Sinéad O'Connor Retracts Retirement Announcement

Sinéad O'Connor has announced she will not be retiring, in effect retracting the statement she made via social media last week.

The iconic singer made the fresh announcement on Twitter, where she said she was "temporarily allowing pigs in lipstick to f**k my head up."

The 'Nothing Compares to You' singer had shocked fans in a series of tweets last weekend, which said that she would be cancelling all tour dates and promotional appearances, following the release of her upcoming and – she then said "final" album – No Veteran Dies Alone.

The Wicklow-based performer told fans in a series of tweets last Saturday, June 5th:

"A warrior knows when he or she should retreat. It’s been a forty year journey. Time to put the feet up and make other dreams come true."

That statement had come following a series of interviews to promote her new memoir Rememberings (which is reviewed in the upcoming issue of Hot Press). The singer found these interviews particularly triggering, as her experience with abuse was brought up by journalists in the UK and Canada.

The good news is that the singer's millions of fans can now rest easy. In her new statement, Sinéad said the "knee-jerk" decision to retire was made on the grounds that she is legally vulnerable. But clearly, she is happy – on reflection – to proceed with her upcoming tour dates as had originally been planned.

"When I embarked upon promo for my book, I ought have had a counsellor on board," Sinéad said in a statement posted on Twitter.

"Because I hadn't realised how much talking about the past, particularly my experience of abuse not only as a child, but as a legally vulnerable adult... would trigger so much emotional catharsis."

The 54-year old announced last week that she would "boycott" BBC'S Woman's Hour last week after an interview she deemed to be “offensive and misogynistic," with host Emma Barnett.

"Last Tuesday it was unnecessary and hurtful for women's hour of all people, to remind me of the awfully abusive statement written about me by an Irish man for a UK-paper; some years ago representing me as the Jane Eyre-esquires "Mad Woman in the Attic," Sinéad said.

The singer revealed in her statement that her 2022 tour will be going ahead, apologising to fans and industry workers for "the fright".

"I am born for live performance and with the astonishing love and support I have received in the last few days and will continue to receive from Rob Prinz and all at ICM, as well as many managers and buyers and fans, I feel safe in retracting my expressed wish to retire," she said.

No Veteran Dies Alone is set to be released in January 2022, with an official date yet to be revealed.

Sinéad O'Connor's memoir Rememberings is out now. Hot Press' review of the work is set to appear in Thursday's new issue.