And as news breaks of the reluctant Irish pop star’s death at the age of 56, Kiwis from the New Zealand music industry have reflected on that performance and the ethereal, controversial talent that was Sinéad O’Connor.
Former Herald entertainment writer and editor of music magazine Rip It Up, Scott Kara, recalls, “She was ahead of her time – brave, beautiful, a***-kicking music. My sister and I had the tape of The Lion and the Cobra and played it endlessly. Mandinka was my favourite. Then came I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got which had Nothing Compares 2 U on it. It wasn’t so much about the song, but her performance of it – stunning.”
Recalling her 2015 performance at Womad which saw her sing, allegedly for the first time in 15 years, her smash hit Nothing Compares 2 U, reviewers noted her spirit, her dog collar and the duck that stole her attention just two verses in.
Sinead O’Connor at Womad 2015 in NZ: ‘Utterly mesmerising’
A review from the Northern Advocate recounts that O’Connor gave “a spirited and emotional set that covered much of her career”.
But the real highlight was an attempted revival of Nothing Compares, which the reviewer understood O’Connor had stopped performing until that moment because she claimed it was “no longer relevant”.
“When she started the song as her final encore I felt we were in for a real treat. However, it was obvious she hadn’t done it for so long and she gave up after a couple of verses, distracted by the ducks swimming in the lake in front of the main stage. Then she was off with a thank you and good night.”
A Herald review by Graham Reid also noted the ducks - as well as a dog collar and a crucifix.
“Barefoot, in a dog collar and wearing a large crucifix, she was in excellent form. She opened with John Grant’s Queen of Denmark, mostly flicked into songs from her new Bossy/Boss album which seemed unfamiliar to the huge audience and was clearly enjoying herself. She closed with a lovely solo version of Streetcars before bringing her band back for the much-anticipated Nothing Compares 2 U. She got through two verses, was distracted by a duck on the pond before her, burst out laughing and called it a night. Still, a real high point,” wrote Reid.
Canvas editor Sarah Daniell was at Womad in 2015, and vividly remembers feeling “a sense of awe” when O’Connor took to the stage.
“Here was this almost mythical creature in bare feet,” she tells the Herald.
“Bare feet, bare, beautiful head. People often talk about an artist’s stage show, in terms of bells and whistles, fireworks and props. But she needed nothing. There was a startling minimalism about her performance. She just commanded your attention. We were far away, not close to the stage, but I could see she wore a dog collar and a crucifix. Her voice was extraordinary - it soared and stopped you in your tracks. Powerful and pure. She was utterly mesmerising and yet she had an almost gentle presence.
“When she finally sang Nothing Compares, I remember hearing her falter and wondering what was going on and everyone realised a duck had appeared on stage from the lake and it waddled around, and suddenly Sinead sort of unravelled in humour and did this little dance. The duck stole the show really because she stopped singing the song, called time - not impetuously but I mean, what else could she do. She left the stage and that was it and she was gone.”
Daniell reflects that “Back then, I had no idea [of] the scale of her struggle. I do now and it’s deeply sad that the way the media portrayed her had defined how many in the world saw her. She was ahead of her time.
“But looking back on that moment, sitting on a grassy bank among a crowd that clearly revered her, it has an even deeper significance. I will treasure it forever.”
Grainne Holbrook was one of O’Connor’s artist minders for Womad, tasked with transporting her from the airport to her hotel and wherever else she wanted to go - and she recalls the memorable moment she met the star.
Irish singer Sinead O'Connor performs at Paradiso in Amsterdam in 1988. Photo / Getty Images
Holbrook tells the Herald she introduced herself to the Irish singer as her minder - to which O’Connor replied, “I think I’ll be minding you!”
“She was lovely, she was small - a bit of nervous energy but really lovely and down to earth,” she says, adding that during her time in New Plymouth, O’Connor preferred to keep to herself rather than going out and about.
“She didn’t want to do anything ... she stayed in her hotel room until it was time to perform.”
But O’Connor was a different person when performing. Holbrook remembers watching on as the artist took to the stage at the Bowl of Brooklands. “Seeing this little wee woman go on stage and absolutely transform into this megastar, it was quite amazing.”
Womad programme director Emere Wano shared a statement on behalf of the festival.
“We are devastated to hear the news of the passing of Sinead O’Connor who we were privileged to have perform at Womad NZ in 2015. For many, her presence on the stage and her voice resonating across the Bowl of Brooklands was a lifetime highlight,” she told the Herald.
“It was a clear, warm evening in July 2014 at Womad Charlton Park in the UK and there was much anticipation amongst the crowd who had turned out to see Sinead O’Connor perform. Her powerful and joyous performance firmly put the singer in the musical limelight after a performing hiatus.
“I still recall the goosebumps I got from seeing her perform live for the first time, the purity of her voice, the conviction for her craft and her beliefs captivated me. This experience was the catalyst for us to book her for Womad NZ in March 2015.
“A pure voice, gifted songwriter, and strident voice in popular culture, she will be mourned and missed by millions.”
Sinead O’Connor became a superstar in her mid-20s and was known as much for her private struggles and provocative actions as for her fierce and expressive music. Photo / AP
How Sinead O’Connor helped change music for “a generation of women”
The Listener’s arts and entertainment editor, Russell Baillie, secured an interview with O’Connor ahead of her performance at Womad.
When he asked why she’d chosen to write a pop album, referring to her then recently released I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss, she told Baillie: “I guess I had never really done love songs before and hadn’t really ventured into the area of romantic songs.”
Pressing O’Connor, he asked: “You haven’t written love songs before? I’m racking my brain to prove you wrong ...” to which she replied:
“I don’t think I have. There’s been the odd I’ve-been-dumped song ... there wasn’t really any recklessly romantic song.”
Recalling the interview, Baillie tells the Herald that O’Connor “helped change the way a generation of women in pop’s left field sang”.
“She helped bring hip-hop ideas and voices into pop music and she wrote some devastating personal and political songs like Black Boys on Mopeds and Last Day of our Acquaintance, even if she’ll be most remembered for the rare feat of taking a Prince song and making it better.”
He says interviewing the star was “a challenge and intense” - but during their chat, she was “engaging, funny and seemed in a good place in what seemed a relatively uneventful non-headline-making patch of her life”.
But he added the disclaimer, “That said, there are no psychological insights to be gained from phone interviews.”
Baillie adds that amid the sad news of O’Connor’s death today, the memory of her “getting the giggles” at the duck on the lake in front of the Bowl of Brooklands stage still makes him smile.
“Even the Pope would find that funny. Maybe the duck preferred the Prince original.”
for indigenous recognition in many places, but particularly in Australia, her warm memory of New Zealand, faith, music, movies and her brother the writer. I had the opportunity to tell her she was a hero of mine.
The award-winning actor, who was himself born in New Zealand, shared a tribute to the star on social media today, recalling a meeting with her in Ireland.
“In a conversation without fences we roamed through the recent Dublin heatwave, local politics, American politics, the ongoing fight for indigenous recognition in many places, but particularly in Australia, her warm memory of New Zealand, faith, music, movies and her brother the writer,” he wrote.
“I had the opportunity to tell her she was a hero of mine.”
O’Connor’s death was reported this morning by the Irish Times as her family released a statement.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinead. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”
The Dublin-born performer released 10 studio albums, while her song Nothing Compares 2 U (originally written by Prince) was named the number one world single in 1990 by the Billboard Music Awards.
