Sia To Quit Music

The star - full name Sia Furler - has collaborated with artists including Christina Aguilera, Zero 7 and Beck, and she is preparing to launch her fourth record, We Are Born, in June (10).

But Furler admits she has seen the negative side of fame, including a "stalker" and the dissection of her bisexuality in the press, and the attention sent her into a downward spiral of panic attacks and depression.

She tells Britain's The Times, "When I was outed by Perez Hilton as bisexual, I suddenly started being asked a lot of personal questions, which was really difficult. I'd had a relationship with a woman when I was 20, but nobody cared then. As it came at the same time as my fame, it made me withdraw, and I started to have panic attacks. It was then that I was prescribed antidepressants - fame made me develop a panic disorder."

Furler is adamant she "won't need" to take her medication if she is out of the spotlight and has resolved to step behind the scenes and carve out a career as a songwriter instead - citing troubled stars Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse as examples of the damage fame can cause.

She adds, "Sure, there are advantages (to fame): I can Tweet someone famous and they'll usually Tweet back; I get given free stuff, but I can afford to buy it myself.

"It's no wonder Britney Spears was diagnosed as bipolar. Amy Winehouse wasn't doing crack and heroin until she became successful. And then there's Heath Ledger... People aren't honest about the horrors of fame. The downsides are so overwhelming that, for me, there is no payoff.

"Now my dream is to write songs for others, to have a baby, to have a routine... I want a normal job. I want to be who I was before all this."