The little girl from Sia's music videos: this is Maddie Ziegler today

Sia told the Zach Sang Show on YouTube that she met Maddie Ziegler when the girl was eight years old. From that moment on, she felt "an extreme desire to protect her". Not only did Sia protect the girl, but she made her a star. Maddie Ziegler appeared in several world famous music videos by the Australian singer.

Since 2014, when the young dancer was 12 years old, Sia and Maddie Ziegler have collaborated on seven music videos. The song 'Chandelier' (2014) instantly made the girl world famous. Then came 'Elastic Heart' with Shia LaBeouf, 'Big Girls Cry', 'The Greatest', 'Rainbow', 'Eye of the Needle' and 'Together'. That last video they recorded in 2020.

What not everyone knows is that Maddie Ziegler already had a successful pre-Sia career. As a child, she appeared in film, TV... and reality TV!

Madison Nicole Ziegler was born on 30 September 2002 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was dancing from a very young age. At age two, the girl already entered in Reign Dance Productions in her hometown. By the age of five, she toured with the Abby Lee Dance Company.

Her innate talent for dance caused Maddie to participate in the CBS talent show 'Live to Dance'. It was 2011 and she was only eight years old.

After 'Live to Dance' was over, Maddie Ziegler appeared in the Lifetime reality show 'Dance Moms'. This series followed the day-to-day work of the Abby Lee Dance Company dancers in the Elite Team Competition.

For six seasons (2011-2016), Maddie Ziegler, her sister Mackenzie (on the photo with her) starred in this reality show with their mother Melissa Gisoni. Maddie was always one of the outstanding students and a favourite of the audience.

Next to 'Dance Moms', Maddie Ziegler had other projects that increased her fame. In 2012, she made her acting debut in 'Drop Dead Diva', the Lifetime sitcom in which she played the young Deb.

In 2014, the Australian singer Sia chose Maddie Ziegler to accompany her in the spectacular video for 'Chandelier'. It would become one of Sia's biggest hits and a global breakthrough for Maddie. At age 12, she was already a star.

In addition to her seven videos with Sia, the young dancer also appeared in music videos for other singers and groups, such as 'Freaks like me' by Todrick Hall, 'It's a Party Girl' by Mack Z and 'Speechless' by Eddie Benjamin.

Under Sia's guidance, the young Maddie Ziegler not only appeared in her music videos, but she also accompanied the Australian star to presentations, interviews and other promotion events.

Through all these events with the world famous Sia, Maddie got the fame that her mentor believed she deserved.

(She's pictured here with other rising stars, Millie Bobby Brown and Lilia Buckingham, in 2018.)

Also, as Sia disclosed, touring with Maddie was a way to keep her safe from certain bad elements of the industry. "I thought a good way to keep her safe was to continue doing projects for her, and so most of the time we were working together," the Australian singer revealed on the Zach Sang Show.

At some point, she says, Sia stopped Maddie Ziegler from getting on "a plane that Harvey Weinstein tried to take her on. That was really disgusting. I had to call [her mother] Melissa and tell her to please don't do that."

In parallel to her work and personal relationship with Sia, which they still maintain, the young Maddie Ziegler became a TV personality. At the age of just 13, she was chosen as a judge on 'So you think you can dance: The next generation'. The other judges were Paula Abdul, Jason Derulo and Nigel Lythgoe.

Apart from film, television, and music videos, Maddie Ziegler also got started as a model. She worked with brands such as Ralph Lauren, Purple Pixies, Capezio, Target and Cicci Dancewear. In addition, her passion for fashion caused Maddie to launch her own clothing line, Maddie Style, and a makeup collection 'Morphe X Maddie Ziegler'.

In 2017, Maddie Ziegler released her biography: 'The Maddie Diaries'. The book collects her memories and thoughts about the hard work that led her to her current success. The book spent 18 weeks among 'The Sunday Times' best sellers.

Maddie Ziegler is an avid Instagrammer and YouTuber. On the video platform, you can see her together with her sister Mackenzie over the years. On Instagram, where the dancer and actress hovers around 14 million followers, she's becoming one of those influencers with whom all brands want to work.

Careful, funny and elegant, the young woman combines her sponsored posts with her personal ones. And yes, she often shares posts with her younger sister, Mackenzie Ziegler.

In the last couple of years, Maddie Ziegler's career has been mostly focused on acting. She appeared in 'The Book of Henry' in 2017.

For her leading role in the film 'Music' by Sia, Maddie won a Raspberry Award - which means that certain critics found her acting the worst of the year. It must have been tough for the 18-year old to get the Razzie. What may have softened the blow, is that co-star Kate Hudson, an actress with way more experience, also got a Razzie for this film.

See the full list of the 2021 Razzies

All in all, the project Sia undertook with 'Music' appears to have been a failure. Maddie was cast to play a girl with autism, while she is neurotypical herself. Disability rights activists took issue with that choice, saying that the role should have gone to an autistic actor - a minority that deserves a place in Hollywood.

Pretty soon after the hangover from 'Music' came the release of 'The Fallout,' however. The teen drama premiered at the SXSW festival in March 2021 and got good reviews.

What's next? Steven Spielberg's version of 'West Side Story' in December 2021! It seems that stardom has just begun for Maddie Ziegler, and she's only 18!

Next: Millie Bobby Brown, teenager with a tremendous resume