Sia ‘Begged’ Maddie Ziegler’s Mom to Let Her Do ‘Less Press’
Sia certainly has an interesting relationship with Maddie Ziegler. Though the pair seem to have a steady working relationship, their rapport extends far beyond their many collaborations. Throughout the nine years they’ve known each other, they’ve become very close. In fact, Melissa Gisoni (Ziegler’s mom), named the “Unstoppable” singer godmother of both of her daughters a few years back.
Sia is very protective of her goddaughter, Maddie Ziegler
For her part, Sia looks at Ziegler as the daughter she never had. The Aussie admits that she is fiercely protective of the Dance Moms alum. She provides The Fallout actor with 24/7 security and even gives her opinions about the course of Ziegler’s career. She also is mindful of the role that fame has played in the dancer’s life and how she, herself, has contributed to it.
The ‘Music’ director gets candid about the ‘Dance Moms’ alum’s struggles with fame
In a conversation with Sirius XM’s Fierce Women in Music, Sia got candid about Ziegler’s life in the spotlight for the past 12 years. “She’s been famous since she was six years old, and she’s actually relatively comfortable with it,” Sia explained. “There have been times where she’s found it difficult. So, you know, I mean her mom [and I], we talk about how we can make it easier for her.”
One way that Sia claims that she’s made fame more manageable for Ziegler is by appealing to Gisoni on Ziegler’s behalf. According to the “Cheap Thrills” singer, Ziegler had a hard time going to dance conventions and taking selfies with hundreds of fans. When Sia learned of the effect the events were having on the dancer, she petitioned Gisoni on her goddaughter’s behalf.
Sia begged Ziegler’s mom, Melissa Gisoni to let her do less press
“She said she experienced depersonalization during that, the last time she did that,” Sia explained. “So I just begged Melissa, like, let’s try and have her doing much less press. Much less things that involve her having to have like one-on-one contact with fans.”
According to Sia, she understood firsthand why Ziegler’s constant interactions with fans were challenging for her. She shared that she and her goddaughter are both “absorbent” and “empathetic” people who can easily absorb the nerves of fans who were anxious to meet them. Thus, it was important for Sia to convince Gisoni to limit Ziegler’s appearances at dance conventions.
Sia helps limit Ziegler’s interactions with fans when they’re out together
In the aforementioned interview, Sia also shared that will often speak on Ziegler’s behalf if they’re approached by fans when they’re out in public together. According to the “Elastic Heart” crooner, she can tell at a glance if Ziegler isn’t interested in taking a selfie and will intervene if need be. Sia certainly seems to be invested in protecting Ziegler from fame. However, now that Ziegler is a young adult, she can define those boundaries for herself.
