- Music
- 03 Oct 13
Sinéad O'Connor has issued an open letter to Miley Cyrus after the younger singer revealed in her Rolling Stone cover story that she's a fan.
Asked about the promo clip that accompanies her new 'Wrecking Ball' single, Cyrus tells the American magazine, "It's like the Sinéad O'Connor video [for 'Nothing Compares 2 U'], but, like, the most modern version. I wanted it to be tough but really pretty – that's what Sinéad did with her hair and everything. The trick is getting the camera up above you, so it almost looks like you're looking up at someone and crying.”
After a day "dodging phone calls from various newspapers" wanting to talk her about the 20-year-old, O'Connor penned a 1,008-word missive in "the spirit of motherliness and with love."
Cutting straight to the chase, she says, "I am extremely concerned for you that those around you have led you to believe, or encouraged you in your own belief, that it is in any way ‘cool’ to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos. It is in fact the case that you will obscure your talent by allowing yourself to be pimped, whether it’s the music business or yourself doing the pimping. Nothing but harm will come in the long run, from allowing yourself to be exploited"
O'Connor goes on to add: "The music business doesn’t give a shit about you, or any of us. They will prostitute you for all you are worth, and cleverly make you think it’s what YOU wanted... and when you end up in rehab as a result of being prostituted, ‘they’ will be sunning themselves on their yachts in Antigua, which they bought by selling your body and you will find yourself very alone. None of the men ogling you give a shit about you either; do not be fooled. Many’s the woman mistook lust for love.
“I’m suggesting you don’t care for yourself. That has to change. You ought be protected as a precious young lady by anyone in your employ and anyone around you, including you. This is a dangerous world. We don’t encourage our daughters to walk around naked in it because it makes them prey for animals and less than animals, a distressing majority of whom work in the music industry and it’s associated media.
"You have enough talent that you don’t need to let the music business make a prostitute of you. You shouldn’t let them make a fool of you either. Don’t think for a moment that any of them give a flying fuck about you. They’re there for the money... we’re there for the music."
As for Cyrus' declaration of fandom, Sinéad reflects: "You also said in Rolling Stone that your look is based on mine. The look I chose, I chose on purpose at a time when my record company were encouraging me to do what you have done. I felt I would rather be judged on my talent and not my looks. I am happy that I made that choice, not least because I do not find myself on the proverbial rag heap now that I am almost 47-years of age, which unfortunately many female artists who have based their image around their sexuality, end up on when they reach middle-age."
Sinéad concludes by stressing that, "Women are to be valued for so much more than their sexuality. We aren’t merely objects of desire. I would be encouraging you to send healthier messages to your peers; that they and you are worth more than what is currently going on in your career. Kindly fire any motherfucker who hasn’t expressed alarm, because they don’t care about you.”
The letter has caused a major stir, with the
[link]www.sineadoconnor.com/newspress-media[/link] link crashing due to the volume of traffic. Read the open letter there in its entirety when it’s back up and running.