Sinéad O’Connor

Sinéad O'Connor projected bravery through expansive creative output and resolute convictions. Her soprano voice, shifting between sharp intensity and gentle warmth, channeled early-life hardships into advocacy for others facing hardship. Emerging toward the close of the 1980s, the shaved-head presentation defied conventional femininity standards, yet her nonconformist stance extended well beyond appearance. The 1987 debut album The Lion and the Cobra, widely praised upon release, wove rock, hip-hop, and electronic pop elements around themes of sex, religion, and oppression that few peers addressed at the time. She wove personal grief and fury over racism, sexism, human rights abuses, and child abuse into the songs, setting her apart from contemporaries who largely avoided such territory. The emotional core behind her stirring rendition of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” drawn from the 1990 multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, traced back to her fraught bond with her mother, who had passed away earlier. At the height of commercial success in 1992, O’Connor denounced the Catholic Church’s concealment of sexual abuse incidents during a Saturday Night Live broadcast; although the resulting uproar limited later mainstream sales, it granted her greater creative latitude. She produced or co-produced her own releases, interpreting jazz standards on 1992’s Am I Not Your Girl?, crafting electronic reflections on 1994’s Universal Mother, honoring Irish heritage with 2002’s Sean-Nós Nua, and paying tribute to reggae on 2005’s Throw Down Your Arms, one of several Black musical traditions that shaped her sound. She revisited fervent pop on the well-received 2014 album I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss and published the best-selling 2021 memoir Rememberings, both underscoring her consistent dedication to personal honesty. By her death in 2023, O’Connor stood as a successor to the protest singers she respected and exerted considerable influence on later confessional, outspoken songwriters.

Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1966, O’Connor endured a frequently distressing childhood. Her parents separated when she turned eight, and she later stated that her mother, killed in a 1985 automobile accident, had subjected her to abuse. At fifteen, shoplifting and truancy resulted in an eighteen-month placement at the An Grianán Training Centre, where rigid schedules frustrated her even as a nun’s gift of a guitar and Bob Dylan songbook nurtured her songwriting and musicianship. Paul Byrne, drummer for In Tua Nua and brother of a volunteer at the center, heard O’Connor perform Barbra Streisand’s “Evergreen” and suggested her to the group. Although she co-wrote and recorded “Take My Hand” with In Tua Nua, the band deemed her too young for permanent membership. Undaunted, she played coffeehouses and placed a 1984 advertisement seeking compatible musicians; through that notice she connected with Colm Farrelly, forming the acoustic funk outfit Ton Ton Macoute. After leaving her studies at the Dublin College of Music, she secured a solo contract with Ensign Records and moved to London in 1985.

Under manager Fachtna Ó Ceallaigh, a U2 associate, O’Connor debuted on record with “Heroine,” a track she composed and performed alongside the Edge for the Captive film soundtrack. Dissatisfied with the initial Celtic-leaning production of her debut album, she discarded those tapes, assumed production duties, and recut the material to foreground alternative rock and hip-hop influences. The November 1987 release The Lion and the Cobra became one of the year’s most celebrated first albums, reaching number 27 on the U.K. Albums chart, number 36 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, and appearing on charts elsewhere. It earned gold certification in the U.K., U.S., and Netherlands, plus platinum status in Canada, and yielded the hit singles “Mandinka,” “Troy,” and “I Want Your (Hands on Me).” O’Connor received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. While promoting the record she sparked early controversy by defending IRA actions, comments she subsequently withdrew.

Capitalizing on The Lion and the Cobra’s reception, O’Connor contributed to The The’s 1989 album Mind Bomb and made her screen debut in that year’s Hush-a-Bye-Baby, for which she also supplied the score. Her follow-up, March 1990’s I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, emerged as a powerful work shaped by the end of her marriage to drummer John Reynolds. The global number-one single and video “Nothing Compares 2 U,” written by Prince, propelled the album to double-platinum status in the U.S. and U.K., quintuple platinum in Canada, and platinum certification in six additional countries; it topped charts in eighteen nations and established her as a major international figure. Although nominated for four Grammy Awards and winner of Best Alternative Music Performance, O’Connor declined the honors; she likewise skipped the Brit Awards when named International Female Solo Artist. Later in 1990 she joined Roger Waters’ Berlin staging of The Wall and appeared on the Red Hot Organization’s AIDS-benefit Cole Porter tribute Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter with her version of “You Do Something to Me.” Refusing to perform in New Jersey unless “The Star Spangled Banner” was omitted beforehand drew sharp public rebuke, including from Frank Sinatra, while her withdrawal from a Saturday Night Live episode featuring Andrew Dice Clay further fueled headlines.

O’Connor continued to surprise listeners with her third album, September 1992’s Am I Not Your Girl?, a set of mid-twentieth-century pop standards and torch songs that had first inspired her singing ambitions. Its stylistic departure produced divided reviews and reduced commercial impact compared with its predecessor, yet the album reached the U.K. Top Ten and attained gold certification in Britain and three other European markets. Shortly after its release she delivered her most polarizing gesture: tearing up a photograph of Pope John Paul II at the close of an October 1992 Saturday Night Live performance to protest child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. The backlash proved more severe than prior incidents, and two weeks later she faced boos at a Bob Dylan tribute concert held at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Following the uproar, O’Connor withdrew from public view for several months to study bel canto technique at Dublin’s Parnell School of Music before joining Peter Gabriel’s 1993 Secret World tour; she had also contributed vocals to his 1992 album Us. That year her composition “You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart” appeared on the In the Name of the Father soundtrack. Influenced by her vocal studies, she adopted a confessional stance on September 1994’s Universal Mother. The streamlined collection, featuring the single “Fire on Babylon” and a cover of Nirvana’s “All Apologies,” reached number 19 in the U.K. and number 36 in the U.S. and received gold certification in the U.K., Austria, and Canada. Videos for “Fire on Babylon” and “Famine” earned Grammy nominations for Best Short Form Music Video. Also in 1994 O’Connor performed in A Celebration: The Music of Pete Townshend and The Who, a pair of Carnegie Hall concerts organized by Roger Daltrey for his fiftieth birthday. She joined the Lollapalooza lineup the next year, contributed to Richard Wright’s 1996 album Broken China, portrayed the Virgin Mary in Neil Jordan’s The Butcher Boy, and issued the 1997 Gospel Oak EP, a gentle set centered on motherhood. She reunited with the Red Hot Organization for 1998’s Red Hot + Rhapsody: The Gershwin Groove, delivering “Someone to Watch Over Me.”

After signing with Atlantic, O’Connor issued her first album in six years, June 2000’s Faith and Courage, which addressed survival and catharsis with contributions from Wyclef Jean and Brian Eno. The record charted across Europe and reached number 55 in the U.S., earning some of her most favorable notices in years. October 2002’s Sean-Nós Nua reimagined traditional Irish material; it climbed to number three on the Irish charts and number one on the U.S. Top World Albums chart. Health concerns prompted a temporary retreat from intensive recording and touring. During the hiatus she recorded Dolly Parton’s “Dagger Through the Heart” for the 2003 tribute Just Because I’m a Woman: The Songs of Dolly Parton, appeared on Massive Attack’s 100th Window, and released She Who Dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High Shall Abide Under the Shadow of the Almighty, a 2003 collection of demos, unreleased tracks, and a late-2002 Dublin concert recording.

O’Connor resurfaced in October 2005 with Throw Down Your Arms, a selection of reggae classics by Burning Spear, Peter Tosh, and Bob Marley. Recorded at Kingston’s Tuff Gong and Anchor Studios with Sly & Robbie and issued on her own That’s Why There’s Chocolate and Vanilla label, the album reached number four on Billboard’s Top Reggae Albums chart. She began work on her next project in 2006; June 2007’s double album Theology juxtaposed spiritually oriented covers with original songs presented in both acoustic and full-band versions, reflecting post-9/11 global complexities. It charted in several European countries and peaked at number 15 on the Independent Albums chart in both the U.K. and U.S. That same year she supplied vocals for Ian Brown’s anti-war single “Illegal Attacks” and another track on The World Is Yours. In 2010 she collaborated with Mary J. Blige on a reworking of the Gospel Oak song “This Is to Mother You,” produced by A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad, with proceeds benefiting Girls Educational and Mentoring Services. Two years later “Lay Your Head Down,” from the Albert Nobbs soundtrack, earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song.

Her ninth album, February 2012’s How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?, presented candid yet frequently hopeful reflections on sexuality, religion, hope, and despair that some critics viewed as a return to strength. The record performed solidly across many European territories, reaching number 33 in the U.K. and number 115 in the U.S.; a limited edition incorporated excerpts from Dublin, London, and Reykjavík concerts. August 2014’s I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss drew inspiration from the “Ban Bossy” campaign associated with Lean In. Led by the single “Take Me to the Church,” the rock-oriented, melodic set built on prior momentum, topping the Irish charts while peaking at number 22 in the U.K. and number 83 in the U.S. That November O’Connor participated in Band Aid 30’s updated “Do They Know It’s Christmas?,” raising funds against the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.

In September 2019 O’Connor ended a five-year absence from live performance by singing “Nothing Compares 2 U” with the Irish Chamber Orchestra on Irish radio. The following October she released a cover of Mahalia Jackson’s “Trouble of the World” to support Black Lives Matter organizations. Her 2021 memoir Rememberings received acclaim as one of the year’s standout books for its wit and candor. A feature-length documentary, Nothing Compares, premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and won Best Feature Documentary at the 2023 Irish Film & Television Awards. Although she had been preparing a new album, grief following the 2022 death of her son Shane prompted cancellation of its release and scheduled shows. After issuing a version of the traditional “The Skye Boat Song” in February 2023, Irish broadcaster RTE presented her with the inaugural Classic Irish Album award for I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got at the RTE Choice Music Awards, which she dedicated to the Irish refugee community. O’Connor died in July 2023 at age 56.