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Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor (8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer and musician. She was born December 8, 1966, in Dublin, Ireland. After a difficult childhood (her parents divorced early on and her mother was frequently abusive), O'Connor was sent to reform school after being caught shoplifting. Her music career began when she was "discovered" by the drummer of the popular Irish band In Tua Nua and co-wrote their hit song "Take My Hand." Before finishing school, O'Connor ran away to Dublin, where she sang and played guitar on the street and in pubs and worked for a singing telegram service. While performing with a Dublin band called Ton Ton Macoute, O'Connor caught the attention of the two owner-managers of a small London record label called Ensign Records. Ensign released her debut album, The Lion and the Cobra, late in 1987. Critics lauded O'Connor's powerful and expressive voice and noted the complexity of her songs, even while acknowledging their decidedly uncommercial nature. Though it had no major hit singles, the album eventually sold over 500,000 copies and went platinum. With the 1990 release of O'Connor's second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, the baldheaded singer-songwriter became an international star. Driven by the phenomenal success of the smash hit single "Nothing Compares 2 U" (a once-obscure song written by Prince and first recorded by a band called the Family), the album shot to the top of the Billboard charts and nabbed O'Connor four Grammy Award nominations including Best Album, Best Song, Best Female Vocalist, and Best Alternative Album. The video for "Nothing Compares 2 U" won the MTV Award for Video of the Year, and O'Connor was named Artist of the Year in 1991 by Rolling Stone. Her next two albums, Am I Not Your Girl? (1992) and Universal Mother(1994), made far less of an impact either critically or commercially. Soon, however, O'Connor became famous for her controversial public outbursts, beginning in 1989 when she announced her support for the radical Irish Republican Army (IRA); she retracted the statement one year later. She again made headlines in 1990 when she refused to appear onstage in New Jersey if "The Star-Spangled Banner" were played before the concert. In 1991, O'Connor boycotted the Grammy ceremony and refused her award for Best Alternative Album, maintaining that her absence was a protest against the extreme commercialism of the Grammy Awards. Even more publicity surrounded a 1992 performance by O'Connor on Saturday Night Live, during which she tore up a photograph of Pope John Paul II, denouncing the Catholic Church as "the real enemy." Despite her contempt for the clerical hierarchy, O'Connor maintained she was a Catholic and devoutly spiritual.
Known For
Credits
- 2024 · Sinéad O'Connor at the BBC as Self (archive material)
- 2024 · Sinéad as Self
- 2024 · Sinéad as self
- 2022 · Nothing Compares as Self
- 2020 · The Busk - A Decade of Christmas on Grafton Street as Herself
- 2020 · Citizens Of Boomtown: The Story of the Boomtown Rats as Herself
- 2015 · The Irish Rock Story: A Tale of Two Cities as Self
- 2015 · Irish Rock at the BBC as Self
- 2014 · Meteor Choice Music Prize 2014 as Nominee
- 2010 · Music as Self
- 2008 · Sinéad O'Connor - Theology (Live & Accoustic) as Herself
- 2007 · The Graham Norton Show as Self
- 2004 · Top of the Pops: 40th Anniversary 1964 - 2004 as Self (archive footage)
- 2003 · Sinéad O'Connor Live as
- 2003 · Kinky Gerlinky as Self
- 2003 · Sinead O'Connor - Goodnight, Thank You. You've Been a Lovely Audience as Herself
- 2002 · Greatest Hits of the 70's & 80's as Self (archive footage)
- 2000 · The Beatles Revolution as Self
- 2000 · Gael Force as
- 1999 · Rove as Self
- 1998 · The Righteous Babes as Self
- 1998 · A Song for Eurotrash as Self - Special Guest
- 1998 · The Butcher Boy as Our Lady/Colleen
- 1997 · The Best of Sessions at West 54th: Vol. 1 as Self
- 1997 · Behind the Music as Self
- 1997 · The View as Self - Guest
- 1997 · The Great Hunger: The Life and Songs of Shane MacGowan as Self
- 1994 · A Celebration: The Music of Pete Townshend and The Who as Self
- 1993 · Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration as
- 1992 · Wuthering Heights as Emily Bronte (uncredited)
- 1992 · Terry Wogan's Friday Night as Self
- 1992 · Hush-a-Bye Baby as Sinéad
- 1991 · The Ghosts of Oxford Street as Ann of Oxford Street
- 1991 · Two Rooms: A Tribute to Elton John & Bernie Taupin as Self - Guest
- 1991 · Sinéad O'Connor - The Year of the Horse as Self
- 1990 · Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter as Self
- 1990 · Stars 90 as self
- 1990 · Roger Waters: The Wall—Live in Berlin as Self - Vocals
- 1989 · Sinéad O'Connor: The Value of Ignorance as Self
- 1984 · MTV Video Music Awards as Self
- 1980 · Verstehen Sie Spaß? as Self
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self - Musical Guest
- 1972 · A Kettle of Colour as Self - Musician
- 1964 · Top of the Pops as Self