In recent days, an article in The Guardian gained quite a bit of traction as it posed the ethical question of Sia's use of dancer Maddie Ziegler in her videos and live performances.
Whether you're a fan of the notoriously shy Aussie singer or not, it did raise the valid point on whether Sia is unwittingly exploiting the 15-year-old by forcing her to absorb all the elements of fame that she doesn't want to deal with. The dancer famously appeared in videos like 'Chandelier' and at numerous high-profile performances, but the writer wondered if “the grown-up who has seen what fame can do and fears it has, perhaps unwittingly, handed it over to the child instead”.
Now, however, Sia has responded to the column by admitting that it is something she is aware of and insisting that she regularly 'checks in' with Ziegler on whether she is happy to continue their arrangement and says that it's 'a conversation that we should all be having.'
See her tweets in full below:
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
