Sinead O'Connor is an Irish rock singer who has several well-known worldwide hits. Usually the genre in which she works is called pop-rock or alternative rock. The peak of her popularity was in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
However, even in recent years, many millions of people could sometimes hear her voice. After all, it was under the Irish folk song The Foggy Dew performed by the singer that MMA fighter Conor McGregor often went out (and, perhaps, will still go out) into the octagon.
Early years and first Sinead O'Connor albums
Sinead O'Connor was born on December 8, 1966 in Dublin (the capital of Ireland). She had a very difficult childhood. When she was 8 years old, her mother and father divorced. Then at some point she was expelled from the Catholic school. Then she got caught shoplifting. And for some time she was sent to a harsh educational and correctional institution "Magdalene's Shelter".
When the girl was 15 years old, Paul Byrne, the drummer of the Irish band In Tua Nua, drew attention to her. As a result, the singer began working with this group as the main vocalist. In particular, she took a very active part in the creation of the debut single of this group Take My Hand.
And in 1985, together with Edge (guitarist of U2), she recorded a song for the soundtrack to the Anglo-French film "Prisoner".
In addition, in the same 1985, Sinead lost her mother - she died in a car accident. The relationship between them was complex. But the singer's debut album The Lion And The Cobra (1987) was dedicated to her.
This album was very warmly received by critics and listeners. He quickly gained "platinum" status (that is, exceeded 1 million sales). Sinead O'Connor also received a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for this record.
And back in 1987, she cut her hair bald, because she did not want her bright appearance to distract from the song and music. And it was in this image that music lovers all over the world remembered her.
The legendary song Nothing Compares 2 U
Surprisingly, the second album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got became even more popular. And this album includes, perhaps, the main hit of the singer - Nothing Compares 2 U. It was released as a separate single in January 1990. And it is a cover version of a composition by such an artist as Prince (this composition was written by him back in 1984).
The single Nothing Compares 2 U made the charismatic Irish girl a world-famous star. And, of course, he was able to hit the top positions in many charts, including the Canadian Top Singles RPM, the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK UK Singles Chart.
I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got was a great album - no wonder it got four Grammy nominations. And in 2003, Rolling Stone magazine included it in its list of the top 500 best albums of all time. In general, about 8 million copies of it have been sold.
Sinead O'Connor from the very beginning of her musical career was prone to outrageous statements and actions. There were many scandals associated with her name. Perhaps the loudest of them occurred in February 1991.
The singer on the American show Saturday Night Live (where she was invited as a guest) tore up a photograph of the then Pope John Paul II in front of the cameras. This shocked the audience, against the singer "a huge wave" of public condemnation rose. As a result, she had to leave America and return to Dublin very upset, after which she disappeared from the sight of fans for some period.
Sinead O'Connor's further musical career
In 1992, the third studio LP Am I Not Your Girl? was presented. And it already sold much worse than the second one.
The fourth album of Universal Mother also failed to repeat its former success. He took only 36th position on the Billboard 200 charts. And this, of course, indicated a decrease in the popularity of the Irish rock diva.
Interestingly, the next studio album Faithand Courage was released only 6 years later, in 2000. It consisted of 13 tracks and was recorded by Atlantic Records. Moreover, other famous musicians helped the artist in recording - Wyclef Jean, Brian Eno, Scott Cutler and others. This album was very strong and melodic - many music critics spoke positively about it. And a lot of copies were sold - about 1 million copies.
But then everything was not so great. O'Connor released 5 more LPs. Each of them is interesting in its own way, but they still did not become world-class cultural events. The last of these albums was called I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss (2014).
Personal life of the artist
Sinead has been married four times. Her first husband was music producer John Reynolds, they got married in 1987. This marriage lasted 3 years (until 1990). From this marriage, the singer has a son, Jake (born in 1987).
In the first half of the 1990s, Sinead O'Connor met with Irish journalist John Waters (the official marriage never took place). They had a daughter named Roizin in 1996. And soon after her birth, the relationship between Sineida and John deteriorated. All this eventually resulted in a lengthy legal battle over who should become Roisin's guardian. John turned out to be the winner in them - his daughter stayed with him.
In mid-2001, O'Connor married journalist Nick Sommerlad. Officially, this relationship lasted until 2004.
And then the singer married on July 22, 2010 to an old friend and colleague Stephen Cooney. However, in the spring of 2011 they divorced.
Her fourth husband was the Irish psychiatrist Barry Herridge. They got married on December 9, 2011 at the famous chapel in Las Vegas. However, this union was even shorter - it broke up after only 16 days.
In addition to Roisin and Jake, the artist has two more children. Shane was born in 2004 and Yeshua Francis in 2006.
In July 2015, the singer became a grandmother - her first grandson was presented to her by her eldest son Jake and his beloved Leah.
Latest news about Sinead O'Connor
In 2017, many media outlets wrote about Sineida O'Connor after she posted a chaotic and emotional 12-minute video message to her Facebook account. In it, she complained about her depression and loneliness. The singer said that for the past two years she has been haunted by thoughts of suicide, that her family does not care about her. She also added that the only friend she currently has is her psychiatrist. A few days after this video, the artist was admitted to the hospital. And in general, everything worked out - the singer was saved from rash actions.
And in October 2018, the singer announced that she converted to Islam, and now she should be called Shuhada Dawitt. And in 2019, she performed in a closed dress and a hijab on Irish television - on The Late Late Show. It was her first public appearance in 5 years.
Finally, in November 2020, the singer tweeted that she plans to spend 2021 fighting her drug addiction. To do this, she will soon go to a rehabilitation clinic, where she will undergo a special annual course. As a result, all concerts scheduled for this period will be canceled and rescheduled.
Sinead O'Connor told "fans" that her new album would be released soon. In the summer of 2021, a book dedicated to her biography will be on sale.
