Sinead O’Connor is finished with the record business. The singer announced her retirement in a series of tweets on Friday, much to the surprise of fans (and apparently, some of her own colleagues). O’Connor’s management confirmed the news to TheWrap.
The Irish singer-songwriter, known for her unique take on Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” that hit the top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1990, posted the news from her personal account, rather than her verified one. O’Connor prefaced the news by announcing that she had pulled out of doing anymore promotion for her new book “Rememberings.”
“Sorry to upset any1 but I pulled further book promo. 6 weeks so much excitement isn’t good for ageing, crazy, ladies such as me,” O’Connor wrote.
Later that afternoon, O’Connor went one step further, announcing her total retirement from making new music. She noted that planned releases will still come, but she won’t be touring or promoting them.
“This is to announce my retirement from touring and from working in the record business. I’ve gotten older and I’m tired,” O’Connor wrote. “So it’s time for me to hang up my nipple tassels, having truly given my all. NVDA in 2022 will be my last release. And there’ll be no more touring or promo.”
On Saturday, O’Connor addressed the matter again on Twitter, apologizing for “any upset caused to booking agents or promoters or managers due to my tweeting about my retirement.” She added that she didn’t want to wait for permission to make the announcement, and had been drinking a bit.
That said, O’Connor still wants to be a resource for others in the business. In fact, she already has an idea for what she’d like her next gig to be.
Returning to Twitter again on Sunday, O’Connor wrote that she has “always wanted to be one of the artists involved in presenting and mentoring on the The Voice of Ireland … But never was free to do it. Am now : ) So if they ever want me they can contact my managers : )”
O’Connor became the center of controversy in 1992 after an appearance on “Saturday Night Live” in which she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II while singing Bob Marley’s “War” a cappella. Her intention was to protest sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church, but condemnation was widespread and her career took a hard — if not fatal — hit.
“I’m not sorry I did it. It was brilliant,” she said of the backlash in a New York Times interview in May. “It was very traumatizing. It was open season on treating me like a crazy b—-.”