Sia hails Nick Valensi's 'special sauce'

Sia has said that it was a dream come true to have Nick Valensi appear on her upcoming fifth album We Are Born.

The singer told Metro that she was a big fan of the The Strokes' guitarist, whose own band are currently recording their fourth LP.

Sia said: "Having Nick play on my record was a dream; he's like my guitar hero. Musically we just became a different kind of hot dog, with Nick's special sauce."

Of the emotional nature of her albums, she added: "When I listen back to my records, I know I was channelling a lot of personal stuff into the tracks.

"To some degree, I'm an empath - a person who drinks in others' sorrows and then splurts them out into songs. I like to sing shouty belters because it's so cathartic. Your voice comes out of every cell in your body - waaaarrrgggh!"

Sia recently suggested that she would retire from the music industry after the release of her last album on July 12.