Sinead O’Connor is – in my opinion – one of the most brilliant vocal talents in my lifetime. Her debut album The Lion and the Cobra, released in 1987, was a masterpiece and critically acclaimed. Sinead became a household name after releasing a cover version of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” in 1990. Known to be direct, honest and out-spoken, Sinead was adamant about sharing the truth about the scandals of the Catholic church and the sexual abuse many suffered at their hands. On October 3, 1992 she appeared on Saturday Night Live in which she performed a capella version of Bob Marley’s “War”. During the performance, she held a photo of Pope John Paul II and tore it up and said “fight the real enemy” and threw the pieces into the camera. Sinead was brave enough to ‘out’ the Catholic church and one would think this would create dialogue to address the issues of pedophilia in the church. Instead, their was a huge backlash – Catholics around the world came together to destroy her cds and ‘pop radio’ turned their backs on her music. Interestingly enough – this scandal would rock the foundations of the Catholic church almost a decade later.
Society automatically ostracized Sinead for making a statement without fear, why? Was it because she was criticizing a religious institution? Was it because she was a very opinionated women and had conviction in her beliefs? Whatever the reason, it was evident that Sinead’s claims were correct and yet, she never lost faith in the holy spirit.
Sinead hasn’t disappeared – she has been quite busy since the huge commercial success of I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990). Since then, she has released the standards cover album Am I Not Your Girl (1992), the alternative rock album Universal Mother (1994), the fantastically under-rated and spiritual journey that is Faith and Courage (2000), the eclectic Sean-Nos Nua (2002) – which is a collection of traditional Irish songs, the reggae covers album Throw Down Your Arms (2005), the inspiring Theology (2007) and her current masterpiece How About I Be Me (And You Be You) (2012) (which is one of my favorite albums of 2012).
Here is a recent interview were Sinead talks about her personal life, religion, the SNL incident and her altercation with Prince – Skavlan 2013. The interview is very candid, honest and very enlightening for those who haven’t followed Sinead since her isolation from top 40 radio. Sinead is truly one of the most inspiring artists of my generation and her music has been pivotal in getting me through some really rough moments in my life. I am very grateful that the universe has given us such a great gift.
For more information – touring, discography, blog etc., please visit Sinead’s official website at: http://www.sineadoconnor.com/ You can purchase all Sinead O’Connors music via iTunes.
COALITION OF POSITIVE ENERGY 