Sinéad O'Connor

Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor (born December 8, 1966) is a critically-acclaimed, Irish pop music singer and songwriter. As well as her music, she is known for her unconventional appearance (she often has her head shaved) and controversial opinions.

Musical career

O'Connor's time as singer for Ton Ton Macoute brought her to the attention of the music industry and she was signed by Ensign Records. She also acquired an experienced manager, Fachtna O'Ceallaigh, former head of U2's Mother Records. Soon after she was signed she embarked on her first major project, providing the vocals for the song "Heroine", which she cowrote with U2's guitarist The Edge for the soundtrack to the film Captive. While she was building bridges she was also burning them. O'Ceallaigh, who had been fired by U2 for complaining about them in an interview, was outspoken with his comments about music and politics, and O'Connor began to do adopt the same habits, making controversial comments about the IRA and even directing negative remarks towards U2, who were admirers of her music.

Related Topics:
Ensign Records - Fachtna O'Ceallaigh - U2 - Mother Records - The Edge - Captive - IRA

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Things were contentious in the studio as well. She was paired with veteran producer Mick Glossop, whom she later derided as "a fucking old hippy". They had differing visions regarding her debut album and four months of recordings were scrapped. During this time she became pregnant by her session drummer John Reynolds (formerly of the band Transvision Vamp) and the record company pressured her to get an abortion. Thanks largely to the persuasion of O'Celallaigh, the record company allowed O'Connor, 20 years old and by then seven months pregnant, to produce her own album.

Related Topics:
Mick Glossop - Hippy - Pregnant - John Reynolds - Transvision Vamp - Abortion

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O'Connor's first two albums (1988's The Lion and the Cobra and 1990's I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got) gained considerable attention and mostly positive reviews. She was praised for her unique voice and her original songs. She was also noted for her appearance: her shaved head, angry expression, and sometimes shapeless or unusual clothing.

Related Topics:
1988 - The Lion and the Cobra - 1990 - I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got - Song

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I Do Not Want contained her biggest hit single, "Nothing Compares 2 U", a song written by Prince and arranged for her by him.

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In 1990 she joined many other guests for former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters' massive performance of The Wall in Berlin. (Later, in 1996 she guested on Broken China, a solo album by Richard Wright of Pink Floyd.)

Related Topics:
Pink Floyd - Roger Waters - The Wall - Berlin - 1996 - Broken China - Richard Wright

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In 1992 O'Connor released Am I Not Your Girl?, an album of standards and torch songs that she had grown up listening to. Her interpretations ran from sublime to overwrought to bizarre, and the record lost all the commercial momentum her career had built up until then.

Related Topics:
Am I Not Your Girl? - Standards - Torch song

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The 1993 soundtrack to film In the Name of the Father featured the popular "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart".

Related Topics:
1993 - In the Name of the Father

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1994's more conventional Universal Mother did not succeed in restoring her mass appeal. She toured with Lollapalooza in 1995, but dropped out when she became pregnant. O'Connor was replaced on the bill by Elastica.

Related Topics:
1994 - Universal Mother - Lollapalooza - Elastica

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Her 2002 album, Sean-Nós Nua, marked a departure in that O'Connor interpreted traditional Irish folk songs, including several in the Irish language.

Related Topics:
Sean-Nós - Traditional Irish folk - Irish language

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