Sia Maddie Ziegler Music Dance Moms Fame Pressure Worry

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Photo: Lester Cohen/WireImage.

Sia Furler chooses to keep her face concealed in order to maintain her private life. Since most people wouldn't be able to pick her out of a line-up sans her face-hiding wigs, she's able to avoid some of the more annoying trappings of fame, like being approached on the street or at a restaurant.

Instead, Furler has used an avatar to convey her expressiveness. She enlisted then pre-teen Maddie Ziegler, who had been featured on Dance Moms, to star in her music videos. The video for "Chandelier" went viral, in big part because Ziegler's dancing was so compelling to watch.

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Earlier this week, Bonnie Malkin at the Guardian wrote an essay wondering why Furler chose to offload her fame onto Ziegler. Malkin wrote that "Furler herself might not be willing to marry fame but standing on the stage in front of us, she seemed to be officiating another marriage. Not to a 'perfect blank slate' but to a minor who is yet to learn about, or tame, the monster [of fame]."

Furler responded to this criticism by noting that she wonders the same thing — if fame is good for Ziegler, and how to protect her, now 15. "This article poses a question I have asked myself often. I do check in with Maddie weekly about whether she wants this, and assure her if she ever wants it to stop it stops. It's a conversation we should all be having. Not just myself but all directors, stage parents and agents," she wrote on Twitter.

She also notes that Ziegler was already famous before she was cast in her music videos, but knows that her influence exposed the young dancer to a much wider audience.

Ultimately, she trust Ziegler to tell her how she really feels. "What I learned from Maddie is that fame affects her differently than how it affected me. I can only trust that she is telling me the truth. If that changes, we stop," wrote Furler.

This article poses a question I have asked myself often. I do check in with Maddie weekly about whether she wants this, and assure her if she ever wants it to stop it stops. It's a conversation we should all be having. Not just myself but all directors, stage parents and agents.
— sia (@Sia) December 6, 2017

With their children, clients, charges. Maddie was already famous when I discovered her, but I have certainly expanded her exposure and feel responsible for that. I feel very protective of her and my goal is to empower her in whatever choices she makes. Some would argue a teenager
— sia (@Sia) December 6, 2017

Can't or shouldn't be charged with making sound choices for themselves and so I do try to choose the best for her always. But I think this is an important conversation https://t.co/0k6bQ8EsvT
— sia (@Sia) December 6, 2017

What I learned from Maddie is that fame affects her differently than how it affected me. I can only trust that she is telling me the truth. If that changes, we stop.
— sia (@Sia) December 6, 2017

Check out the video for "Chandelier" below.

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