Sia blames bipolar disorder on pot-smoking at 13: 'I f---ed my brain up'

Australian singer-songwriter Sia gave a rare interview to American radio host Howard Stern in which she linked her bipolar disorder to smoking marijuana.

The reclusive 'Chandelier' singer, who refuses to show her face in performances, claimed that smoking "too much pot" from the age of 13 "f---ed my brain up". Listen to her surprisingly candid interview in the clip above.

The Adelaide-born songstress, full name Sia Furler, also revealed that her father's dissociative identity disorder impacted her upbringing. Sia's father, guitartist Phil B Colson, had dual personalities: kindly Phil and tortured Stan.

However, she refuses to blame her parents for her problems. Sia says she "didn't know who I was until three-and-a-half years ago" when she realised she was an alcoholic.

The 38-year-old has previously talked about her battles with depression and alcohol and drug addiction, which intensified after her boyfriend Dan was run over and killed by a taxi in London back in 1998.

In a recent interview with the New York Times, Sia revealed she couldn't get through live shows without alcohol and became addicted to antidepressants and painkillers like Xanax and OxyContin following her bipolar II diagnosis.

In 2010, Sia ordered "two of everything", except for meth and heroin, from a drug dealer, and wrote a suicide note. A friend intervened and she began a 12-step program.

Now based in LA, Sia is one of the most in-demand songwriters around, writing hits for Rihanna, Beyonce, Katy Perry and Madonna. Her sixth studio album 1000 Forms of Fear is out July 8.

Sia recently got engaged to US filmmaker Erik Anders.

Watch Sia's performance on Ellen from May:

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