Sinead O’Connor Once Wrote a 'Scathing' Open Letter to Miley Cyrus That Wasn’t Received Well

People die, but words remain behind. Such is the case with Sinead O'Connor, who once wrote an overly critical open letter in the name of Miley Cyrus. Now, the Irish singer is no more, but her scathing letter has resurfaced on the internet. (in)famous for speaking her mind, the Troy singer shocked the music world in 2013 with her "motherly" concern for Cyrus. 

The feuds between celebs are commonplace, but the fans weren't prepared for this one as it hit everyone out of the blue, per The Things. Years before Cyrus explored the Rock n Roll world, O'Connor was already rocking the genre. She was a renowned pop star of her time, something that's least expected of an Irish artist. Yet, she nailed it.

The 56-year-old singer, who was declared dead on July 26, 2023, was somewhat of an inspiration to Cyrus. Her family released the news after she was found "unresponsive" at her home in London. She was outspoken, to put it mildly. And controversies loved her, so to speak. Throughout her career, she locked horns with something or someone. 

The musician once tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II on the US TV show Saturday Night Live, causing massive outrage in the media, reported Metro. Regarding what went with Cyrus, the unusual feud escalated quickly and died down sooner than it started. But for as long as it stayed, it wasn't received well. 

Cyrus thought of paying tribute to O'Connor in her 'controversial' music video, Wrecking Ball. She referred to the Irish star's timelessly famous video Nothing Compares 2 U. The moment that she took 'reference' from was when the singer looked directly at the camera as she sang, and a single tear fell down her cheek.

Unfortunately, the admiration didn't go well with O'Connor. She watched the video, but instead of feeling 'proud,' she felt a deep sense of concern for Cyrus and, with no second thought, wrote an open letter "in the spirit of motherliness and with love." However, her intent may have been good, but the choice of words lacked empathy.

She criticized, "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."

O'Connor emphasized that in no way Cyrus showing herself naked and doing all sorts of 'explicit' acts was a sign of empowerment. But she insisted, "Nothing but harm will come in the long run from allowing yourself to be exploited." She added that by showcasing nudity, she is belittling her talent. 

The singer warned, "The music business doesn't give a s**t about you or any of us. They will [exploit] you for all you are worth and cleverly make you think it's what YOU wanted." Cyrus, of course, wasn't thrilled to wake up to this, and she didn't stay quiet and responded in disbelief.

"I don't know how someone can start a fight with somebody who said, 'Hey, I really respect you. And I really love what you did.' 'You know what? You suck! I don't like you!' That was kind of crazy. But as I said, I'm a big fan of hers, so it doesn't really matter. It's all good."

References:

https://www.thethings.com/miley-cyrus-wrecking-ball-sinead-oconnor-letter/

https://metro.co.uk/2023/07/28/sinead-oconnors-scathing-letter-to-miley-cyrus-resurfaces-

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/oct/03/sinead-o-connor-open-letter-miley-cyrus