- By Steven McIntosh
- Entertainment reporter
The singer’s estate said O’Connor would have been “disgusted, hurt, and insulted” by Mr Trump’s use of her song
The estate of Sinéad O’Connor has asked Donald Trump to stop using her music at his political rallies.
The singer’s estate told BBC News it was “no exaggeration to say that Sinéad would have been disgusted, hurt, and insulted” by his use of her music.
Mr Trump is running to be the Republican presidential candidate ahead of the US election in November.
A joint statement from O’Connor’s estate and her longtime label Chrysalis Records said: “Throughout her life, it is well known that Sinéad O’Connor lived by a fierce moral code defined by honesty, kindness, fairness, and decency towards her fellow human beings.
“It was with outrage therefore that we learned that Donald Trump has been using her iconic performance of Nothing Compares 2 U at his political rallies.
“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’.”
The statement concluded: “As the guardians of her legacy, we demand that Donald Trump, and his associates desist from using her music immediately.”
The Guardian reported songs including Abba’s Dancing Queen, Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire and Elvis Presley’s Suspicious Minds were used in addition to Nothing Compares 2 U before Mr Trump took to the stage on 24 February.
Written by Prince, O’Connor’s version of Nothing Compares 2 U spent four weeks at number one in the UK in 1990.
Other artists to have asked Mr Trump and his team to stop using their music include The Rolling Stones, The Smiths’ Johnny Marr, Adele, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Rihanna, Neil Young, and Linkin Park.
Mr Trump served as the 45th US president after winning the 2016 election, but he lost to President Biden in 2020.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
