Irish singer Sinead O’Connor who was known for her beautiful voice and provocative actions through her fierce music has passed away at the age of 56.
The ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ singer rose to stardom in her mid-20s in the 1990s. Rock, folk, and hip-hop sounds were combined with the late singer’s beautiful voice to create evocative songs about heartbreak, personal trauma, politics, and sex.
Let’s take a look at
EARLY LIFE AND CAREER OF O’CONNOR
Sinead O’Connor, also known as Shuhada’ Sadaqat was born in December 1966. Unlike other singers, she rather had a life that was more than difficult.
Her parents split away and she was forced to live with her abusive mother who compelled her to shoplift. Sinéad, then 14 years old, was sentenced to 18 months of training at a facility that had formerly been one of Dublin’s notorious church-affiliated Magdalene laundries as a result of the theft.
O’Connor was miserable there, but she believed it had saved her life. She met a compassionate nun who gave her a “punk-rock parka” and her first guitar as gifts. This basic set gave O’Connor the idea that music could be her career; a decade later, her single Nothing Compares 2 U topped charts all over the world.
SINEAD O’CONNOR- AN EVOCATIVE AND OUTSPOKEN SINGER
The late singer rose to fame with a song by Prince called ‘Nothing Compare 2 U’ which turned out to be her biggest-selling single of 1990.
The video for the song featured an incredibly stunning O’Connor with her hair trimmed to within half an inch of her head, shedding actual tears. The song was written by Prince, but O’Connor’s rendition, showcased the clarity and expressiveness of her voice and was the one that would stand as the ‘definitive one’ and became one of the most popular singles of the year 1990.
Furthermore ‘I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got’, the parent album, sold 7 million copies and received four Grammy nominations. Although it was the pinnacle of a commercial career, rather than bringing her happiness, it plagued her.
I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got won the Album of the Year Award. Following this she received a standing ovation from the audience as she dedicated her award to “each and every member of Ireland’s refugee community”.
O’CONNOR – A SOCIAL ACTIVIST
O’Connor drew a lot of controversy during her long career in music and time in public life.
She used her platform of popularity to speak out against sexism in the music industry and a variety of other causes after being outraged by Catholic church corruption and calling for the arrest of pedophile church officials. She even tore up a portrait of Pope John Paul II while making an appearance on Saturday Night Live in 1992, setting off a furor among America’s sizable Catholic community.
In her 2021 memoir, “Rememberings,” she portrayed ripping up the photo of the Pope as a righteous act of protest.
PRESIDENT MICHAEL D HIGGINS LEADS TRIBUTES TO THE LATE SINGER
Irish President- Michael D Higgins paid his tributes to the late singer and commented how the country had lost an “extraordinary, unique and beautiful voice”.
Michelle O’Neill, vice president of Sinn Féin, grieved the demise of “one of the most powerful and successful singer, songwriter, and female artists in Ireland”.
Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan took to her social media and mourned the death of the singer.
