Mar 4, 2024,10:01am EST
Sinéad O’Connor’s estate strongly rebuked former President Donald Trump for appropriating the late singer’s song “Nothing Compares 2 U” at recent campaign rallies, asserting that she would have found it “disgusting, hurtful, and insulting” to witness her work being misrepresented by the former president. The statement, obtained by various outlets, was jointly issued by O’Connor’s estate and Chrysalis Records, the label housing her music collection.
The estate emphasized that O’Connor lived by a “fierce moral code” characterized by honesty, kindness, fairness, and decency toward others. Therefore, it was met with outrage upon learning of Trump’s use of her music, the statement reportedly conveyed.
Trump featured O’Connor’s rendition of “Nothing Compares 2 U”—originally penned and recorded by Prince—at campaign rallies held in Maryland and North Carolina within the past week.
O’Connor, who passed away last July at the age of 56, released “Nothing Compares 2 U” in 1990, and the song spent several weeks at No. 1 in numerous countries.
The statement underscored, “It is no exaggeration to say that Sinéad would have been disgusted, hurt, and insulted to have her work misrepresented in this way by someone who she herself referred to as a ‘biblical devil.’ As the guardians of her legacy, we demand that Donald Trump and his associates desist from using her music immediately.”
O’Connor is among several artists who have spoken out against the use of their music at Trump events. Notably, musicians like Johnny Marr of The Smiths, Phil Collins, Neil Young, and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith have taken similar actions in response to Trump using their songs at rallies. Other artists, including Adele, The Beatles, Elton John, Queen, and The White Stripes, have also opposed Trump’s use of their music.