Sinéad O'Connor opens up on struggle with identity and fame in doc preview
Nothing Compares comes to Sky Documentaries and Now this weekend, following the sad passing of the iconic singer.
Kathryn Ferguson's critically acclaimed Sinéad O'Connor documentary Nothing Compares comes to Sky Documentaries and Now this weekend, unfortunately just days after the sad passing of the iconic singer.
After a brief cinematic release in 2022, Nothing Compares received over thirty award nominations internationally and charts O’Connor’s phenomenal rise to worldwide fame, including how her iconoclastic personality resulted in her exile from the pop mainstream.
In a brand new clip of the film, we see how O'Connor's defiant protest at the 1989 Grammys earned her the respect of peers and people worldwide after she shaved the Public Enemy logo onto her head to protest the rap category not being televised at the ceremony.
O'Connor's performance was also her first ever public prime-time TV appearance and she was also nominated for female rock vocal performance.
In the clip, Chuck D, rapper in Public Enemy, spoke about O'Connor's "admirable" action of putting their logo on her head, stating that "she seriously has issues with this and that's what's going to drive her artistry, she's committed to that".
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But O'Connor also opens up in the clip, being heard saying: "In one way, I loved it. Obviously, I was very a young woman and you kind of fantasise about being famous. In another way, I was frightened by it."
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She said: "What maybe was different for me was the timing of the success thing, it meant that I suddenly had this identity. I didn't feel like it was really me. To be honest, I also had very little self-esteem and I couldn't understand why anyone liked my records."
Watch the full clip below:
Speaking about the motivations for wanting to make a documentary about O'Connor, Ferguson told RadioTimes.com before her death: "I grew up in Belfast during the '80s and '90s. In 1992, when the backlash against Sinéad began, I was a pre-teen schoolgirl and passionate fan. Sinéad had been playing on MTV constantly, then she just kind of vanished."
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She continued: "It showed me: here's somebody that's amazing and incredible, and she's been dismissed and reduced to the point where I can't see her any more. What does that say to a young woman? For me, as a young Belfast girl, it was just demoralising. And it left an emotional dent on me."
Following the news of O'Connor's death, Sky issued a statement, saying: “Following the deeply sad news of the passing of Sinéad O’Connor, Nothing Compares will be available from Saturday 29th July on Sky Documentaries and NOW as previously announced and will air on Sky Showcase and Sky Arts at 9pm. Our condolences are with her family, friends, and millions of fans around the world.”
Nothing Compares will be released on Sky Documentaries and Now on Saturday 29th July – you can sign up for Sky TV here.
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