Sia deactivated her Twitter account after addressing criticism around her feature film, Music.

On Wednesday, the film was nominated for two Golden Globes, which reignited controversy around its casting of frequent Sia collaborator Maddie Ziegler as a teenager with autism, instead of an actor who is on the autism spectrum. Back in November, when the trailer was released, Sia didn't take the online criticism well, and was combative with members of the autistic community. Last month, she was criticized for including the controversial and potentially lethal "prone restraint" method in the film.

On Wednesday evening, Sia tweeted that she has "been listening" to criticism and that Music will now have a "warning" at the beginning of the film that emphasizes it "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 meltdown safety."

She added that "future printings" of Music will not include restraint scenes, and that "my research was clearly not thorough enough." Sia also tweeted "I'm sorry." According to Variety, the account was deactivated roughly an hour later.

Music, which sees wider release Feb. 10, picked up nominations for best movie, musical or comedy, and best actress (Kate Hudson), adding to a list of confounding nominations and snubs.

Regardless of the apology, that the film was even nominated was still seen as a bigger problem.

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On Thursday, Sia released the trailer for Music, her feature directorial debut starring Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr., and Dance Moms alum—and frequent collaborator—Maddie Ziegler. But in the time since the trailer’s release, Sia has been going after critics who called out the film for its depiction of an autistic character and for having an abled actor play a character with a disability.

The trailer introduces Music (Ziegler), a nonverbal autistic teenager who uses a tablet to communicate her feelings to others, her neighbor Ebo (Odom Jr.), and Music’s half-sister and guardian Zu (Hudson). According to the press release from Atlantic Records, Music “is a wholly original exploration of the healing power of love and the importance of community.” 

“She sees the world in a completely different way from us,” Ebo explains which is both a way both for Ebo to describe Music’s disability and how a scene can transform into a colorful music video. While the press release from this week and the trailer don’t explicitly say that Ziegler’s character is autistic, it had been previously reported in an August 2018 Rolling Stone profile of Sia along with other details about the musical film.

Since the trailer’s release, fans and critics alike have gone to criticize Music. One reason is not having an autistic actor playing an autistic character, making it just one of many, many instances where Hollywood wants to tell stories about marginalized people but instead casts abled actors instead of actors who have those disabilities. But they’re also incredibly concerned with how the film depicts an autistic character, which appears to infantize and fetishize autism.

Sia quickly responded on Twitter, noting that people should watch the movie before they judge the entire project based on a one-minute trailer. “Fuckity fuck why don’t you watch my film before you judge it?” she tweeted. “FURY.” She added that she brought Autism Speaks onto Music after it was made.

“I’ve never referred to music as disabled,” Sia explained to one critic who asked why she didn’t cast an autistic actor to play Music. “Special abilities is what I’ve always said, and casting someone at her level of functioning was cruel, not kind, so I made the executive decision that we would do our best to lovingly represent the community.”

Despite Sia’s intentions to “do our best to lovely represent the community,” Sia’s assurances aren’t comforting many. (For one, Sia’s use of “special abilities” to describe Music is ableist language.) The inclusion of the autism advocacy group Autism Speaks is a big red flag for many people who see Autism Speaks as a harmful organization because of its focus on “curing” autism; while Sia said she didn’t know that Autism Speaks was polarizing, an explanation on some of its controversies are as easy to find as looking up the organization on Wikipedia.

She also noted that it would be “cruel, not kind” to cast an autistic actor who was similar to Music because “She found it extremely stressful and overwhelming,” which suggests that Sia wasn’t willing to accommodate her set for an autistic actor’s comfort.

Sia was antagonistic when responding to criticism from people within the disabled community. In one instance, when someone pointed out that several autistic actors could’ve done the project and Sia is making excuses for not casting an autistic actor, Sia replied that “Maybe you’re just a bad actor.” In another, while highlighting that she cast 13 neuroatypical people and three trans actors, she took a shot at sex workers and addicts. (She also noted that two people on the autism spectrum advised her at all times.)

Sia also insists that criticism over her depiction of an autistic character is premature and that people need to watch the movie for themselves.

Music is set to be released in theaters on Feb. 12, 2021.

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Sia, Amber Heard, Constance Wu, Lena Dunham, and Connie Britton were several of the famous faces among the hundreds of protesters gathered at the Tornillo child detention center on Sunday for the #EndFamilyDetention protest.

Joshua Jackson (Mighty Ducks, Dawson’s Creek) later posted a photo of the group to Instagram with the caption, “This is a humanitarian crisis of our own making.” He also told BuzzFeed News, “I think that would be the shittiest summer camp of all time," referring to Fox News host Laura Ingraham's deeply insensitive comment last week that compared detention centers to “summer camps.” At the Tornillo detention center, just 30 miles outside of El Paso, children are being housed in tents.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkawzhzBEpc/

Sia offered on Twitter to match all donations to Voto Latino, the organizers of the protest, up to $100,000, and also decried Trump’s executive order to end family separation as “PR.”

https://twitter.com/Sia/status/1010914300221902848

https://twitter.com/Sia/status/1010905340492173312

Wu arrived wearing a jacket that reimagined the saying on the one Melania Trump wore earlier in the week when she visited a detention facility.

https://twitter.com/KatieQLowes/status/1010915411485868035

The celebrities flew, then bussed their way, from Los Angeles to the Tornillo detention center, an effort reportedly organized by Lena Dunham. Speaking to BuzzFeed News while at the rally, she said, “It’s deeply important that we as Americans stand up and say, ‘This is not who we are, this is not what we believe in, we do not believe in the separation or detention of families.'”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkaqUMjFZbF/?utm_source=ig_embed

Both Dunham and Girls showrunner Jenni Konner joined Sia in matching pledges to Voto Latino.

https://twitter.com/lenadunham/status/1011074630524624896

Comedian Travon Free, who writes for Full Frontal With Samantha Bee, spoke from a different perspective than Dunham, highlighting the history of separation the U.S. government has instituted, from Native American to Black families. “The notion that this country is still doing something that it’s done for almost the entirety of its existence, which is separating people from their families, is an atrocity,” Free told BuzzFeed News.

While the celebrities were all there in solidarity, they largely kept off the microphone. Filmmaker Rob Reiner spoke briefly, as well as Mexican labor and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta; Kerry Kennedy, the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy; and Julian Castro, a former U.S. secretary of housing and urban development.

H/T BuzzFeed News

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Sia responded on Thursday in a series of tweets to the Guardian's recent article titled "The Sia conundrum: if fame is so damaging, why pass it on to a child?"

The piece brings into question the singer's choice to use former Dance Moms star Maddie Ziegler as the face of her musical brand. Sia made headlines in 2013 when she stepped away from the spotlight, donning an oversized wig to hide her own face in any public appearance, music video, or concert ever since.

Ziegler, meanwhile, has emerged front and center under Sia's guidance. The two first collaborated on the artist's music video for her chart-topping hit "Chandelier" and have remained inseparable ever since, with the dancer acting as Sia's "mini-me" in most portrayals, bringing an apparent face to the hidden voice.

The Guardian writer Bonnie Malkin, who attended Sia's recent Sydney, Australia concert, criticized the performers' dynamic.

"Up on the stage in Sydney on Saturday, with Furler concealed and Maddie in the spotlight, it seemed that the superstar was deploying a child in a way that she herself refuses to be," Malkin wrote. "Where Furler was hidden, Maddie was exposed. Where Furler was still, Maddie was moving. Where the singer was in darkness, the child was in the spotlight. Where Furler’s face and body was carefully hidden from the eyes of a stadium full of strangers, Maddie’s face and body was offered up instead."

In direct response to the piece, Sia posted a series of tweets on her account.

"This article poses a question I have asked myself often," Sia wrote. "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."

https://twitter.com/Sia/status/938537764932296704

"Maddie was already famous when I discovered her," she continued, "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."

https://twitter.com/Sia/status/938538493709402113

https://twitter.com/Sia/status/938538813609033729

"What I learned from Maddie is that fame affects her differently than how it affected me," Sia wrote. "I can only trust that she is telling me the truth. If that changes, we stop."

https://twitter.com/Sia/status/938542748700893184

The responses were largely supportive.

https://twitter.com/SiaArgentina/status/938546708212043776

https://twitter.com/DelbinKnowles/status/938538118352908289

https://twitter.com/VomitsHerMind/status/938538700392169472

https://twitter.com/believeinfurler/status/938544484425416704

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The post Sia responds to critic accusing her of exploiting Maddie Ziegler appeared first on The Daily Dot.

Sia took matters into her own hands Monday night after learning that paparazzi were attempting to sell nude photos of her.

The eight-time Grammy nominee is notoriously private, usually obscuring herself behind big wigs and wild outfits in her music videos and live performances. In fact, up until recently, she'd rarely even revealed her face to fans—so it's safe to say a full nude portrait probably wasn't on her to-do list. Yet 15 grainy telephoto images of the singer's unclothed backside were apparently being shopped around to potential buyers this week. The seller would tease the package with one watermarked photo and promise that once some money was sent their way they'd provide an unmarked version, plus 14 additional images.

The singer got her hands on the receipts, though, and decided to beat the sellers to the punch by releasing the image herself.

On Twitter late Monday evening, she wrote: “Someone is apparently trying to sell naked photos of me to my fans. Save your money, here it is for free."

https://twitter.com/Sia/status/927726442154098688

She also seized the opportunity to promote her forthcoming Christmas album, Everyday is Christmas, which hits shelves Nov. 17. It will reportedly feature 10 original holiday songs, including: “Underneath the Christmas Lights,” “Candy Cane Lane,” and “Puppies are Forever.”

Scheme: thwarted.

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You know a pop song has peaked when a bird halfway around the world is singing it. 

This parrot in the Philippines does a better rendition of Sia’s breakout 2014 hit “Chandelier” than what you’ll typically find at late-night karaoke. The bird misses a few key lyrics—including, ironically, the word “bird”—but the delivery is remarkable. 

The two-minute video has been viewed over 1 million times and shared more than 37,000 times since making its way to Facebook Sunday afternoon. 

H/T Reddit

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Sia has teamed up with Kendrick Lamar and frequent collaborator Maddie Ziegler for a new song and a poignant music video as a tribute to the victims of the Orlando shooting.

“The Greatest” is more on the optimistic side, and Ziegler—donning a darker wig this time as well as rainbows on her face—shows a range of emotions as she moves with other young dancers in unity once they’re set free. They have free range, and once again the immeasurable talent is on full display.

But the video, which features exactly 49 dancers (the same number of people who died during the shooting), is also equally haunting. The ending sticks with you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKSRyLdjsPA

Lamar’s section of “The Greatest” is cut from the music video, but the full version of the song can be streamed on Spotify.

H/T Vulture

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According to Spotify, we just can't quit Drake. 

His song "One Dance" was the most streamed song of the summer globally—and heading into summer, Drake was already minted as the platform's most streamed artist.   

In second place, Calvin Harris and Rihanna's inescapable "This Is What You Came For," followed by Sia's "Cheap Thrills." Vine star turned pop star Shawn Mendes and Desiigner cracked the top 10 as well. In the U.S. specifically, "One Dance" topped the list again, followed by Drake and Rihanna's "Too Good" and Rihanna's "Needed Me." Is this what is means to be a power couple? 

Spotify is taking these lists a step further, and has teamed up with TuneMoji to turn the songs into shareable music GIFs. 

Over the weekend, competitor Apple Music debuted Spotify-esque personalized weekly playlists. 

Listen to the global and U.S. lists. While you're here, how about one more dance?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcer12OFU2g

H/T NME

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In the digital world, mashups can take many forms, from putting together disparate songs to combining unexpected visuals, or even the coming together of two totally different creative forces. Brooklyn musicians Emmy Wildwood and Nik Lokensgaard took all that into account with their newest YouTube collaboration.

Lokensgaard and Wildwood decided to work on the mashup after Lokensgaard produced “Scream” for Wildwood, a track that was featured in promotional videos for Fox’s series Scream Queens this fall. Wildwood said the decision to mash up Sia’s “Breath Me” and Major Lazer/Mø’s “Lean On,” “came together pretty quickly.”

“I've been a huge fan of Sia’s songwriting since ‘Breathe Me,’ and we both really loved the Major Lazer/Mø song ‘Lean On’ that happened to be in heavy rotation at the time,” she told the Daily Dot. “We noticed that the themes in the lyrics to both songs worked together really well and could even build on each other. Musically, the two songs are very different styles which made it fun to come up with an arrangement that was something new but also felt like something that could have been used in either of the original songs.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6C3Pdqqnqk

To complete the mashup video, Wildwood and Lokensgaard turned to Brooklyn artist SS Powell to provide the visuals for their collaboration.

“His visual style and dark humor seemed a perfect fit for what we were trying to accomplish,” explained Wildwood. “We discussed trying to use his work for the single cover image and were very excited when he agreed to collaborate with us. As we developed a concept for the video, we all decided it would be really fun to incorporate the artwork into it. Nik is also a video editor and was able to integrate live video with the animated artwork in a way that finally brought the whole idea together visually.”

Now Wildwood is looking forward to releasing her first full-length record this spring, while Lokensgaard’s band Bredahl releases a string of singles over the next few months.

“This is just the beginning of a very fruitful year for both of us,” said Wildwood.

Screengrab via emmy wildwood/YouTube

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Party girls don't get hurt, but they sure will laugh at this hilarious Vine remix. 

Vine user hi im josh put together Sia's hit "Chandelier" with that viral video of an adorable deer letting out a giant scream, and the result is a mashup that fits together perfectly while also being uproariously hilarious.

Prepare yourself. Here it is.

https://vine.co/v/egiTbLwAw9U

Now Gchat this video to your best friend and tell them to put their earbuds in and crank up the volume. Just don't warn them about the screaming deer. Let them discover that on their own.

Screengrab via SiaVEVO/YouTube and shapiro127/YouTube

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