This Is Acting is the seventh studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Sia, released on 29 January 2016. The album was preceded by the release of the lead single, "Alive" on 24 September 2015. This Is Acting is Sia's follow-up to her sixth studio album 1000 Forms of Fear. In December 2014, Sia told Spin that she had "two completed and ready to go" and wanted "2015 to look like it's just been fucked". She revealed details of This Is Acting for the first time in an interview published by NME in February 2015. In the article, she confirmed once again that work on the album was finished and that its content was "more pop" than her previous material. She also revealed that the success of 1000 Forms of Fear, specifically its lead single "Chandelier", encouraged her to continue releasing new material, and said of the album's title: "I'm calling it This Is Acting because they are songs I was writing for other people, so I didn't go in thinking 'this is something I would say'. It's more like play-acting. It's fun." Shortly after Sia's announcement, Out published a list of her "10 Greatest Hits for Other Artists" in anticipation of the album. During an online chat with fans in April 2015, Sia revealed that the album would "probably" be released in early 2016, but possibly before the end of 2015. In September 2015, Sia confirmed the album's lead single "Alive" would be released later that month and was originally written for Adele; the British singer and songwriter co-wrote but "