“You hadn’t the guts to support her when she was alive,” Morrisey exposes industry for fake and empty Sinead O’Connor tribute.
In a world that often silences the voices of the wounded, Sinead O’Connor used her music as a megaphone for her pain, her passion, and her protest. The world is now mourning the loss of this powerhouse vocalist, known for her raw emotion and unapologetic honesty, who was found unresponsive at her home in south-east London on Wednesday.
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O’Connor, who was propelled to international stardom in 1990 with her version of Prince’s hit ballad Nothing Compares 2 U, was more than just a pop star. She was a beacon of authenticity in an industry often marred by artifice. In a haunting final interview, filmed before her shock death, O’Connor revealed that she did not get into music for fame, but as a form of therapy.
“There was no therapy when I was growing up, so the reason I got into music was therapy. Which is why it was such a shock for me to become a pop star. It’s not what I wanted. I just wanted to scream,” she said.
O’Connor’s childhood was marked by physical abuse at the hands of her mother, who died in a car crash in 1985. At the age of 15, she was placed in a Magdalene asylum for shoplifting and truancy. Despite these hardships, or perhaps because of them, O’Connor found solace in music.
“Everybody in music has a story in terms of their upbringing, or where they came from or what they went through,” she said. “You know there is something they need to get off their chest, and perhaps we all need a bit of love and affection that we didn’t get anywhere else, but we get by making music.”
Despite her incredible music success, O’Connor always wanted to be a protest singer rather than a pop star and over the years she became well-known for being outspoken about her social and political views. She was not only ahead of her time, but courageous and unwavering. Her authenticity, her boldness, and her distilled vision about what mattered most cut through the noise and reached people, particularly people with hearts that were open.
However, not all reactions to O’Connor’s death have been of mourning. Singer Morrissey, known for his role in the classic band The Smiths, has lashed out at the outpouring of tributes to O’Connor, implying that they are from fake friends.
Morrisey Is Right…
In the wake of Sinead O’Connor’s death, while many in the music industry have been mourning and paying tribute to the late singer, Morrissey, the frontman of The Smiths, has expressed skepticism over the sincerity of these tributes. In a fiery blog post, he criticized those who are now hailing O’Connor as an “icon” or “legend,” accusing them of failing to support her while she was alive. “She had only so much ‘self’ to give,” Morrissey wrote. “She was dropped by her label after selling 7 million albums for them. She became crazed, yes, but uninteresting, never. She had done nothing wrong. She had proud vulnerability…and there is a certain music industry hatred for singers who don’t ‘fit in’… and they are never praised until death – when, finally, they can’t answer back.”
Morrissey further called out the media and music executives for their role in pushing O’Connor to her limits. “The press will label artists as pests because of what they withhold…and they would call Sinead sad, fat, shocking, insane…oh but not today!” he continued. “Music CEOs who had put on their most charming smile as they refused her for their roster are queuing-up to call her a ‘feminist icon,’ and 15 minute celebrities and goblins from hell and record labels of artificially aroused diversity are squeezing onto Twitter to twitter their jibber-jabber…when it was YOU who talked Sinead into giving up…because she refused to be labelled, and she was degraded, as those few who move the world are always degraded.” Morrissey’s remarks serve as a stark reminder of the harsh realities faced by artists who dare to be different, and a call to action for the industry to do better.
Rest In Peace, Sinead.
As the world grapples with the loss of this extraordinary artist, it’s important to remember O’Connor for who she truly was: a woman who turned her pain into powerful music, a voice for the voiceless, and a force to be reckoned with. Her music and her activism touched people deeply in nearly every country in the world. She was not only ahead of her time, but courageous and unwavering.
Sinead O’Connor’s legacy will live on in her music, her activism, and in the hearts of those she touched with her raw and honest artistry. As we mourn her passing, let us also celebrate her life and the indelible mark she left on the world. Nothing compares to you, Sinead.