He can Sia new hit
DJ David Guetta reveals the story behind the pair’s latest collab
T HEY’RE a “Titanium” team.
Grammy-winning DJ David Guetta teamed up with Sia again on the new single “Flames,” which dropped Thursday.
Guetta describes “Flames” to The Post as a “funky” dance track with a “big pop melody.”
“[Sia] sent me a simple song that was just a piano and her voice,” says the megaproducer, who plans to perform the song live for the first time this weekend at Miami Music Week, where he’s headlining the Ultra Music Festival.
“Everything she writes I love. To me, her voice is so incredible.”
It took a year for the track to come together, however. In the studio, Guetta focused on producing a song with global appeal. “Because I’m French, I was raised listening to American music without understanding the words,” he says. This has shaped his approach to producing music: “I love the message of this record. But every time I work on a new song, I try to listen to it the way I used to as [a] kid. I want people to feel a certain emotion . . . even if they don’t understand the lyrics.” Guetta and Sia have a long history of making music together, having collaborated on the smash hit “Titanium” in 2011. That track, Guetta says, was originally meant for another singer, because Sia, 42, was planning to retire as a recording artist and focus exclusively on writing. But Guetta says they reversed course after a game-changing conversation: “While we were doing it, I was like, ‘This song is so amazing. First, I don’t want to give it to anyone. And second, no one is going to sing it better than you. You have to stay on the record.’ ” The rest was history. Guetta says “Titanium” “changed my life and I think her life, too.” The song was an incredible success in the US and globally, reaching No. 7 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in the summer of 2012. Guetta’s fame reached new heights as a result, and Sia’s career as a solo musician exploded. The two have had a close working relationship ever since.
Guetta’s other collaborations include “Dirty Sexy Money,” featuring Charli XCX and French Montana; “Like I Do,” with 21-year-old superstar DJ Martin Garrix and “Mad Love,” with Sean Paul and Becky G — which the trio performed on “Good Morning America” last week.
The 50-year-old says he likes working with younger artists because it helps him push his own boundaries. “The reason I’m still here,” he says, “is that I’m always trying to speak to my original fans, but also collaborating with younger artists and producing music for the new generation.”