Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor has announced she has converted to Islam. The artist, who is best known for her 1990 hit version of the song Nothing Compares 2 U, said she had changed her name to Shuhada’.
In a message on Twitter, she thanked fellow Muslims for their support, reports BBC.
She has said that her decision was “the natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian’s journey” and uploaded a video of herself singing the adhan or Islamic call to prayer.
On Thursday, Irish Imam Shaykh Dr Umar al-Qadri posted a video of the singer saying the Islamic declaration of faith.
Here is my 1st attempt at singing the Azan. I got some pronouncition wrong because emotions took me from my page… but there’ll be hundreds of others onstage to come … https://t.co/vDFyheqOOc — Shuhada’ Davitt (@MagdaDavitt77) October 19, 2018
Here is my 1st attempt at singing the Azan. I got some pronouncition wrong because emotions took me from my page… but there’ll be hundreds of others onstage to come … https://t.co/vDFyheqOOc
— Shuhada’ Davitt (@MagdaDavitt77) October 19, 2018
It is not the first time O’Connor, who legally changed her name to Magda Davitt last year, has publicly spoken about religion. In 1992, she sparked controversy after ripping up a photograph of the Pope live on US television.
This is to announce that I am proud to have become a Muslim. This is the natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian’s journey. All scripture study leads to Islam. Which makes all other scriptures redundant. I will be given (another) new name. It will be Shuhada’ — Shuhada’ Davitt (@MagdaDavitt77) October 19, 2018
This is to announce that I am proud to have become a Muslim. This is the natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian’s journey. All scripture study leads to Islam. Which makes all other scriptures redundant. I will be given (another) new name. It will be Shuhada’
Seven years later, she was ordained by a breakaway church in Lourdes. The Catholic Church, which does not allow women to become priests, did not recognize the ceremony. O’Connor rose to fame in 1990 with a striking arrangement of Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U.
Her version of the ballad topped charts across the world and spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, earning her three Grammy nominations. The music video, directed by John Maybury, consists mostly of a close up on O’Connor’s face as she sings the lyrics.
The singer says she is “proud to have become a Muslim”
The visual won three Moonmen at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year, where the singer was the first female artist to win the esteemed prize of the night.
She has released 10 solo albums. In August 2018, the singer released her first song in four years, called Milestones.
“This is just a first demo for fans because they never get to hear a demo,” she told The Irish Sun, which shared the song.
She also revealed that she would be releasing a new album, No Mud No Lotus, “before October 2019”.
