Open letter penned by Sinead O’Connor to Miley Cyrus in 2013 goes viral
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n open letter written by Sinead O’Connor to Miley Cyrus has gone viral following the Irish music legend’s dying aged 56.
The Nothing Compares 2 U singer and the American popstar fell out in 2013 after Cyrus advised Rolling Stone journal her video for Wrecking Ball was impressed by O’Connor’s well-known observe.
Cyrus’s well-known video sees the star in varied levels of undress driving on a wrecking ball. In some scenes, she is seen crying into the digicam whereas singing, very like the video for Nothing Compares 2 U.
In response to the article, O’Connor wrote publicly to Cyrus, warning her of the hazards of the music trade and the way “nothing but harm will come in the long run from allowing yourself to be exploited”.
In the letter, which was originally published on her website, O’Connor wrote: “I wasn’t going to write this letter, but today I’ve been dodging phone calls from various newspapers who wished me to remark upon your having said in Rolling Stone your Wrecking Ball video was designed to be similar to the one for Nothing Compares.
“So this is what I need to say … And it is said in the spirit of motherliness and with love.
“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 its the music business or yourself doing the pimping.
“Nothing but harm will come in the long run, from allowing yourself to be exploited, and it is absolutely NOT in ANY way an empowerment of yourself or any other young women, for you to send across the message that you are to be valued (even by you) more for your sexual appeal than your obvious talent.”
Miley Cyrus
/In the highly effective letter, O’Connor continued: “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.
She completed the letter with the lines: “Whether we like it or not, us females in the industry are role models and as such we have to be extremely careful what messages we send to other women.
“The message you keep sending is that its somehow cool to be prostituted … it’s so not cool Miley … its dangerous. Women are to be valued for so much more than their sexuality.”
At the time, Cyrus didn’t react effectively to the letter – evaluating O’Connor to the troubled star Amanda Bynes, who has had a number of psychological well being episodes.
On social media, Cyrus additionally re-shared photos of the star in 1992 when she tore up a photograph of Pope John Paul II on US TV present Saturday Night Live, sparking a ferocious backlash.
O’Connor then penned a number of follow-up letters, and even threatened authorized motion in opposition to Cyrus.
However, later that 12 months Cyrus appeared to name a truce with the star, saying on The Today Show that the spat “didn’t really matter” and it was “all good”.
In current interview, Cyrus told Vogue how she “carried some guilt and shame around myself for years” because of the Wrecking Ball and VMAs twerking controversies.
The letter being re-circulated comes as a whole bunch of followers paid tributes to the late singer on either side of the Irish Sea on Thursday night time following her shock dying.
On X, previously often called Twitter, Irish rock band U2 paid tribute to the singer.
Fans collect paying tribute to Sinead O’Connor
“Touch these eyes with a broken smile, Touch my mouth with your furrowed brow, Lift my heart, heal my shame , Lead me into rest again … Heroine.. Rest In Peace Sinéad,” they wrote.
Musician Peter Gabriel, with whom she labored intently, described her as “an extraordinary talent”.
He stated: “She could move us with a candour and a passion with which so many people connected. The path she chose was always difficult and uncompromising, but at every turn she would show her spirit and her courage.
“I feel lucky to have had the chance to work with her.”
O’Connor died on Thursday aged 56.
The Grammy-winning singer, initially from Dublin, was discovered unresponsive at a house in south London on Wednesday.