The 'Chandelier' hitmaker also reveals that she 'relapsed and went to rehab' following the heavy criticisms she received from the autistic community after her controversial film's trailer debuted.
- Jan 21, 2022
AceShowbiz - Sia Furler has opened up about how online backlash, which stemmed from her controversial "Music" film, has affected her mental health. In a new interview, "The Greatest" hitmaker credited Kathy Griffin for saving her life when she was "suicidal" following the heavy criticism.
"I was suicidal and relapsed and went to rehab," the "Chandelier" hitmaker told the New York Times in the Wednesday, January 19 interview for Kathy's profile. When discussing their friendship, the 46-year-old singer/songwriter added, "[Kathy] saved my life."
Sia, born Sia Kate Isobelle Furler, also told the outlet that Kathy, who was heavily criticized in 2017 after a joke she made about decapitating former President Donald Trump went viral, invited her to dinner at a paparazzi-heavy restaurant in Hollywood last November. The "My Life on the D-List" comedian further noted that the goal of the dinner was to generate healthier media buzz months after the outrage.
Sia's film, which she also co-wrote, follows a story about an autistic teenager. Shortly after the trailer for "Music" was released in November 2020, Twitter users and the autistic community were quick to express their concerns about the film. The "Cheap Thrills" singer was also criticized for casting young dancer Maddie Ziegler, who appears as a non-verbal autistic girl in the film.
In response to outrage over the leaked footage, Sia tweeted that she would add a warning to the beginning of the film about the potentially fatal restraint. She said, "I promise, have been listening. The motion picture MUSIC will, moving forward, have this warning at the head of the movie: MUSIC in no way condones or recommends the use of restraint on autistic people."
"There are autistic occupational therapists that specialize in sensory processing who can be consulted to explain safe ways to provide proprioceptive, deep-pressure feedback to help w (with) meltdown safety…," Sia added. The Grammy-winning artist went on saying, "I listened to the wrong people and that is my responsibility, my research was clearly not thorough enough, not wide enough."
Sia then deleted her Twitter account. However, last November she made a comeback to the blue bird app as she promoted her new Christmas songs, "Pin Drop" and "Santa Visits Everyone".
