With the release of her new album comes more controversy from this lady who has given alternative fans something to look forward to in stores worldwide. Her recent disclosure of her lesbianism despite two marriages and two children at the age of 34 is yet another add on to her already established reputation for shocking the world.

Sinead O'Connor was born December 8, 1966, in Dublin, Ireland as the third out of four children to an engineer father and a dressmaker mother, whom she claimed had abused her after her mother's death in a car crash in 1985. She was 8 when her parents separated, and the trauma was too much for her to bear. She began to run away from school and was subsequently arrested for shoplifting and sent to reform school. This, however, did not deter her interest to study music and she took up singing and piano at Dublin's college of music.

O'Connor's road begun when she sang Babra Streisand's “Evergreen” at a wedding and was discovered by Paul Byrne, drummer for In Tua Nua, a band which had very good relations with Irish stars U2. It was not long before Ensign Records took an interest in her, and at their request, she moved to London where she worked with U2 on the soundtrack to the 1986 film “The Captive”.

O'Connor's first LP, “The Lion and the Cobra”, was released in 1987. A mix of orchestral folk rock and dance pop ensured moderate sales which brought about curiosity from critcs who wanted to find out more about this young and striking new singer.

She first incurred the wrath of the public when she called U2's work “bombastic”. It was then followed by defending the IRA and firing her manager, which resulted in some decline in her popularity. But her attractive features coupled with a completely shaven head in an attempt to go against the “proper” appearances as dictated by her record label soon graced many major music magazines in 1990 when her cover of Prince's “Nothing Compares 2 U” made it to Number 1 in the U.S. for a month and topped charts around the world. The album which the track had come from, “I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got”, was just as well received by the public, making it a triple platinum chart topper. She later told the press that Prince had physically threatened her.

Perhaps one of the most controversial things which O'Connor has done was to tear up a picture of the Pope during her appearance on “Saturday Night Live” in 1992, shortly after the release of “Am I Not Your Girl”, a collection of torch songs. When she was scheduled to perform at a Madison Square Garden concert commemorating Bob Dylan two weeks after the programme was aired, she was loudly booed off the stage. She left crying.

O'Connor also had to face public attacks from Frank Sinatra after refusing to perform a scheduled New Jersey concert, attempted suicide and refused a “Saturday Night Live” performance when she heard that provocative comedian Andrew Dice Clay was hosting the show. Before she disclosed her lesbianism, she was ordained a Roman Catholic priest under a splinter group, to be known as Mother Bernadette Maria of the Order of Mater Dei.

Her religious upheaval has affected her latest album, which was released not too long ago. “Faith and Courage” has a strong air of spirituality, with O'Connor pleading audiences to accept what she is. Do not, however, mistake this plea for repentance. Her character remains strong and, as some may say, stubborn. She does not stray far from her rebellious streaks which has followed her since her early singing days.

Although her controversial public image have dampened her musical success, O'Connor's voice and melody remains surprisingly seductive. She is not your simple everyday pop star, no. And that in itself can be good. Or Bad. Depending.

Listen To -
No Man's Woman
Dancing lessons
Daddy I'm Fine
The Lamb's Book Of Life