Legendary singer’s estate demands Donald Trump stop using her music at rallies

Legendary singer’s estate demands Donald Trump stop using her music at rallies

Late singer Sinead O’Connor’s estate has asked former President Donald Trump to cease playing her music during his campaign rallies, according to the BBC.

In February, Trump’s team played her hit song “Nothing Compares 2 U” at a campaign event at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland. The estate told the BBC it was “no exaggeration to say that Sinéad would have been disgusted, hurt and insulted” by the use of her music.

A joint statement from O’Connor’s estate and her longtime label, Chrysalis Records, said O’Connor “lived by a fierce moral code defined by honesty, kindness, fairness, and decency towards her fellow human beings” and that “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.”

Read the full BBC report.

At the same CPAC rally, Abba’s “Dancing Queen,” Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” and Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” were also played before Trump took the stage.

Several high-profile musical artists have publicly denounced Trump’s music at his rallies during his 2016, 2020 and 2024 campaign’s for the U.S. presidency, including Adele, Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Guns N’ Roses, Neil Young, Ozzy Osbourne, Rihanna, The Rolling Stones and more.

O’Connor died in July 2023. She was 56. Her family released the following statement after her death: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinead. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.” A coroner report said O’Connor died of natural causes.

Written by Prince, “Nothing Compares 2 U” received three Grammy nominations and was the featured track off her acclaimed album “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got,” which helped lead Rolling Stone to name her Artist of the Year in 1991.

O’Connor was well-known for her activism, raising awareness for child abuse, human rights, women’s rights and other causes. She made headlines in October 1992 for tearing up a photo of Pope John Paul II while appearing live on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” as she denounced the Catholic Church as the “enemy.”