However, a piece written by The Guardian titled "The Sia conundrum: if fame is so damaging, why pass it on to a child?" by writer Bonnie Malkin explores the relationship between Sia and the teenager.
Bonnie points out that Sia has hidden from the media over the past few years with oversized wigs, instead letting Maddie be exposed and sort of the face of her brand.
"But that doesn’t rub out the fact that, in this case, the grown-up who has seen what fame can do and fears it has, perhaps unwittingly, handed it over to the child instead."
Yikes.
A lot of people agreed with the points brought up, one person even writing, "I've enjoyed the Sia-Maddie Ziegler combo. But, Malkin brings up a good point."
Another wrote, "This is a very good article to read and it's great to see that Sia cares about Maddie. And as she said, it's a conversation we should all be having."
After Sia saw the criticism, she responded on Twitter in a thread.
"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. 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. 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."
