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"Titanium" is a song by French DJ and record producer David Guetta, featuring vocals by Australian singer and songwriter Sia. Taken from Guetta's fifth studio album, Nothing but the Beat, the song was written by Sia, David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort and Afrojack. Production was also handled by Guetta, Tuinfort and Afrojack. "Titanium" was initially released for digital download on 8 August 2011, as the first of four promotional singles from the album. It was later released as the album's fourth single in December 2011. The song originally featured the vocals of American recording artist Mary J. Blige, whose version of the song leaked online in July 2011.
"Titanium" is a pop song which draws from the genres of house and urban-dance. The song's lyrics are about inner strength. Critics were positive towards the song and noted it as one of the standout tracks from Nothing but the Beat. Sia's vocals received comparisons to those of Fergie and the song was also musically compared to Coldplay's work. "Titanium" attained top 10 positions in several major music markets, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number one, becoming Guetta's fifth number-one single on the chart and Sia's first. The song's accompanying music video premiered on 21 December 2011 but does not feature appearances by Guetta or Sia, instead it focuses on a young boy, played by actor Ryan Lee, with supernatural powers. The video has received over 1 billion views on YouTube as of 26 January 2019. On 12 August 2012, the music video was reused for a Spanish language version of the song sung by Mey.
"Titanium" was written by Sia, David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort and Afrojack. Production was also handled by Guetta, Tuinfort and Afrojack. After discovering Sia's music online, Guetta picked her to appear on his fifth studio album, Nothing but the Beat. Guetta told an insider from Los Angeles, "I was totally amazed by Sia … This has made me more curious to study her music more because I was really impressed. I have the biggest people on the album and she has a different profile, more like an indie kind of artist and it makes her song even more special, it makes it stand out I think."
The song originally featured vocals from American recording artist Mary J. Blige, whose version of the song leaked online in July 2011. In an interview with News.com.au, Guetta spoke about its leak, saying, "You shouldn't even know about that … I'd rather not speak about it." Sia recorded a demo of the song, which was then sent to Blige and other artists. Eventually, Guetta decided to stay with her version. He explained, "The first time I heard what Sia did, because she was not in the studio with me, I fell in love with it … I didn't even want to give it to anyone else; it was perfect the way it was. It's not only about how big you are in America, it's about the song and the voice." American pop singer Katy Perry was the first person to be offered the track but turned it down because she felt its message was too similar to that of her song "Firework". An insider told Take 40 Australia, "So that 'Titanium' song, Sia wrote it for Katy, but didn't want to do a song with Guetta … " According to Sia's manager, Jonathan Daniel of Crush Management, Sia wrote the song for American R&B singer Alicia Keys. Guetta considered approaching other female singers to record on the song, however Perry advised him to keep Sia on the track. Guetta ultimately followed this suggestion. Sia later revealed that Guetta put her vocals on the song without her consent, nor was she made aware that her vocals would be released: "And then Mary J. Blige sang it. And then he took her vocal off it, and put my vocal back on, my demo vocal, without asking and released it. And I never even knew it was gonna happen, and I was really upset. Because I had just retired, I was trying to be a pop songwriter, not an artist."
"Titanium" was released for digital download on 8 August 2011, as the first of four promotional singles from the album, as part of the iTunes Store's countdown to the album's release. David Byrne and Tony Peregrin of Windy City Times described "Titanium" as "epic" and "energizing", writing, "it is Sia who steals the show" on Nothing but the Beat. Robert Copsey of Digital Spy agreed, calling the song one of "the record's standouts". Tom Ewing of The Guardian wrote, "Sia, on 'Titanium', handles the album's best hook well." Rich Lopez of Dallas Voice wrote that the "collaborative lyrics elevate this song to a higher level than any previous track" from the album, and called it "clever writing" from Sia. David Griffiths off 4Music called it "The most intriguing hook-up" on the album, writing that "'Titanium' sees Guetta giving the Australian songstress some long overdue commercial appeal, while Sia's vocals bring a quirky twist." Kerri Mason of Billboard magazine described the song as "Guetta's quirkiest and most epic track to date (in itself an unusual combination)." Jamie Horne of The Border Mail called it a "strong" track. Joe Copplestone of PopMatters noted that songs on the album such as "Titanium" and "Night of Your Life", "recall the power" of Guetta's previous collaborations with Kelly Rowland on "When Love Takes Over" (2009) and "Commander" (2010). "Titanium" was nominated for Dance Work of the Year at the 2012 APRA Music Awards, but lost to "From the Music" by The Potbelleez. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December 2012, "Titanium" was pulled from radio stations in the United States due to the use of gun-related lyrics in the song. "Titanium" is part of a group of songs that have been taken off the air, including Kesha's "Die Young", and "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People.
"Titanium" was used in the Doctor Who episode “The Power of Three” and in the fifth season of the American television show Gossip Girl episode "I Am Number Nine", which aired on 7 November 2011. It also appears on the soundtrack of the 2014 film Wild Tales. Scottish recording artist Emeli Sandé performed "Titanium" with Guetta at the NRJ Music Awards, held in France on 29 January 2012. On 21 April 2012, Sia made a surprise appearance during Guetta's set for the second weekend of Coachella in Indio, California, where they performed "Titanium". The song also appears in the 2016 dance video game Just Dance 2017. Sia performed the song throughout 2016 as a part of the setlist of her festival tour. It was performed by Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow in the Pitch Perfect bathroom a cappella scene. It was also covered in 2019 by the Cast of the American musical comedy television series Perfect Harmony. Dutch artist Glennis Grace performed the song with Afrojack at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam. In 2023, the horror film M3GAN, the titular robotic doll sings it as a lullaby.
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