and resilience during troubling times. This theme is also seen through Ziegler accompanied by younger dancers with fists in front of their faces symbolizing that fighting spirit.
As empowering as those symbols are, the video doesn’t shy away with darker symbols such as the paint splatter behind Ziegler at one point implying blood and even the setting of the final scene where holes in the wall represent the bullets that sadly took those lives as everyone lies motionless on the ground leading up to Ziegler crying as the rainbows on her cheeks contrasts with her mourning black wig.
Through Sia’s latest music video, she continues to wow her fans through her visuals as well as the passion behind her songs especially this one which was inspired by social change. Sia is truly a one of a kind artist, as one who does not make many public appearances, her artistic vision as well as her incredible voice shine through and captivates each listener with every song inviting us to see the world through her eyes.
