Sinead O'Connor wrote Miley Cyrus 'empowering' letter 10 years before her death

At the age of 56, Sinead O’Connor sadly passed away on July 26, 2023. The Irish singer, musician, and political activist rose to fame in 1990 for her song Nothing Compares 2 U, written and composed by Prince. Over the course of her career, Sinead, who changed her name to Shuhada’ Sadaqat in 2018 after converting to Islam, released 10 studio albums.

Speaking of Sinead on Channel 4 News, Irish broadcaster and music journalist Dave Fanning said that the musician was “completely and absolutely one of a kind,” and “her own person.” A decade prior to Sinead’s untimely death, she wrote an “empowering” open letter to American singer Miley Cyrus.

Sinead O’Connor writes open letter to Miley Cyrus

In 2013, Sinead O’Connor wrote an open letter to Miley Cyrus.

The letter came after the Flowers singer said that the music video for her song, Wrecking Ball, was “inspired” by Sinead’s Nothing Compares 2 U video.

After multiple news outlets contacted Sinead for comment on Miley’s comparison, she decided to write an open letter and publish it on her website, sineadoconnor.com, writes The Mirror.

Sinead’s letter to Miley goes viral

When Sinead wrote her open letter to Miley Cyrus, she was 46 years old and the The Climb singer was 20.

Following the tragic news of Sinead’s death in 2023, the open letter has gone viral online, 10 years after it was written.

Sinead’s letter to Miley began:

“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.”

The late singer-songwriter voiced her “concerns” over scenes in the Wrecking Ball music video and warned Miley of “exploitation” in the music industry.

Sinead’s letter detailed the importance of female “empowerment.” She urged Miley to consider her impact as a “role model” given that she is a “female in the industry.”

She wrote: “I would be encouraging you to send healthier messages to your peers … that they and you are worth more than what is currently going on in your career.”

Fans pay tribute to Irish ‘legend’

As people around the world learn of Sinead O’Connor’s passing, many are hailing the late musician a “legend.”

Others said that they “only just discovered” Sinead’s open letter to Miley Cyrus. Twitter users described it as “wonderful,” “insightful,” and “to the point.”

More agreed that the letter shared “an important message to all women and girls.”

The Irish singer was a global activist throughout her career who described herself as a “protest singer.”

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