# The Greatest (Sia song)
**"The Greatest"** is a 2016 single by the Australian singer Sia featuring the American rapper [Kendrick Lamar](https://www.edgepedia.org/kendrick-lamar), co-written by Sia and [Greg Kurstin](https://www.edgepedia.org/greg-kurstin) and released on RCA on September 6, 2016.[1](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/61516-sia-the-greatest.php) • [2](https://time.com/4479742/sia-furler-maddie-zeigler-kendrick-lamar-the-greatest/) The song's music video, directed by Sia and Daniel Askill, was dedicated to the 49 victims of the June 12, 2016 shooting at the Pulse nightclub in [Orlando, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/orlando-florida).[3](https://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/sonybmg/pressreleases/premiaer-foer-sias-the-greatest-med-maddie-ziegler-i-videon-1548082) • [4](https://www.gay.it/sia-the-greatest-nuovo-singolo)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | September 6, 2016, single format, RCA[1](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/61516-sia-the-greatest.php) |
| Featured artist | Kendrick Lamar; his verse is omitted from the music video[2](https://time.com/4479742/sia-furler-maddie-zeigler-kendrick-lamar-the-greatest/) |
| Writers and producer | Co-written by Sia and Greg Kurstin; produced by Kurstin[3](https://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/sonybmg/pressreleases/premiaer-foer-sias-the-greatest-med-maddie-ziegler-i-videon-1548082) |
| Billboard Hot 100 | Peak number 18, 23 weeks on the chart, charted 2016–2017[5](https://hitslist.fyi/song/sia-the-greatest-fb1k5revnc2n) |
| UK Top 100 Singles | Peak number 5, 29 weeks on the chart[5](https://hitslist.fyi/song/sia-the-greatest-fb1k5revnc2n) |
| Streaming totals | About 725 million Spotify streams as of October 8, 2026[5](https://hitslist.fyi/song/sia-the-greatest-fb1k5revnc2n) |
| Video dedication | Tribute to the 49 victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando[4](https://www.gay.it/sia-the-greatest-nuovo-singolo) |
## Release and collaborators
The single arrived days after Sia completed promotion of her album *This Is Acting*, which had been released in January 2016 and had produced her first Billboard Hot 100 number one as a solo artist with "Cheap Thrills" featuring [Sean Paul](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-paul).[2](https://time.com/4479742/sia-furler-maddie-zeigler-kendrick-lamar-the-greatest/) "The Greatest" was released ahead of her 2016 Nostalgic for the Present tour of the United States and Canada.[2](https://time.com/4479742/sia-furler-maddie-zeigler-kendrick-lamar-the-greatest/) • [3](https://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/sonybmg/pressreleases/premiaer-foer-sias-the-greatest-med-maddie-ziegler-i-videon-1548082)
**Songwriting and sound.** Sia wrote the song with Greg Kurstin, who also produced it. The arrangement pairs Sia's vocals with drums, synthesizers, and a distinctive xylophone-like melody, and the lyrics repeat the refrain "Don't give up" against themes of endurance.[3](https://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/sonybmg/pressreleases/premiaer-foer-sias-the-greatest-med-maddie-ziegler-i-videon-1548082) • [6](https://songsense.io/sia/the-greatest) • [7](https://renownedforsound.com/single-review-sia-the-greatest-feat-kendrick-lamar/) Kendrick Lamar contributes a short rap verse in which he raps "I transform with pressure, I'm hands on wherever. I fell twice before, my bounce back was special."[7](https://renownedforsound.com/single-review-sia-the-greatest-feat-kendrick-lamar/) The Album of the Year database classifies the track as electropop and dance-pop, with pop rap and tropical house elements.[1](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/61516-sia-the-greatest.php)
## Music video and the Orlando dedication
The video was released alongside the single and reunited the team behind Sia's videos for "Chandelier," "Elastic Heart," and "Cheap Thrills": direction by Sia and Daniel Askill, choreography by Ryan Heffington, and a lead performance by the dancer [Maddie Ziegler](https://www.edgepedia.org/maddie-ziegler), then 13 years old, who dances, acts, and cries through the full range of the video's emotional registers.[3](https://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/sonybmg/pressreleases/premiaer-foer-sias-the-greatest-med-maddie-ziegler-i-videon-1548082) • [2](https://time.com/4479742/sia-furler-maddie-zeigler-kendrick-lamar-the-greatest/)
Days after release it was reported that the video is a tribute to the 49 people killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting of June 12, 2016. Ziegler paints two rainbow stripes on her face at the start, the hashtag #weareyourchildren appears in the opening scenes, and the video shows her leading a group of children and teenagers in a dance before they fall to the floor. [The Italian](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-italian) site Gay.it counted 49 children and teenagers in the group, one for each victim; the French site Madmoizelle described 49 additional dancers carrying the rainbow flag alongside Ziegler.[4](https://www.gay.it/sia-the-greatest-nuovo-singolo) • [8](https://www.madmoizelle.com/sia-the-greatest-orlando-623349) The Lamar verse is not included in the video version.[2](https://time.com/4479742/sia-furler-maddie-zeigler-kendrick-lamar-the-greatest/) Sia's official YouTube upload of the video was published on September 5, 2016 and has accumulated more than 841 million views.[9](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKSRyLdjsPA)
## Chart performance
The song entered both major Anglo-American charts in September 2016 and stayed on them into 2017. Its weekly trajectories show a slower build in the United States than in the United Kingdom.[5](https://hitslist.fyi/song/sia-the-greatest-fb1k5revnc2n)
- **Billboard Hot 100:** peak number 18, 23 weeks on the chart, chart runs from September 24, 2016 to February 25, 2017.[5](https://hitslist.fyi/song/sia-the-greatest-fb1k5revnc2n)
- **UK Top 100 Singles:** peak number 5, 29 weeks on the chart, chart runs from September 9, 2016 to March 24, 2017, with seven weeks in the top 10.[5](https://hitslist.fyi/song/sia-the-greatest-fb1k5revnc2n)
- **Spotify Weekly Chart, United States:** peak number 14 over 20 charted weeks; **Spotify Weekly Chart, United Kingdom:** peak number 4 with 8 weeks in the top 10 over 31 charted weeks.[5](https://hitslist.fyi/song/sia-the-greatest-fb1k5revnc2n)
In continental Europe the song did better still: in November 2016 it reached number 1 on the Spanish LOS40 airplay chart, Sia's second chart-topper there that year after "Cheap Thrills."[10](https://los40.com/los40/2016/11/11/del40al1/1478898815_131153.html)
## Reception and lasting footprint
PopMatters reviewed the single at 73, describing it as "rawer and more psychological" than the extroverted songs on *This Is Acting*; the user score on Album of the Year stands at 77 from 83 ratings.[1](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/61516-sia-the-greatest.php) The song has remained among Sia's best-known recordings: on the Swedish chart archive charts.org.nz it holds an average of 4.42 points from 91 user reviews, placing it in the tier of her most recognized songs alongside "Chandelier" and "Titanium."[11](https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?cat=s&interpret=Sia+feat.+Kendrick+Lamar&titel=The+Greatest) • [12](https://charts.nz/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Sia) On Spotify it had reached about 725 million streams, ranking in the platform's all-time top 2,500 songs, as of October 8, 2026.[5](https://hitslist.fyi/song/sia-the-greatest-fb1k5revnc2n)
## References
1. [Sia – The Greatest (Single), Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/61516-sia-the-greatest.php)
2. [Sia Releases Feisty New Track The Greatest Featuring Kendrick Lamar, TIME, September 6, 2016](https://time.com/4479742/sia-furler-maddie-zeigler-kendrick-lamar-the-greatest/)
3. [Premiär för Sias “The Greatest” med Maddie Ziegler i videon, Sony Music Entertainment Sweden, September 6, 2016](https://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/sonybmg/pressreleases/premiaer-foer-sias-the-greatest-med-maddie-ziegler-i-videon-1548082)
4. [Il nuovo singolo di Sia, The Greatest, ricorda le 49 vittime di Orlando, Gay.it, September 7, 2016](https://www.gay.it/sia-the-greatest-nuovo-singolo)
5. [The Greatest by Sia: chart & list history, hitslist.fyi](https://hitslist.fyi/song/sia-the-greatest-fb1k5revnc2n)
6. [Meaning of "The Greatest" by Sia, SongSense](https://songsense.io/sia/the-greatest)
7. [Single Review: Sia – 'The Greatest' feat Kendrick Lamar, Renowned for Sound](https://renownedforsound.com/single-review-sia-the-greatest-feat-kendrick-lamar/)
8. [Sia sort « The Greatest », un hommage aux victimes d'Orlando, Madmoizelle, September 6, 2016](https://www.madmoizelle.com/sia-the-greatest-orlando-623349)
9. [Sia – The Greatest (Official Video), Sia official YouTube channel, September 5, 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKSRyLdjsPA)
10. [Es oficial: ¡Sia es The greatest de la lista!, LOS40, November 11, 2016](https://los40.com/los40/2016/11/11/del40al1/1478898815_131153.html)
11. [charts.org.nz – Sia feat. Kendrick Lamar, The Greatest](https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?cat=s&interpret=Sia+feat.+Kendrick+Lamar&titel=The+Greatest)
12. [charts.org.nz – Discography Sia](https://charts.nz/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Sia)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › Pop songs › Pop songs of the 2010s › Pop songs of the late 2010s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license