A Bite of Sinéad O'Connor 🍪
The rebellious visionary and outspoken advocate for the marginalized
Monday Bites are bite-sized musician spotlights & playlists by Grace Lilly.
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• 3 min read •
“She spoke truth to power, always.”
Before I knew anything about Sinéad O'Connor, I was told I would love her. She was my kind of person: real, caring, outspoken, and a little weird.
With her signature buzzed head and nothing can stop me energy, Sinéad was (and still is) a real icon of individuality and courage.
She sang songs with an immediate emotional depth and used her platform to speak out about injustice. “Her mission in life was for the world to be a better place for everybody.” Sinéad was a true activist, addressing difficult issues like racism, child abuse, sexism, and mental health.
“I don't do anything in order to cause trouble. It just so happens that what I do naturally causes trouble. I'm proud to be a troublemaker.”
Sinéad wasn’t afraid to do the right thing, even when it meant facing backlash. It’s no wonder she’s a hero to so many — her fans are some of the most impassioned in the world, including (now) yours truly.
Sinéad O’Connor
The basics
🤝 Irish singer, songwriter, and activist
🤝 b. 1966 (Dublin, Ireland) - d. 2023 (London, England)
🤝 An icon of individuality and symbol of resistance
Why you should know her: A trailblazing artist who challenged societal norms and pushed boundaries, Sinéad O’Connor crafted songs with emotional depth and an ethical conscience; her activism and refusal to be silenced made her a role model for many around the world
If you like
✨ Chappell Roan
✨ Kate Bush
✨ The Cranberries
✨ Boygenius
✨ Fiona Apple
✨ Patti Smith
Known for
🏆 Her powerful, wide vocal range and ability to make listeners feel the intensity of her lyrics
🏆 Blending alternative rock, pop, folk, soul, jazz, and reggae
🏆 Openly discussing her spiritual journey and socio-political viewpoints
🏆 Her iconic shaved head and her style, a strong mix of punk and grunge
🏆 Working to destigmatize mental illness
🏆 Drawing attention to issues like child abuse, human rights, racism, and women's rights
Bite-sized facts
🍪 The third of five children, she suffered physical and emotional abuse from her mother, who taught her to steal from the collection plate at Mass and from charity tins
🍪 After being caught shoplifting at 15, spent 18 months at an institution for girls with behavioral problems; started developing her writing and music there
🍪 Growing up, she idolized Muhammad Ali and would later named her son Shane after him (his middle name was Ali)
🍪 At 17, formed her own band, Ton Ton Macoute; got positive reviews thanks to Sinéad’s singing and stage presence
🍪 Got her first solo record deal at 18; her first album The Lion and the Cobra was described as “a sensation”
🍪 Shaved her head at 20 years old as an act of defiance against the music industry's commodification of femininity and traditional beauty standards
“They wanted me to grow my hair really long and wear miniskirts and all that kind of stuff because [record executives] reckoned I’d look much prettier. So I went straight round to the barber and shaved the rest of my hair off.”
🍪 Had her international breakthrough with her Prince-penned hit “Nothing Compares 2 U” from her second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
🍪 Famously ripped up a photo of the pope during an SNL performance in protest of child abuse within the Catholic Church
🍪 Converted to Islam in 2018 and adopted the name Shuhada' Sadaqat; continued to perform and record under her birth name
🍪 In 2023, Phoebe Bridgers wrote a tribute essay to O’Connor in Rolling Stone, praising her integrity; and later that year, Boygenius released a cover of “The Parting Glass” as a tribute to her
🍪 Was married 4 times and had 4 children: Jake, Roisin, Shane, and Yeshua
Songs & dates
♫ 1987 Releases “Troy,” “I Want Your (Hands on Me),” and “Mandinka” as singles off her debut album The Lion and the Cobra; gets nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
♫ 1990 “Nothing Compares 2 U” is honored as the top world single of the year at the Billboard Music Awards, from her album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got which becomes her biggest commercial success
♫ 1992 “Success Has Made a Failure of Our Home” reaches No. 20 on the Billboard Alternative chart, off her certified gold album, Am I Not Your Girl?
♫ 1994 The music videos for singles “Fire on Babylon” and “Famine” are nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video, from her certified gold fourth album, Universal Mother
♫ 2000 Releases the single “No Man’s Woman,” from certified gold album Faith and Courage, which featured contributions from Wyclef Jean and Dave Stewart of Eurythmics
She said
⭐ “If I hope for anything as an artist, it’s that I inspire certain people to be who they really are. My audiences seem to be people who have been given a hard time for being who they are.”
⭐ “I don't think God judges anybody. He loves everybody equally.”
⭐ “I think there's a difference between God and religion.”
⭐ “They tried to bury me, they didn't realize I was a seed.”
Sinéad O’Connor Playlist
I gathered my fav Sinéad songs, from me to you with love. Like & save on Spotify and listen all week 💗
Where to start
Her first hit song
Sinéad performs “Mandinka” at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards in 1989, where she was nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.
(She painted the logo of hip hop group Public Enemy on the side of her head to protest the first-ever Best Rap Performance award being non-televised.)
〰️
“I knew there would be an aftermath”
Watch Sinéad’s famous 1992 SNL performance, in which she tore up a photograph of Pope John Paul II to protest against the prolific sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church, nearly a decade before the world became fully aware of it.
〰️
An early interview
24-year-old Sinéad talks to Arsenio Hall about the music industry, conformity, and standing up for what you believe in
Down the rabbit hole
If you wanna dive even deeper:
Nothing Compares (2022)
Rated 99% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, this 2022 Sundance Film Festival selected documentary follows the career of singer Sinéad O'Connor through her rise to fame and how her iconoclastic personality led to her exile from the pop mainstream.
Watch on Youtube, Youtube TV, or Amazon.
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Very well-covered retrospective.