Sinead O’Connor has voiced her outrage over her interview on the show ‘Woman’s Hour‘ aired on BBC Radio 4. The interview hosted by Emma Barnett was aired on 1st June 2021 and has since been labelled as “extremely offensive and even misogynistic” by the Irish singer who has also urged fans to boycott the show since the interview.
O’Connor was initially on the show to discuss her new memoir ‘Rememberings’, published on 1st June 2021, but the interview then took a turn in which angered the ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ singer. Within the interview, the host referenced a quote from an article within the newspaper The Telegraph. In the article music critic Neil McCormick had called the singer ‘The crazy lady in pop’s attic’.
The quote was brought up during a conversation regarding the singer’s public struggle with mental health issues, O’Connor took offensive to the discussion and appeared to deem it invasive. She also likened the comparison with the character Bertha Mason taken from the 1847 novel by Charlotte Bronte ‘Jane Eyre’. The singer responded to the quote stating “I think it’s a bit extreme to make the Jane Eyre comparison, I don’t think I’ve ever been perceived as ‘the crazy lady in pop’s attic’ as represented in Jane Eyre. It’s not like I’m trying to attack people with knives or trying to strangle people while I’m walking around in my nightdress.”
The singer then took to Twitter after the interview to voice her outrage.
Actually found the interview with @Emmabarnett extremely offensive and even misogynistic. One abusive and invalidating question or statement after another: “madwoman in the attic” At that point I should have ended it. I will absolutely never do Women’s hour again.
— Sinead O’Connor (Shuhada Sadaqat) (@MagdaDavitt77) June 1, 2021
The singer has recently changed her name to Shuhada Sadaqat after converting to Islam in 2018 but has kept Sinead O’Connor has her stage name and continues to record under it. She rose to fame within the late 1980s and early 1990’s when she released her famous cover of the classic Prince song ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’. The single was released on 8th January 1990 when the singer was in her early 20’s, the song debuted at number one and became hugely successful.
The 54-year-old artist then caused controversy during a performance on Saturday Night Live on 3rd October 1992. O’Connor took to the stage and performed an a cappella rendition of ‘War’ by Bob Marley, the cover was to be in protest against the alleged sexual abuse claims within the Catholic church. The singer then presented a picture of Pope John Paul ii and proceeded to tear the picture whilst singing to the camera.
The incident has remained synonymous with controversy and has followed O’Connor throughout her career and life. The singer has recently announced that she will be releasing her first album in eight years. The album entitled ‘No Veterans Die Alone‘, is set to be released in 2022.
Since the interview O’Connor also posted on Twitter to apologise for a comment she made in which she compared herself to Jamaican men. The singer had spoken about how she has four children with four different men, during this comment the singer made the comparison in question.
Also, apologies if I accidentally offended Jamaican men. I was referring to specific friends of mine in the music business. Jamaican people are my favourite people on this earth and Jamaican male musicians my biggest inspiration. https://t.co/4S9cT9X1An — Sinead O’Connor (Shuhada Sadaqat) (@MagdaDavitt77) June 1, 2021
The host of Woman’s hour Barnett has yet to comment on O’Connor’s disgust expressed over the interview. However, a spokesperson from the BBC has provided a statement to Radiotimes concerning the disagreement. “During an interview about her new book, Sinead O’Connor was talking about her mental health and was asked what she made of a comment by a music critic reviewing her book in recent days.”
Click here to listen to the show on BBC Radio 4.
Click here to order ‘Rememberings’.
