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Singing superstar Sia joined an impressive list of performers, including Stevie Wonder, Adele, and Elton John, to appear on James Cordon’s hugely popular Carpool Karaoke segment on The Late, Late Show—and may given the best performance to date.

The phenomenal video series showcases the musical talent of both Cordon and Sia as they reach for and perfectly hit plenty of extremely high notes. Especially after Sia had offered a little advice on tightening vocal cords and Cordon then displayed his newly learned skill during their rendition of “Elastic Heart.”

Together the duo pulled off powerful versions of some of the hits Sia has performed and written, which include, “Chandelier,” “Elastic Heart,” “Alive,” David Guetta’s, “Titanium” and the song Sia co-wrote for Rihanna, “Diamonds.”

In Cordon’s latest Karaoke Carpool, Sia, who is well known for writing hits for Rihanna, Beyoncé and Katy Perry, was wearing her trademark black and blonde oversized wig topped with a huge black bow that covers the majority of her face and explained to James the reason for it was to retain a “modicum of privacy” while on camera.

Sia, who is instantly recognizable by not only her style but also by her unique voice, told Cordon that being a public artist would be “destabilizing” for her after her experiences as an alcoholic and drug addict, so when she thought about what is missing from pop music currently, her conclusion was “mystery.”

Many of her songs focus on her battles, with the lyrics from “Chandelier” highlighting her personal struggle with alcohol addiction explaining, “I’m holding on for dear life, won’t look down, won’t open my eyes. Keep my glass full until morning light, ‘cause I’m just holding on for tonight.”

Sia revealed to Billboard magazine that 10 years ago she wasn’t comfortable with admitting that she wrote lyrics about her battles with demons, saying, “I was too fearful, scared that I would be judged or somehow unlovable if people saw who I truly was. After 14 years of songwriting, I feel less vulnerable about telling the truth about what’s really mine.”

Throughout that period she also felt too vulnerable to do any interviews, so she refused them all.

Cordon, who hosts the show, has been joined by an eclectic mix of high profile stars who sit in the passenger seat of his Range Rover to accompany him on his drive to work at CBS Studios.

Many people wonder how Carpool Karaoke can be recorded with James having so much fun while driving a car around the streets of London or Los Angeles. The producer of the Late, Late Show, Ben Winston, explained to Vulture Magazine:

“Well, first of all, we don’t take routes that are difficult. He’s also got two of our cars ahead of him, and three cars behind him—essentially, a convoy. So he’s moving at under 20 miles an hour, and we don’t let any other cars around him. The second thing is, the cameras are tiny. They’re about the size of your knuckle, and they’re stuck on the windshield. So it doesn’t really distract his view.”

One memorable Carpool video that really pulled my heartstrings and brought on a few tears was the journey Stevie Wonder shared with Cordon. Stevie called and serenaded Cordon’s wife during the sketch singing, “I Just Called To Say I Love You.” The host of the show was seen on the video wiping his eyes and then saying, “Oh my God you’ve just won me so many brownie points with my wife!” 

Up until now the episode with megastar Adele was, in my opinion, the greatest one so far with the two harmonizing and displaying mesmerizing vocal abilities. However, based on both the singing and the intriguing conversation, which included extraterrestrials, the Sia collaboration has overtaken it to become my new favorite.  

For the viral sketch with Adele, Cordon travelled back to his hometown of London to record, and it was released on January 13^th, 2016. Since then it has broken records by becoming the most-watched late-night YouTube clip ever with over 72 million views.

To watch all the Karaoke Carpool recordings click here.

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Author: Alex Myles

Editor: Travis May

Photo: Video Still