Celebrity3 min(s) read
Published 17:22 21 Jan 2022 GMT
This article contains information that many people will find upsetting.
Australian singer-songwriter Sia has spoken out about how the widespread backlash to her recent movie impacted her mental health.
In an interview with the New York Times, the musician revealed that she developed suicidal ideations and even entered rehab as a result of the torrent of negative criticism to her directorial debut, Music.
The 46-year-old also opened up about her close bond with comedian Kathy Griffin, who she credits with saving her life at the time.
Released in 2021, the movie followed a non-verbal Autistic child (played by Sia's protege Maddie Ziegler) and her carer (played by actor Kate Hudson).
Upon its release, the movie was panned by critics and became a box office flop. It was also slammed by enraged Autism advocates for its tone-deaf treatment of neuro-divergence.
Petitions calling for the movie to have its Golden Globe nominations rescinded racked up hundreds of thousands of signatures, and Sia was criticized across every social media.
"Music is severely ableist and contributes to harmful stereotypes of autistic people," wrote Nina Skov Jensen in a Change.org petition campaigning against the movie. "The fact that Music has been nominated for two Golden Globes awards illustrates the complete disregard the entire entertainment industry has for inclusivity and minority representation.
"Despite claiming her movie to be a ‘love letter to caregivers and to the autism community, (Sia) is actually telling the autistic community that she doesn’t care about them,” she added.
As the backlash mounted Sia slowly retreated from the public eye. Now, in a New York Times profile of her close friend Kathy Griffin, the Chandelier singer has revealed that the reaction to Music plunged her into a mental health crisis.
"I was suicidal and relapsed and went to rehab," she said.
She also revealed that it was Griffin who pulled her out of the low episode, saying: "She saved my life."
Sia went on to describe how Griffin helped her out by inviting her to dine at a Hollywood restaurant where she knew there would be paparazzi, knowing it could change the conversation around the pop star.
This isn't the first time the Australian chart-topper has spoken candidly about her mental health.
In a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone, the singer-songwriter revealed that her track 'Breathe Me' was written following a suicide attempt.
Sia also spoke out about another attempt to end her life back in 2010, during which she was saved by a friend. She said: "There must have been a part of me that really wanted to live, because in that moment, I thought, 'There’s a world out there and I’m not a part of it. But I might like to be.'"
