The 2020 Billb... [patched] — Sia - Courage To Change -live At

The actual live performances of “Courage to Change” exist on YouTube (notably her appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Ellen ). In those performances, you see the raw machinery of Sia’s art: the oversized prop furniture, the interpretive dancer representing the inner psyche, and Sia’s physical acting—the way she clenches her fists during the bridge, the crack in her voice on the final “change.”

Standing on a simple stage bathed in soft, moody lighting, Sia wore a sheer, oversized cream-colored dress with a matching face covering. Beside her, Maddie Ziegler appeared in a similar ensemble. But this time, there was no frantic dancing. Instead, the two swayed gently, almost like a mantra. Sia - Courage to Change -Live at the 2020 Billb...

Sia is famous for high-concept performances. Usually, she stands static in a corner while dancer Maddie Ziegler interprets her music through intense, interpretive dance. However, for the Billboard Music Awards, she stripped away the spectacle. The actual live performances of “Courage to Change”

This is the hook that gets the lighters (or phone flashlights) in the air. It is the admission that change is terrifying. A live performance in 2020 stripped away the bravado of typical pop anthems. Sia wasn't telling us we were strong; she was telling us it was okay to be scared and change anyway. But this time, there was no frantic dancing