“I’m Sia, and I only make hit records” – she’s known for this greeting each time she walks into a recording studio, but who is she?

Sia Furler  is about to scale new heights of fame without even getting off her couch. She is recognized in the music industry as being one of the Top 3 go-to songwriters for artists seeking major hits, but her face is still unidentifiable to much of the general public.

The 38-year-old Australian, who has written hits for Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Rihanna and Kylie to name just a few, is a singer in her own right and releases her new album 1000 Forms of Fear on July 8, 2014, but the talented lyricist is not new to the game of releasing music by any stretch.

She has released six studio albums – including 2004’s Colour The Small One, which featured “Breathe Me”, a song that was used in no less than twenty-six TV placements – without us ever knowing much about her identity, and that was the intention it seems.

In a recent one-off interview with BBC Radio One’s Zane Lowe, Sia gave a huge insight into her experiences in the music industry. Speaking about her gift for writing “only hit records”, she said: “Keep it simple, repetitive and have a strong title – that’s what the labels are looking for, something people can Google”. Listen to the fascinating full-length interview.

Despite announcing her retirement in 2010 after being diagnosed with Graves disease, Sia has agreed to a new deal with RCA Records, a rare set-up in that it allows her to release her new album on a major label without the obligations of promotional duties and touring.

See the just-released track list for 1000 Forms of Fear below, and the rather clever cover art above.

1. Chandelier
2. Big Girls Cry
3. Burn The Pages
4. Eye of the Needle
5. Hostage
6. Straight For The Knife
7. Fair Game
8. Elastic Heart
9. Free The Animal
10. Fire Meet Gasoline
11. Cellophane

Watch the album’s epic lead single “Chandelier” below, produced by Grammy-award winner Greg Kurstin. The video, of course, does not feature camera-shy Sia, but instead an actress wearing a wig of Sia’s trademark blonde bob.