Pop powerhouse Sia and music producer extraordinaire David Guetta first teamed up in 2011 on surprise dance hit “Titanium” and have collaborated four more times since (on “She Wolf,” “Bang My Head,” “The Whisperer,” and Sia’s recent “Helium” remix featuring Guetta and Afrojack). Now the pair are back at it again with a driving, motivational bop that could give “Titanium” a run for its money if they play their cards right.
This week, Sia and Guetta dropped a lyric video for a new single titled “Flames.” Lyrically, “Flames” is somewhat similar to “Titanium”—in both tracks Sia sings about persevering in the face of criticism and self-doubt, a powerful message that many musicians perpetuate but one that’s especially poignant coming from a pop star who notably rose to fame despite experiencing multiple hardships and insecurities.
Musically, however, “Flames” and “Titanium” are quite different. Several fans and critics have already pointed out that “Flames” is poppier than what Guetta, a famed EDM producer, usually puts out. But that’s not a bad thing—“Flames” is Guetta’s most radio-ready single since “Titanium” (“2U,” his 2017 collab with Justin Bieber, was popular but not “Titanium” level popular) so it could very well become his next internationally beloved hit.
Guetta seems to recognize as much, as he recently told The Independent that his first collaboration with Sia “turned everything upside-down” and admitted that he was thrilled Sia agreed to reunited with him for “Flames” considering how much of a superstar she’s become. He also revealed that Sia was just about ready to stop making music before “Titanium” dropped—and we all know how that turned out.
Sia and Guetta are a pair that people recognize and have come to love. That fact paired with Guetta’s obvious attempt to associate his new single with sunsets, beaches and swaying palm trees makes us think that “Flames” could be exactly the summer single Guetta needs to crawl his way back up to top 10 (or higher) on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. And maybe it’s just us, but we could totally imagine a movie producer choosing “Flames” to play over the closing credits of this year’s next big inspirational biopic.
“Flames” could either be a one-off single or indicate the pending arrival of Guetta’s next album, his first since 2014’s Listen. Either way, we’re excited to see where “Flames” goes and if it marks the beginning of a new era for Guetta, Sia, and pop-EDM collaborations as a whole.
