Sinéad O'Connor

Born in Dublin in 1966 and dying in London in 2023, Sinéad O'Connor rose to prominence from the mid-1980s with a forthright songwriting style and a voice that could move from restraint to wrenching intensity. First noticed as part of the group Ton Ton Macoute, she later recorded “Heroine” with The Edge before launching her solo career with The Lion and the Cobra in 1987, an album combining alternative rock, taut pop and Celtic inflections. Her second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990), expanded her audience further, notably through her rendition of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” written by Prince. The rest of Sinéad O'Connor’s discography traces a mobile trajectory: standards reinterpreted on Am I Not Your Girl? (1992), intimate songwriting on Universal Mother (1994), more produced pop-rock on Faith and Courage (2000), traditional Irish repertoire on Sean-Nós Nua (2002), reggae on Throw Down Your Arms (2005) and a spiritual vein on Theology (2007). Over the years she also collaborated with The The, Peter Gabriel, Massive Attack and Ian Brown, while remaining connected to rock, folk, acoustic and politically engaged scenes, maintaining a constant interplay between private expression, Irish heritage and public stance.