Top 10 Things You Didn't Know about Sia

Top 10 things you didn't know about Sia!

Songwriter. Chart-topper. Modern day icon. Welcome to MsMojo and today we'll be counting down our picks for the top 10 things you didn't know about Sia!

For this list, we've ranked the best but little-known facts about the mysterious, millions-selling musician, Sia.

#10: She's Vegan

After years of vegetarianism, in 2014 Sia revealed on Twitter that she had turned 'fully vegan'. The announcement came just a few days after the singer songwriter had taken to social media to discuss the Netflix documentary, “Vegucated” - a 2011 film which sees three people take a 6-week vegan challenge. Sia branded the movie 'amazing' and called upon her followers to watch it too. Since ditching the dairy, she has frequently challenged others to do the same, regularly posting about the benefits of her lifestyle.

#9: Sia Fights for Animal Rights

It isn't only through her diet that Sia strives to protect animals. She regularly works alongside PETA, and various other animal rights charities, to campaign against how animals are farmed, used and slain for our foods, fashions and lifestyles. In 2016, Sia's “Free the Animal” was used as soundtrack to an animated PETA Asia ad looking at the fashion industry, while she also featured (alongside her puppy Pantera) as the face of PETA's 'Take a Bite' campaign, which urged pet owners to spay or neuter their pets to avoid animal homelessness. She is also an advocate for the Oscar's Law campaign against large-scale pet-breeding, and she supports the Beagle Freedom Project, a drive against animal testing.

#8: She's a Star of the Small Screen

In 1997, a then 22-year old Sia gained early exposure from an unlikely source - the Australian soap opera, “Home and Away”. In an episode which saw Summer Bay lovebirds Travis and Rebecca tie the knot, Sia sings as the beachside entertainment at their romantic wedding ceremony. Accompanied by two backing singers, she belts out an acapella version of “How to Breathe”, a song that she wrote especially for the show. As she released her debut album, “OnlySee”, in the same year, so began one of pop music's most fascinating career stories.

#7: She Believes in Aliens

During a Carpool Karaoke interview with “The Late Late Show” host James Corden, Sia revealed her views on extra-terrestrial life. The singer says that, ever since she heard a former Canadian defence minister claim that the US government is working with alien races, she has been convinced that they exist. The minister in question could well be Paul Hellyer, who worked for the Canadian government in the '60s, and made headlines in 2005 for his UFO beliefs. For Sia, she has labelled it 'unwise' to believe that intelligent life doesn't exist elsewhere, and has also indicated that she believes in mermaids.

#6: She's Bisexual

Sia speaks openly about her sexuality, and in August 2013 she took to Twitter to discuss her views. While she says she 'doesn't really identify as a lesbian', because she has dated predominantly men, she also reveals that she has 'certainly dated women'. Later in the same year, Sia announced that all proceeds from her “Beautiful Pain” collaboration with Eminem would be donated to LGBT causes, following controversy surrounding seemingly homophobic Eminem lyrics. And, in 2014 she slammed Republican politician Sarah Palin on Twitter, after Palin used “Titanium” - a Sia/David Guetta collaboration - as walk-off music after she defended comments made by Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson.

#5: Sia Used to Be a Backing Singer for…

The UK jazz-funk troupe, Jamiroquai! Perhaps most famous for their 1996 Grammy award-winning single “Virtual Insanity”, Jay Kay and co. invited the Australian singer to record with them in the late-'90s. According to Sia however, her material never made it onto a Jamiroquai record because her voice was deemed too distinctive. Her and Jay kept in touch for some time afterwards, but are yet to pair up for a high-profile release. The only thing that continues to unite them is their shared fondness for outrageous headwear.

#4: Sia Has Graves Disease

Diagnosed in 2010, Sia found out she had Graves Disease following a series of increasing health problems, including extreme bouts of lethargy and panic attacks. An autoimmune disease which affects the thyroid and can prompt symptoms such as heat intolerance, muscle weakness and personality problems, Graves Disease is thought to develop in around 3% of all women and 0.5% of all men. As the diagnosis offered an explanation for Sia's until-then unexplained health problems, the singer enthusiastically took to Twitter to share the news, writing 'I'm not crazy!' and 'goodbye thyroid'.

#3: She Has Been Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder

The late-2000s was a difficult time for Sia, but she has since spoken quite openly about the mental health issues she faced. In a magazine interview, Sia revealed that she had been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder - a form of depression characterised by extreme high and low moods -and, at her lowest point in 2010, she penned a suicide note. Saved by a timely phone call from a close friend, the incident prompted the singer to take a break from her solo career. She didn't return to the spotlight until 2014, and the release of “Chandelier”.

#2: There's a Reason Why She Rarely Shows her Face

While there's little doubt that Sia deserves her reputation on the quality of her voice alone, when she re-emerged with “Elastic Heart” - which featured on the soundtrack of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”- and “Chandelier”, much was made of her decision not to show her face. While critics label her blonde bob and heavy fringe as a gimmick and marketing ploy, Sia insists it's her way of maintaining control over her image. During her interview with James Corden, she highlighted how most musicians document and photograph their entire lives on social media - and she didn't want that. When speaking on “Ellen” in 2015, Sia went into unexpected specifics, saying that she hides her face so she can 'go to Target' and 'buy a hose' - if she wants to.

#1: Sia Battled Drug Addiction

Up until 2010, when Sia was at the point of suicide, the singer had battled various vices throughout her career - including drug and alcohol addiction. Her problems intensified when, in the late-90s, she decided to move to London to live with her boyfriend, Dan Pontifex, but Dan was killed in a car accident just days before she arrived. After being diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, she became hooked on anti-depressants and prescription meds, though Sia has also said that some of her mental health issues were the result of smoking too much pot as a youngster. Thankfully, she says she is in a better place now, having enrolled in a 12-step program and taken a break from her career. And Sia's experiences were her inspiration for her sixth studio album, and the first record released upon her return, “1000 Forms of Fear”.