Reclusive Australian singer Sia features in the April issue of Interview magazine. She talks with Kristen Wiig (who performed with Maddie Ziegler to “Chandelier” at the Grammys). They discuss about a handful of subjects but at least half of the interview involves Sia’s blond, bobbed wig shtick. The whole editorial shoot (you can see it here) depicts the wig in various scenarios. I’ve talked before about Sia’s genius songwriting skills and her eccentric ways. Fans of her music are used to the backwards wig by now and don’t question it. Sia must feel the heat because she justifies her wig in several different ways. Sia starts off by saying she based the bob on the idea of Amy Winehouse as “the bouffant.” Then all these other reasons pop up:

The wig = privacy: “People say, ‘Enough of this sh*t where she doesn’t show her face,’ and ‘It’s a gimmick.’ I have nothing to lose. But of course I want to be loved. So when people say, ‘Show your face, you’re not ugly.’ I want to say, ‘I know. I’m not doing it because I think I’m ugly; I’m trying to have some control over my image. And I’m allowed to maintain some modicum of privacy. But also I would like not to be picked apart or for people to observe when I put on ten pounds or take off ten pounds or I have a hair extension out of place or my fake tan is botched.’ Most people don’t have to be under that pressure, and I’d like to be one of them. I don’t want to be followed by paparazzi. I don’t go on Twitter. Because when people say things like, I don’t know, ‘I hope you get cancer and die,’ it hurts my feelings. I want you to be entertained. I want you to get the full package. I’d just rather it not center around whether or not I have cellulite.”

The wig = longevity: “I’m 39, and I would like to be able to make great pop music for another 20 years. And it feels like creating a sort of inanimate blond bob and allowing other people to play the role of the pop singer, it affords me a little bit more freedom in terms of my expiration date.”

The wig = a money saver: “I’ll just have to keep trying to do it. Because my ego could definitely get in the way. You know, I made a mistake. I went to parties on Oscar night and I didn’t hide my face. And then I realized that it’s work. What was I thinking? I could have dinner with these people at their houses, but anywhere you go now where there’s a camera, it’s actually work. I was excited because I got invited to these big, fancy parties. And then you realize, ‘If I’m going to go, I’m going to need to get a tan. I’m going to need to have my roots done. I’m going to have extensions, probably. I’m going to get a stylist for sure. I’m going to have to work out five times that week with Jennifer Aniston’s trainer.’ This is commerce and I’m $5,000 in the hole just to go to a party. So it was a great learning experience. That is not what I’m going to be doing in the future. But it’s funny to hear people in the biz say, ‘Oh, it’s nice you showed your pretty face.’ You, of all people, should know. You can’t even leave the house. I need to go to a meeting, a 12-step meeting, and then, like, hang out with a bunch of really f***ing major weirdoes. That’s what I need.”

[From Interview]

Sia goes on to discuss her belief in aliens and mermaids/Daryl Hannah, but she’s scared of the government possibly working with aliens. So she thinks about dogs instead. Good plan.

The whole wig thing … I understand that the wig is Sia’s security blanket in many ways. There’s a lot of anxiety within her words. I love how she talks about the stress of going to industry parties and how there’s so much prep time and money involved. We don’t hear celebrities discuss that stuff often enough. She feels like she made a mistake showing her face on Oscars night, which is where I get confused. Sia hid her face on Oscar night for at least one shindig. Here are photos of Sia at the Vanity Fair party. Her new husband, Erik Anders, still seems amused by her wig routine.

Photos courtesy of Gregory Harris/Interview & WENN