Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor has returned to the stage with a rare appearance on Ireland's Late Late Show after a five-year touring hiatus.
The singer, who goes by the first name Shuhada since her conversion to Islam, donned a traditional hijab to perform her iconic covers of Prince's 'Nothing Compares 2 U' and 'Rainy Night in Soho' by The Pogues on Friday (local time).
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The 52-year-old spoke candidly to host Ryan Tubridy about her experience of "reverting" to Islam, saying she "didn't realise" she had been a Muslim her whole life until she studied the Koran.
"I grew up in a very different Ireland to the one that exists now and it was a very oppressed country, religiously speaking," she said. "Everybody was miserable. Nobody was getting any joy in God."
She announced her decision to "revert" to Islam in October last year. She wears the hijab to represent her newfound beliefs, the Irish Times reports.
The TV appearance marks the beginning of O'Connor's return to the stage, dubbed by many as a "comeback". A handful of dates have been booked across Ireland this October.
She told Tubridy she "thought nobody would be interested anymore" following her hiatus.
"I really thought nobody was going to buy tickets to the shows."
O'Connor achieved international fame in 1990 with her rendition of 'Nothing Compares 2 U' and has since remained a high-profile musician in Ireland with numerous album releases.
In 1992, O'Connor became the subject of widespread and intense controversy following a performance on Saturday Night Live, in which she protested against child sex abuse in the Catholic Church.
A then 25-year-old O'Connor sang a version of Bob Marley's 'War', referring to child abuse instead of racism. She then held up a photo of Pope John Paul II, before tearing the photo into pieces, referring to the Pope as the "enemy" and throwing the pieces towards the camera.
Her performances from Friday night have been widely praised by viewers worldwide.
Newshub.
