Sia is an outlier.
The 40-year-old pop star has been working in the music business for decades, but only recently has she broken into the mainstream. This, despite a shy personality that has found her performing with her back to the audience on TV and recruiting tween-aged dancers to star in her place in her music videos.
The singer first found success as a songwriter, penning hits for Beyonce and Britney Spears — she wrote Rihanna’s No. 1 hit “Diamonds.” But her own songs, most notably “Chandelier” and “Cheap Thrills,” have turned her into a sensation in her own right.
Now, out on a rare headlining tour, she will play KeyArena in Seattle on her Nostalgic for the Present tour. She hits the venue at 7 p.m. Sept. 29.
Tickets are $31 to $121 at ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000.
Lindsey Stirling also is heading to Seattle, playing McCaw Hall at 8 p.m. Sept. 27.
The musical polymath has found success melding styles that don’t necessarily seem to go together, including classical music, hip-hop, EDM and pop.
She first came to widespread attention during a run on “America’s Got Talent,” where her classically trained violin skills and hip-hop style exposed her to a wide audience.
Since then, she’s released several solo albums. She’s touring now behind her latest, August’s “Brave Enough.”
Tickets are $39.50 to $69.50 at ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000.
The Paramount Theatre, meanwhile, will have a busy weekend, bringing two acclaimed acts to its stage.
First up is a visit from Foals, which plays at 7:30 tonight, Sept. 23. The English alt-rock act got its start as an indie favorite, only to eventually crossover into the mainstream with recent releases.
Its cathartic and punk-flecked take on rock has resulted in hits like “My Number” and recent hit “Mountain at My Gates.” The latter is off the group’s 2015 album “What Went Down.”
Tickets are $31.25 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.
Then St. Paul and the Broken Bones will play the Paramount Theatre at 8 p.m. Sept. 24.
The acclaimed retro-vamping soul group made a splash with its 2014 debut, “Half the City,” earning wide praise and winning gigs opening for the Rolling Stones, among others.
While the group has yet to become a true sensation, it is building on its recent success with its new sophomore album, “Sea of Noise,” which hit stores to a fair amount of praise this month.
Tickets are $26.25 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.
The Moore Theatre also is welcoming a pair of acts in the days ahead.
Echo and the Bunnymen will play the Seattle venue first, as the beloved 1980s band heads back out on the road.
The group stood out during its chart-topping run in the 1980s thanks to a blend of psychedelic-infused pop and post-punk stylings. Hits like “The Killing Moon,” “Bring on the Dancing Horses” and “Lips Like Sugar” have proven surprisingly durable, inspiring plenty of today’s indie rock acts.
The group has stayed active in recent years, releasing both a disc of new material, “Meteorites,” and a live album, both in 2014.
Tickets are $34 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.
Then the Monkees will bring their 50th anniversary tour to the Moore Theatre at 7 p.m. Sept. 25, as the British Invasion group heads out on the road.
The band, which lost beloved founding member Davy Jones in 2012, remains active. It put out an admirable collection of pop rock earlier this year.
That new disc, “Good Times!,” featured songs that never saw release in the 1960s, along with new material written by Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, among others.
Tickets are $42.50 to $72.50 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.
Foy Vance also is heading on tour, playing the Columbia City Theater in Seattle at 8 p.m. Sept. 28.
The respected singer-songwriter started his career in his Irish homeland. Now, he is getting a lot of help from one of the British Isles’ favorite sons. Elton John served as executive producer on his new album, this year’s “The Wild Swan,” and is having Vance open shows for him.
Seattle fans can get a taste of Vance without Elton during his stop here.
Tickets are $15 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.
Megadeth is heading back to Seattle, headlining the WaMu Theatre at 6 p.m. Sept. 27.
The iconic thrash metal act led by guitarist Dave Mustaine released a new album, “Dystopia,” this January. Fans will get a taste of that disc, along with older classics like “Symphony of Destruction,” during the group’s Seattle stop.
Tickets are $42 at ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000.
And Machine Gun Kelly will headline the Showbox SoDo at 8 p.m. Sept. 27.
The Cleveland rapper, who also goes by the acronym MGK, has made a name with his dark take on hip-hop.
Tickets are $30 at axs.com.
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