Sia Addresses Maddie Ziegler Collaborations Criticisms

(Radio.com) Sia has shared a thoughtful response to recent criticism of her ongoing collaboration with 15-year-old dancer, Maddie Ziegler. A concert review of Sia's show in Sydney, Australia, questioned the pop star choice to put the young dancer in the spotlight instead of herself: "If fame is so damaging," the article asked, "why pass it on to a child?"

Sia has responded to the article in a series of Tweets, echoing some of the writer's same concerns. "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," Sia wrote. "It's a conversation we should all be having. Not just myself but all directors, stage parents and agents 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 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," the singer added, along with a link to the article. "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." See the tweets here.

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