News Archive
2000 2002

  • December 16, 2001 - From a Whisper to a Scream has moved here to Angelfire -- please update your bookmarks. I know this was very sudden, but I was exceeding my bandwith at Geocities which was causing pages to be inaccessible for long periods of time. On the plus side, I will now have 50 megabytes of space compared to only 15 megabytes of space at Geocities. I know the popups are a pain, but what can I do? Now, Angelfire is no saint and neither is Geocities. If something fails to load, hit the refresh button. I have tested every link on the site and everything loads up fine. If you encounter any serious problems, please email me. I'm sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused, but the site is back online.

  • December 14, 2001 - Due to space limitations, I am moving this site to Angelfire. I will let you all know the new URL soon.

  • December 14, 2001 - Last weekend on December 8, Sinéad celebrated her 35th birthday. Happy birthday Sinéad! :) I would also like to apologize for the lack of updates, but there isn't much Sinéad news floating around lately.

  • November 14, 2001 - [Handed by James Hammonds] - Sinead O'Connor and Hollywood stars Aiden Quinn and Julianna Marquiles were the guests of honor at the third ShowBizireland.com Sinatra Ball over the weekend. Quinn and Marquiles took time out of their busy diary to attend the ball, which was held in Dublin's Four Seasons hotel on Saturday night and hosted by the Editor of ShowBizIreland.com. Both stars had to be on the set of the new movie Evelyn with Pierce Brosnan at 6am on Sunday morning but still managed to make the ball to see the very special Sinead O'Connor perform for over 350 guests all in aid of the Irish Wheelchair Association. Westlife's Nicky Byrne and his girlfriend Georgina Ahern were also expected to attend the ball but were caught up with the Irish football match and her father Bertie Ahern, the Irish Prime Minister. Instead the couple joined ShowBizIreland.com staff for the after ball party in Dublin's top nightclub Lillies Bordello. Other guests of the night included former Big Brother and Boyzone star Keith Duffy. It was a night of double celebration for Ireland's biggest ShowBiz website launched TV show Haunted House on TV3 and in the Sunday World.

  • November 5, 2001 - Because VH1 is celebrating the 80's this week, Sinéad's Behind the Music episode will not be shown at 5:30 p.m. ET like her Behind the Music page at VH1.com listed more than a week ago. The episode will not air any other day this month. This was a big let down for me.

  • October 29, 2001 - [Handed by James Hammonds] - Sinead O'Connor has decided to make her peace with Frank Sinatra.

    The singer, who upset the great man when she refused to have the American anthem played during her concerts ten years ago, has agreed to sing at the Sinatra Ball in two weeks time. The recently married Sinead is to be the star guest at this year's Sinatra ball in the Four Seasons hotel on November 10th where she will perform a string of hits for guests with the backing of Van Morrisson's saxophone player Derek O'Connor, the Three Irish Tenors and the great Sean Hessen and the Sinatra big band. With ShowBizIreland.com as the official website for the ball and a see thru dress already picked out for the night, Sinead hopes to sing a few songs from her hit album Am I Not Your Girl?, which will include Don't Cry for Me Argentina, I Want to be Loved by You and Why Don't You Do Right? A handful of tables for the ball are still left and can be bought from the Irish Wheelchair Association or directly from the organizer Fiona Nagle on 087-2317156. For any more information on the ball please e-mail info@showbizireland.com.

  • October 27, 2001 - [Handed by James Hammonds] - Sinead O’Connor is to headline the star-studded 'Artists Against Racism in Ireland' gig in Dublin’s Point on December 7th. Christy Moore, Juliet Turner, Afro Celt Sound System and Frances Black are just some of the acts lined up. The article below describes the concert in more detail:

    Amnesty International and Le Chéile, Artists in Ireland Against Racism, recently announced details of a major anti-racism concert to be performed at The Point on Friday, December 7th and have just revealed that Sinead O'Connor has joined the prestigious bill of Irish artists performing on the night. The line-up for the Artists Against Racism concert now includes Sinead O'Connor, Christy Moore, Afro-Celt Sound System, Frances Black, Luka Bloom, Máire Brennan, Kíla and Métisse. "Research released by Amnesty last month showed that almost four out of five people from ethnic minorities say they have been the victim of racism while living in Ireland," said Seán Love, Director of Amnesty International's Irish Section. "We need leadership at every level of society to fight the problem, and the artists who will perform at the concert are helping to provide it." Several of the artists were present at the launch in the Clarence Hotel in Dublin on October 11th. The concert is being promoted by MCD, with the support of Julian Erskine from Riverdance, and artist Bobby Ballagh. "Music and song bring all cultures together", said Colm Ó Cuanacháin of Le Chéile, artists in Ireland against racism. "The concert will focus on the positive side of living in a multi-ethnic society." Tickets available from all Ticketmaster outlets nationwide. Buy on line: http://www.ticketmaster.ie 24 hour bookings tel: 1 890 925 100 http://www.mcd.ie for exclusive announcements Ticket Prices: Adm: £35.50 incl B. fee / £33.00 incl B. fee Doors: 7:00pm and Show: 8:00pm

    Finally, for those who may have missed the Behind the Music episode on Sinéad, here is your chance. The show airs November 6th at 5:30 p.m. ET on the VH1 network.

  • October 20, 2001 - [Handed by James Hammonds] - Click here for program information on Showtime At the Stadium, a concert featuring Sinéad O'Connor, Charlotte Church, and Atomic Kitten. The concert airs tonight on BBC Radio Wales.

  • October 8, 2001 - [Handed by James Hammonds] - Newlyweds Sinead O’Connor and columnist Nick Sommerland have chosen a very un-hollywood honeymoon as they travelled around Ireland. “They got the peace and quiet they craved and escaped the spotlight for a fortnight," revealed an insider, who also stated that Sinead will have a forthcoming album, despite rumours that she has abandoned her pop role to be a full time wife and mother.

  • October 5, 2001 - [Handed by James Hammonds] - Irish singing legend Sinead O'Connor made a welcome return to the stage on Wednesday night for the first time since getting married. The Irish singer joined Paul Brady on stage in Dublin's Vicar Street in front of a sell out crowd. Looking different without her trademark shaved head, Sinead joined Paul for a number of songs including a finale of Chiquitita, the famous ABBA hit. Brady will play the venue for the entire month of October and will have guests during the show such as Ronan Keating, Mark Knoffler and the Hothouse Flowers, who were also guests on Wednesday night. Click here for a picture from the event. Click here for another picture.

  • October 4, 2001 - Poptopix.com has created a Sinéad O'Connor portal that includes links to various Sinéad sites on the web. You can visit these sites and rate them according to the features they provide to their vistors. This site, From a Whisper to a Scream, is included in the link database. To visit the Sinéad's portal, go to http://sineadoconnor.poptopix.com

  • September 24, 2001 - [Handed by James Hammonds] - Sinead O'Connor has confirmed that she married for the second time last month in a whirlwind romance to the English journalist Nick Somerlad. However, the singer was also keen to deny reports thatshe has also been dropped by her record company and retired from the music industry. "I did get married but it was a very private affair and I want it to stay that way. But, I do want to say that my record company did not drop me. We came to a mutual agreement in which I bought myself out of the deal and am now in the process of setting up an Internet site to sell my records. The company wanted me out of the country on a lot of promotional work and I am a mother and have children to raise. So I got out of the deal." "As for retiring from the music industry. I am not retiring at all. Sadly, my manger Steve Fargnoli died during the week after a two-year battle with cancer. So over those two years I have had him on my mind. I am just back from LA where he died. He was my manager for 13 years and very close friend who will be sadly missed. However, all my business will now be handled through my lawyer Michael Guido in New York and anyone who needs to make contact ith me now can do so by calling his office on 001 212 7592300."

  • September 21, 2001 - [Handed by James Hammonds] - Sinéad O'Connor has been working on the new Massive Attack album. According to a report in the latest Hot Press, the singer has guested on four tracks. The album, due for release in Autumn, may also feature Damon Alban and Liz Fraser. A few weeks ago, Sinead parted with her record label.

  • September 16, 2001 - [Handed by James Hammonds] - You can now go to the official website for the Showtime At the Stadium concert, which takes place in October, by clicking here. Sinéad will be performing.

  • September 8, 2001 - You can now get important information about books published on Sinéad by going to the Books link in the Features section of the site.

  • September 7, 2001 - [Handed by James Hammonds] - Here is an article from BBC News which talks about Sinéad's drop from Atlantic and latest marriage:

    Are you aged between seven and thirteen? Ever wanted to sing with Steps? Dance with Damage? Perform in front of thousands of people? Now's your chance - BBC Wales is searching for talented young people who can sing and dance to join the stars in Showtime @ The Stadium in Cardiff on October 20th. Auditions take place at BBC Wales in Llandaff, Cardiff on Saturday September 15th. If you want to get involved email showtime@bbc.co.uk or phone 08700 100 775 to register your interest. You'll need to tell us your name, age, relevant experience and contact details - we'll get in touch with successful applicants nearer the day. The line-up for the Millennium Stadium extravaganza includes pop acts like Atomic Kitten, Steps, A1, Blue and Damage as well as Charlotte Church, Petula Clark, Sinead O’Connor and opera star Russell Watson. They'll be singing a selection of music from hit shows such as Evita and West Side Story. The event - being staged in association with the Red Hot AIDS Charitable Trust -will be recorded by BBC Wales to be shown on BBC One later in the year. Tickets for Showtime @ The Stadium are priced between £15 and £35 with a special £50 family ticket for two adults and two children - available from the Millennium Stadium box office on 0870 1211228.

    Here's another article about Sinead's drop from Atlantic Records and latest Marriage. Due to bad reporting, they list I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got as her debut cd:

    After appearing angelic eyed, shaven headed and teary in the stunning video for her hit single ‘Nothing Compares To U’, she looked set to conquer all before her. Sadly it wasn’t to be. Over a decade after that pulsating performance it has all come to an end. Sinead O’Connor has been dropped by her record label. According to the tabs, the rock priest was dumped after her last album, 'Faith And Courage', shifted just 400,000 copies. It's a far cry from her 1990 debut album ‘I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got’ which sold more than five million copies. The mum-of-two - ordained by a rebel bishop in 1998 - married journalist Nick Sommerlad last month after a whirlwind romance. A source close to Sinead told The Sun: "She wants more kids. She is going to concentrate on her marriage and being a mum. But I would not write her off."

  • August 26, 2001 - [Handed by James Hammonds] - Sinéad O'Connor, Charlotte Church, Steps, A1, Atomic Kitten, and Petula Clark are gearing up for an AIDS Performance benefit. You can click here to read Billboard.com's article on the event. Thanks again for this update James :)

  • August 22, 2001 - [Handed by James Hammonds] - Sinéad has wed journalist Nick Somerland. You can read Rollingstone.com's article by going here. You can also read Entertainment Weekly's article by clicking here. A thank you goes out to James Hammonds for these links.

  • August 9, 2001 - [Handed by James Hammonds] - Popstar priest, Sinead O’Connor has revealed her wish to become a full-time wife and mother and put her singing career temporarily on hold. “I’m back home and in touch with my family. I am not caught up with being a rock star and I am in love. I feel as if I have died and gone to heaven,” she admitted. She has recently publicly announced her relationship with journalist and heir to the Swedish throne, Nick Sommerland, who she claims is ‘the first man I have ever loved’ and who she plans to marry in the future. The troubled star has made countless headlines with her controversial ways but now has a desire to settle and discard stardom as she reveals, “You know when you’ve met the right man. All I want to do is have more babies and look after my husband.”

  • August 8, 2001 - Faith and Courage receives its review from Slant Magazine. Click here to read the review. I would also like to apologize for the lack of updates -- Not much news is going on with Sinéad these days.

  • July 17, 2001 - Sinéad gets blame for Wotapalava's failure -- Here's what the official website says:

    "The original line-up for the largest openly gay touring festival was to include Pet Shop Boys, Sinead O’Connor, Soft Cell, The Magnetic Fields and Rufus Wainwright, as well as DJs Junior Vasquez and Danny Tenaglia. However, the last minute withdrawal of Sinead O’Connor and the difficulty of finding a suitable replacement with such short notice have led the producers to believe that it would be unwise to proceed with the tour this summer."

    In other news, Sinéad will be attending an AIDS awareness concert:

    Robbie Williams, Charlotte Church, the Bee Gees and Atomic Kitten are to perform songs from musicals at a charity pop concert to raise money for Aids projects, it was announced yesterday. The event, at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on October 20. is being billed as "Live Aid 2", 17 years after Bob Geldof's Wembley concert raised millions for starving African communities. Behind the event is Midge Ure, the former Ultravox singer, who helped to organise the original Live Aid. He said yesterday: "The thoughts, compassion and messages this concert will send out are similar to Live Aid. But we will be bringing contemporary and classical artists together backed by orchestras, dancers and gospel choirs. It has the potential to make a hell of a lot of money to help Aids projects. It will be a cast of thousands and some of the collaborations will never happen again." The concert will be broadcast live on Radio 2 with highlights later on BBC1. The stadium will have a capacity of 60,000 for the show, one of the biggest music events for several years. Artists including Sinead O'Connor and the tenor Russell Watson have been confirmed, with more to be announced soon. All proceeds from the show will go to the Red Hot Organisation, which raises and distributes funds for community-based Aids prevention and education work. The actress Jean Simmons, the charity's patron, said: "Events like this are vitally important and need to be supported by all."

  • July 11, 2001 - Rock singer Sinead O'Connor has entered the row over a controversial proposal to twin Dublin with Beijing, by calling the Irish a nation of racists. The move to pair Dublin with the Chinese capital has provoked a furious response from human rights groups and members of the Irish public because of China's poor human rights record. However O'Connor, who once ripped up a picture of the Pope on stage, says the Irish are simply hypocrites. Describing the country's attitude to its new large immigrant population as 'dismal', she told The Observer that people's wrath over the proposed twinning was inconsistent. 'It would be hilarious if it were not so tragic, that Irish people feel they have any right to comment on China or anyone else's human rights records, when we ourselves are proving to be nation of nasty racists,' she said. 'Our own government has done absolutely nothing to combat the rampant and violent racism which exists in the streets of Dublin. I've witnessed attacks where Irish children aged between 11 and 17 have chased African children of similar ages, calling them "Kaffir" and other names, and ordering them "back to Africa". 'No one seems to be crying out about the breaches of human rights which we allow to take place in our own streets. Why do we feel we have the right to judge Beijing?' O'Connor is the latest celebrity to join the debate over the twinning since the idea was first mooted during a visit by Chinese politicians to the city several months ago. Irish-born actor Pierce Brosnan has already lent his support to the Independent Tibet Network (ITN), which is attempting to dissuade Dublin's burghers from pursuing the plan. The James Bond star has a strong interest in Tibet and recently visited the northern Indian home of the exiled Dalai Lama. Allen Bowes, co-ordinator of the ITN, says a range of Irish figures from the arts and science have indicated their willingness to support the project. 'Across the world the reaction to the proposed twinning has been one of disbelief and opposition,' he said. 'The result is growing international concern, particularly in the US, Australia and Canada as more people are joining our online campaign.' Dublin has enjoyed basking in its newly acquired reputation as Europe's capital of cool and many city councillors have expressed unease at the pariah status which a partnership with Beijing may confer on the city. Some have likened the idea to joining forces with Pretoria during the apartheid era in South Africa. But Dermot Lacey, a city councillor and member of the minority Labour Party, vigorously denies that the twinning will take place. 'There is no proposal on the table, it was just something that was suggested,' he said. 'It will never happen.' The Lord Mayor appears less certain, however. After returning from an official visit to Beijing last week, Maurice Ahern stated he was still amenable to the possibility of the pairing. 'I have an open mind on the matter,' he said. 'I am aware that there are many opponents of the idea, but there are also many people who hold the view that the past has to be left in the past. 'Tiananmen Square was 12 years ago now, things move on. Think how things have moved on in Ireland since Bloody Sunday 30 years ago.' Ahern added that he drew a delighted response from an audience in Beijing when he predicted during a speech that the city would be granted the 2008 Olympics. However, while the letters pages of Ireland's newspapers continue to fill up with opinions on the twinning issue, O'Connor believes that other more pressing matters are being ignored. 'The Irish government has so far done nothing openly with £8 million of taxpayer's money which was supposed to have gone into what they call "racism education",' she said. 'Some of our children and teenagers shame their parents and their government and teachers in Dublin city every evening. 'I'd love to know: Does anyone out there give a shit about that?'

  • July 6, 2001 - [Handed by James Hammonds] - Pet Shop Boys and Creative Artists Agency have postponed the start of the Wotapalava tour, claiming that they could not find a "suitable replacement" for Sinead O'Connor, who dropped out in May. The tour will instead kick off next summer.

  • June 25, 2001 - Nick Sommerlad, a Dublin-based correspondent for Britain's Press Association, said Sunday the couple plans to tie the knot sometime next summer. "Yes, we are getting married,'' said Sommerlad, 27. "We have not got any firm dates for it yet. I am delighted and so is she.'' The two began dating in February after being introduced by a mutual friend. "We fell for each other very quickly,'' Sommerlad said. O'Connor, 34, has two children from previous relationships. Jake, 13, was born during a previous marriage to drummer John Reynolds. A relationship with Irish Times columnist John Waters produced her second child, 5-year-old daughter Roisin. 25-Jun-01 01:57 EDT Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of the Associated Press.

  • June 22, 2001 - Here is a new article from AllIrelandMusic.com about Sinéad's new boyfriend:

    Pop star, Sinead O’Connor, 34, is currently pursuing 27-year-old journalist Nick Somerlad, who is an heir to the Swedish throne. The two are said to be joined at the hip since Sinead’s recent split from Diarist, Dermot Hayes just a few weeks ago. Somerland, who is a relative of Sweden’s Silvia, is based in Dublin with his work with the press association, and an insider reveals, “They’ve been spending a lot of time together. There is quite a significant age gap but that doesn’t seem to be a problem for them.” This is not the first time Sinead has dated a columnist as she has a five-year-old daughter, Roisin with Irish Times writer, John Waters and 13-year-old son, Jake with writer John Reynolds.She also briefly dated Mirror Showbiz reporter Neil Michael in 1999. Sinead quipped recently, “I don’t think I’m a very good girlfriend. I’m just not cut out for it.” Her most recent recording, ‘Wake Up & Love Me’ features on the recently released Ian Dury Tribute lp, ‘Brand New Boots And Panties’.

  • June 10, 2001 - Here is an article by ShowBizIreland.com about Sinéad's break up and the Wotapalava tour:

    Irish singer Sinead O’Connor is single again ShowBizIreland.com can reveal. Friends of the Irish singer and Priest has confirmed to us that the singer has broken up with her boyfriend of the past two years the former gossip writer Dermott Hayes. The singer has also denied stories in the press that she is perform a series of concerts in the US later this summer with the Pet Shop Boys and Soft Cell in aid of Gay Rights. "There was talk of it and I did say I might be interested but nothing was ever signed" Sinead told ShowBizIreland.com exclusively. "I am going to spend the summer in Ireland with my two children instead."

  • June 8, 2001 - You can go to BP Fallon's Website to take a look back at Sinéad's 1989 Grammy appearance.

    In other news, the Irish Sunday Independent newspaper has reported that Sinéad has broken up with her long-time boyfriend Dermott Hayes.

  • May 31, 2001 - [Handed by Nick Taylor] - MTV News has reported Sinéad's backing out of the Wotapalava Tour, as well as her parting ways with Atlantic Records. It is not clear when she broke ties, but it may have something to do with how badly they promoted Faith and Courage when it was released last summer. If there are any new details dealing with any new record companies, I'll let you all know.

  • May 31, 2001 - A Wotapalava spokesperson said tour organizer and Pet Shop Boys member Neil Tennant is still negotiating with O'Connor to have her play select dates. Also, Wotapalava.com is now online, but there is no new news about Sinéad's departure.

  • May 30, 2001 - [Handed by Nick Taylor] - Sinead O'Connor has backed out of a planned mainstage berth on this summer's gay-themed Wotapalava tour, citing "unforeseeable family commitments." The news was broken to tour organizers just hours before today's (May 30) announcement of the full details for the inaugural event. As tipped here earlier this month, the 18-date tour kicks off July 13 in Miami. Pet Shop Boys principal Neil Tennant, whose group will headline the trek, said he is "disappointed" O'Connor dropped off the bill, but added, "we probably have a very good replacement." More details are expected to be confirmed in the coming days.

    Nick, thank you very much for this article!

  • May 24, 2001 - [Handed by James Hammonds] - You can now view official information about the Wotapalava Tour by going to PlanetOut.com. It has all the confirmed and to be confirmed venues of the tour and information on how to get tickets.

  • May 19, 2001 - Another venue has been confirmed for the Wotapalava Tour. On July 20, Sinéad and others will be appearing at the Boston Bank Pavillion in Boston, Massachusetts.

  • May 16, 2001 - The first venue for the Wotapalava Tour has been announced. On July 28, 2001, Sinéad will be appearing in Clarkston, Michigan, at the DTE Music Theatre. Also performing are the Pet Shop Boys, and Soft Cell. Pavillion tickets are $58, while lawn tickets are $30.50. To order your tickets, call 1-248-645-6666. Rising star Rufus Wainwright may appear on this tour, but it is not quite clear as he will be appearing in Canada in June. Also, the city in which the tour will kickoff has yet to be announced, but it is confirmed it will be somewhere in Miami. You can bookmark Wotapalava.com for more information, but the site is still under construction.

  • May 11, 2001 - [Handed by Nick Taylor] - The gay-themed Wotapalava Tour, featuring Sinéad, will kick off on July 13 in Miami and will continue through August 11. Specific dates and venues for this tour have yet to be announced.

  • April 18, 2001 - Go to http://www.jimfitzpatrick.ie/update/sinead_2.html to get the scoop behind Jim Fitzpatrick's work on the Faith and Courage album cover.

    I'd also like to apologize for the lack of updates; there isn't much going on with Sinéad these days.

  • March 18, 2001 - For those of you who may have missed Sinéad's infamous performance on the October 3, 1992 episode of SNL in which she tore up the Pope's picture, here's your chance. Go to: SNL InfoMedia and download the 49 second RealVideo clip.

  • March 8, 2001 - [Handed by fabricman2001] - SINEAD O'CONNOR will be performing at The Meteor Ireland Music Awards. If you don't live in Ireland, you can view the show live on the web at www.allirelandnow.com!!!!! Just be at the site at Sunday March 18th at 4:00pm U.S. Eastern Standard Time and you'll be able to check it out!!! For those of you in Ireland, The Meteor Ireland Music Awards will be recorded for television and broadcast worldwide to 100 million people over the festive weekend. The event will be broadcast nation-wide by RTE on N2 on Sunday 18 March at 20:30hrs. There are going to be a bunch of great performances from artists like Sinead O'Connor, Ronan Keating & Elton John Duet, JJ72, Mark McCabe, Morcheeba, David Gray, Ash, Gabrielle, Emmylou Harris and Robert Plant, Jonathan Wilkes, Aslan, Atomic Kitten and Anastacia. A host of Irish and international celebrities including Lisa Stansfield, Damon Hill, Joe Elliot and Rick Savage from Def Leppard, and movie star Matthew McConaughey, are just some of the stars set to attend and entertain guests on that night. AllIrelandMusic and MCD present the Meteor Ireland Music Awards on Friday 16th March at Dublin's Point Depot honors the best in homegrown and international talent. Proceeds from the event will go to the AIDS Alliance and IRMA Trust.

  • February 17, 2001 - [Handed by Mark McDonnell] - Hi, Just to let you know Sinead is appearing at a concert in Dublin on Sunday 4th March at the Olympia Theatre. You may find something to do with on http://www.eventguide.ie. The Concert is called 'A Wee night for Uaneen.' It's a benefit for a DJ and TV Broadcaster Uaneen Fitsimons, who died in a Car crash in November. Also on the show are Ash*, Bellx1, The Blue Nile*, The Undertones, Prayer Boat, Paddy Casey, The Devlins, The Frames, David Kitt, Mundy, Relish, Sack & Snow Patrol* (*members of band). Proceeds will be donated in accordance with families wishes.

    Here's a short article about a brand new cd featuring Sinéad.

    Paul McCartney and Robbie Williams head an amazing array of stars who have re-recorded tracks for 'Brand New Boots And Panties' - a reworking of Ian Dury's seminal 1977 LP, dotmusic can exclusively reveal. The pair are joined by Catatonia's Cerys Matthews, Sinead O'Connor, Madness, Billy Bragg, Shane McGowan, Feeder's Grant Nicholas, Wreckless Eric and comedian Keith Allen who have teamed up with Dury's amazing band - The Blockheads - and producer of the original 'New Boots And Panties', Laurie Latham. We can reveal that the album features a high-octane performance from Paul McCartney, on a rollicking version of 'I'm Partial To Your Abracadabra', while Robbie croons and then explodes on the classic 'Sweet Gene Vincent'; the track he debuted exclusively during a live webcast on dotmusic last June. Sinéad will be teaming up with The Blockheads to perform 'Wake Up & Make Love to Me.' The album is released on East Central One Records on April 9th.

  • February 16, 2001 - Updated the F.A.Q. section. I would also like to apologize for last week's news. Vh1 did not air the Behind the Music special on Sinéad. An in-depth look at Sinéad was aired on Musimax in Quebec, Canada. I failed to notice that. Sorry for the inconvenience. I would also like to apologize for the lack of updates. There just isn't anything new going on with Sinéad.

  • January 31, 2001 - VH1 will air the one-hour Behind the Music episode on Sinéad's career Sunday, February 4th.

  • January 19, 2001 - As well as lending her voice to the Rugrats In Paris soundtrack with the track "When You Love," Sinéad lends her face to the video as well. The video for the song is already getting airplay on Nickledeon.

  • January 5, 2001 - ArtShapes.com, Along with the Irish Times Newspaper, is running a contest to see which Irish artist will top the list for Best Irish Album of 2000. The Corrs are ranked #1, Sinéad is ranked 6th. Go to: Vote Best 2000 Let's make Sinéad a winner :P.

    I also created the Links section, check it out.

  • January 2, 2001 - I would just like to say that I was not able to update the site until today, because I couldn't login to the yahoo file manager. I was also on vacation until December 26th.

    Here is a new article by Desmond Sampson about Faith and Courage, plus Sinéad's sexuality:

    Sinead O'Connor has always made headlines for everything but her music. With her new album that should change writes Desmond Sampson EVEN though her records haven't always made great listening, Sinead O'Connor's outrageous antics and outspoken comments have always guaranteed great reading. Although she hasn't released an album since 1994, she's hardly been out of the headlines, with the innermost details of her suicide attempts, abortion and sexual abuse splashed across the newspapers. It's publicity she seems always to have courted. Her extraordinary, extracurricular activities - burning effigies of the Pope on TV; informing the police that her friend, Shane McGowan from The Pogues, was in possession of drugs; becoming a priest in her own religious order and fighting an acrimonious and very public custody battle over her daughter Roisin - have ensured she's stayed in the spotlight. She stages protests, reveals intimate details of her life to anyone who asks and is as reviled as she is revered. In fact, few celebrities have conducted their private lives as publicly as O'Connor. "It's hard living your private life in public," she sighs. "But it's often been my fault because (in the past) I've been naive and too honest; if someone asked me my opinion about something I'd tell them." Hoping to leave all those trials and tribulations behind to concentrate on promoting her impressive new album, Faith and Courage, her plans were soon stymied by revelations she was gay. "I'm not a lesbian," counters O'Connor. "I'm bi-sexual. I've had relationships with both men and women. But it's not something that I think too much about, because everyone's bisexual - there's no such thing as being gay or straight," she asserts. "Anyway, my sexuality is nobody's business. I'm here to talk about my music." Accordingly, she insists that she'll only discuss professional matters, rather than personal issues. But then proceeds to chat about sex, her celibacy (or lack of it), religion, relationships and motherhood, reflecting the autobiographical nature of her bold, new album which, for the first time in several years, has critics raving. Several have said it's the best work O'Connor has done. In the flesh, the tiny Irish singer seems barely to have aged during the past decade. She's tired, from the album's publicity work but that translucent skin and huge, sparkling eyes are as instantly recognisable as the close cropped hair. She's still nervous and shy in interviews. Much more hesitant than her strident words reveal. But O'Connor says despite her outspokenness, she's always hidden more than she's revealed. "Some of the lyrics on the album are very personal but most of them aren't. And if you think it's personal, that's just because I'm good at my job," O'Connor says. "I always write in the first person, because that makes it easier for the listener to identify with the songs. But they're not necessarily about me. Even when they are, they're not that revealing as they're very heavily coded." Despite her protestations, Faith and Courage, like its predecessors, is largely transparent, addressing familiar themes. No Man's Woman is an anti-male rail, while Hold Back The Night and What Doesn't Belong To Me deals with O'Connor being sexually abused by her mother, as a child. Jealous - - already tipped to be as big a hit as her most famous Prince-written anthem Nothing Compares 2 U - hints at domestic violence. "I think 99% of musicians come from very f--ked-up backgrounds. We make music as a survival method," she replies. "I certainly chose singing in order to survive, which is why a lot of what I've been writing about over the years reflects that. "It's why my mum's been the subject of lots of my songs," reveals O'Connor. "Something like sexual abuse takes years to come to terms with. That's why, in a romantic situation, I have massive trust and fear issues; one minute I'm fine, the next I'm terrified and running out the door. It's very hard to be loved if you come from a background of child abuse. "Jealous is about a male friend of mine whose wife hospitalised him," she adds. "I can relate to that because I was once in a relationship where I was beaten by a man. As soon as that happened I got straight out of there and never had anything to do with him again." Despite these maudlin themes, Faith and Courage is actually a cheery affair. The Healing Room and Dancing Lessons are both optimistic hymns, while Daddy I'm Fine - a rebellious, teenage rant which emphasises O'Connor's keen Irish humour - is a hoot, as the line `I wanna f--k every man in sight' suggests. Did she? "As many as I could, until I got sick of it," she laughs. "I've never really did though - I've always made love to them. I never slept with someone I didn't like, or wasn't at least infatuated with," she clarifies. "And although I make myself out to be a total slut in that song, I'm not. Inside myself I'm a slut - I fancy nearly everyone I meet - but I don't do anything about it." O'Connor's candid confession is surprising, given her previous public admissions that she's celibate and especially as she's only recently been ordained as a priest - becoming Mother Bernadette Maria O'Connor in the process. "I'm not celibate any more," she smirks. "Celibacy was good for a while but it wasn't natural for me. I couldn't pull it off, because I'm a dirty bitch! That's why, even though I've always wanted to represent God, I didn't want to be a nun - I didn't want to give up sex. Being a priest means I can do both!" Becoming a priest also seems to have brought O'Connor inner peace, has helped her put her mother's death and troubled past behind her, and allowed her to enjoy the present. But what about the future? What are her plans? "Survival," she smiles. "And hopefully to have the chance to be heard as an artist and a singer, rather than have my music overshadowed by all the other bullshit from my past. I'd simply like to be seen as a singer, carry on making records and finally have some fun!" Judging by the brilliance of Faith and Courage, O'Connor may finally get what she wants. She's endured plenty. Maybe now we can all reap her rewards.