Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor (pronounced /ʃɪˈneɪd oʊˈkɒnər/, shi-NAYD-oh-KON-ər; born 8 December 1966) is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U". Since then she has regularly courted controversy with her views on religion, while still maintaining a singing career.