Genre Pop "Unstoppable"
(5) "Cheap Thrills"
(6) | Producer(s) Jesse Shatkin | |
Released 20 January 2016 (2016-01-20) Writer(s) Sia Furler
Christopher Braide | ||
"Unstoppable" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Sia Furler (often referred to mononymously as Sia), taken from her seventh studio album This Is Acting (2016). The song was written by Sia and Christopher Braide, and produced by Jesse Shatkin. It was released as the album's final promotional single on January 20, 2016. In July, a new version of the song was made for Gillette's 2016 Olympic ad campaign, "Pretty Isn't Perfect" which features a verse from Pusha T.
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Composition and release
"Unstoppable" is the fifth track on Sia's 2016 album This Is Acting . It has been called a "stomping, empowering jam" and "swollen self-esteem anthem", with lyrics like, "I'm unstoppable, I'm a Porsche with no brakes / I'm invincible, I win every single game / I'm so powerful I don't need batteries to play / I'm so confident yeah I'm unstoppable today." The song was written by Sia, Christopher Braide, and produced by Jesse Shatkin.
Sia debuted "Unstoppable" on 20 January 2016, days before the album's 29 January release date. The song marked the sixth used to promote the album prior to its release.
Reception
"Unstoppable" has received mostly positive critical reception, with most reviewers commenting on its theme of empowerment. Jessie Morris of Complex commented that the song sounds like a "page torn right out of Demi Lovato's Confident book", while editors of other media platforms like Idolator noticed this as well, which raised speculation that the track was intentionally written for Lovato. Billboard's Jessica Katz said the song is reminiscent of work by Rihanna and "clearly follows in the lineage of emotional barn-burners that have become [Sia's] trademark".
Michelle Lulic of Bustle said its lyrics "make it clear is the female empowerment anthem you had no idea you were missing from your life. Seriously, if you need a song to get you through the rest of the work week... and this is the song you've been waiting for." Furthermore, Lulic wrote, "While ... the song was not initially written for [Sia], it certainly doesn't take away from [her] ability to handle the powerful ballad and catchy lyrics. Because, honestly, if it was Rihanna, Adele, or even Katy Perry singing this song, it still wouldn't lose its powerful message."
MTV's Emilee Lindner said it "encourages those who are feeling weak to put their armor on". Furthermore, she wrote, "The song seems like it's taking the message from her previously released track, 'Alive,' and giving it a boost. Instead of just surviving, she's going to prove to people that she's going to succeed, and she's going to look good doing it." Daniel Kreps of Rolling Stone called the song "triumphant", with a "fist-pumping, wall-smashing" chorus. Stereogum's Tom Breiham, who wrote about the song after its debut but before This Is Acting's release, guessed that Sia wrote "Unstoppable" with a recording artist like Katy Perry in mind. He compared the song to the work of Florence and the Machine.
Commercial performance
"Unstoppable" has charted in Austria, France, Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland. In addition, the song peaked at number one on the Billboard Twitter Real-Time "Trending 140" chart, which tracks the "fastest moving songs" on Twitter in real-time.