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In the days since Irish singer Sinead O’Connor’s untimely death on Wednesday (26 July) aged 56, numerous stories from her past have resurfaced, such as her 2013 letter to Miley Cyrus, which she published on her website.
After the release of her viral music video for her hit single “Wrecking Ball”, Cyrus (then-20 years old) told Rolling Stone magazine that she had been inspired by O’Connor’s accompanying visuals for “Nothing Compares 2 U” , released in 1990. In response, O’Connor wrote to Cyrus “in the spirit of motherliness and with love”, telling the young artist that it wasn’t “‘cool’ to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos” and that she was in fact being “pimped” by the music industry.
An excerpt of the letter has been posted below:
Dear Miley,I wasn’t going to write this letter, but today i’ve been dodging phone calls from various newspapers who wished me to remark upon your having said in Rolling Stone your “Wrecking Ball” video was designed to be similar to the one for “Nothing Compares” … So this is what I need to say … And it is said in the spirit of motherliness and with love.
I am extremely concerned for you that those around you have led you to believe, or encouraged you in your own belief, that it is in any way ‘cool’ to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos. It is in fact the case that you will obscure your talent by allowing yourself to be pimped, whether its the music business or yourself doing the pimping. Nothing but harm will come in the long run, from allowing yourself to be exploited, and it is absolutely NOT in ANY way an empowerment of yourself or any other young women, for you to send across the message that you are to be valued (even by you) more for your sexual appeal than your obvious talent.
I am happy to hear I am somewhat of a role model for you and I hope that because of that you will pay close attention to what I am telling you. The music business doesn’t give a s*** about you, or any of us. They will prostitute you for all you are worth, and cleverly make you think its what YOU wanted … and when you end up in rehab as a result of being prostituted, ‘they’ will be sunning themselves on their yachts in Antigua, which they bought by selling your body and you will find yourself very alone.
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