Maddie Ziegler recalls introduction to Sia, explains how singer went from stranger to 'god mom'
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Former “Dance Moms” star Maddie Ziegler shared kind words about the singer Sia during her “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” appearance on Tuesday.
Ziegler — who was on the show to promote her new book, “The Callback” — recalled when she was first introduced to the pop star years ago.
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“She watched the show ['Dance Moms'] religiously and then she tweeted me and was like, ‘I want you in my music video,’” Ziegler recalled, referring to Sia’s music video for her song “Chandelier,” which now has more than a billion views on YouTube.
“At the time, I didn’t really know who she was, but then we did the video and I didn’t expect the outcome,” she said. "People didn't recognize me at first, but what was the coolest experience for me was... people started recognizing me and being like, 'Oh, you're in Chandelier.’ And I was like, that's the coolest feeling because people got so confused."
Ziegler, now 16, said the video “changed [her] life forever.” The young dancer has since appeared in other Sia music videos, such as “Elastic Heart” which also featured actor Shia LaBeouf.
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She also told Fallon Sia is “her god mom now.”
“So if anything were to happen she'd take me, which is really cool,” she explained. “The day we met we clicked and we knew that it was a special connection.”
Ziegler added Sia is “greatest person” and is “just nice to everyone.”
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“She's taught me so many life lessons and I'll never forget that,” she continued, also noting she considers the 43-year-old to be the “best person in [her] life.”
On the show Tuesday, Ziegler — who was wearing the same dress Sia reportedly wore at her bridal shower — also said the singer is “the most down to earth person” and detailed a time when a fan thought the musician was her biological mother.
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"We went to a movie theater one time and a girl came up and said, 'Maddie, do you mind if your mom takes the photo?' And it was her! And she's like, 'Yeah, sure I'll take it!'" she explained. "It's just funny because I will get recognized, but she's on a different level and people just think she's, like, my mom, which is hilarious. If only you knew!"
In October, the singer — whose real name is Sia Kate Isobelle Furler — gifted Ziegler an Audi Q3 truck for her 16th birthday.