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Sinéad O'Connor's estate, along with her label Chrysalis Records, has issued a statement condemning the use of the late singer's iconic rendition of "Nothing Compares 2 U" by former President Donald Trump during recent campaign rallies in Maryland and North Carolina.
O'Connor—a noted Trump critic—passed away in London last summer from natural causes at the age of 56, just over a year after her son Shane died by suicide.
The statement released to Variety expressed outrage at the unauthorized use of her song by Trump, whom O'Connor had referred to as a "biblical devil" and a "Satanist" in a 2020 interview with Hot Press:
“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.’"
"As the guardians of her legacy, we demand that Donald Trump and his associates desist from using her music immediately.”
Many have amplified the message from O'Connor's estate and criticized Trump's action.
Multiple musicians have spoken out over the unauthorized use of their songs during Trump rallies.
Singer Rihanna won a legal victory over Trump in 2018 after she, through BMI—her performing rights company—informed the then-President he could no longer use her music at his rallies.
The singer took action after a Washington Post reporter shared that her music was "blaring" at a rally in Tallahassee, Florida. Rihanna responded, “Not for much longer" before adding neither she "nor [her] people would ever be at or around one of those tragic rallies.”
Similarly, the estate of the late Tom Petty sent a cease-and-desist letter to Trump after he used Petty's song "I Won't Back Down" during a rally. Petty's family said Trump "was in no way authorized" to use it "to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense behind."