Just hours after getting word of the death of Sinéad O’Connor, Pink and Brandi Carlile delivered an heartfelt tribute to the Irish singer and musician.
The two pop stars, who are currently out touring together on the North America leg of Pink’s Summer Carnival trek, performed an emotional version of Nothing Compares 2 U, which was a huge hit for O’Connor all around the world in 1990.
During her show at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Wednesday, Pink took some time to explain the impact O’Connor’s art had on her as a youngster and aspiring singer.
‘When I was a little girl, my mom grew up in Atlantic City and I used to go down to the Ocean City Boardwalk with my $10 and I would make a demo tape,’ the Pennsylvania native told her fans. ‘I would make a little cassette tape and imagine it was my demo for the record company.’
She continued, ‘And it would always be either Greatest Love Of All by Whitney Houston or Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinéad O’Connor. So in honor of Sinéad, and in honor of my very, very talented friend, Brandi Carlile, I asked her if she would come out here and sing this song with me.’
Emotional duet: Pink, 43, teamed up with Brandi Carlile, 42, to perform Nothing Compares 2 U, in a heartfelt tribute to Sinéad O’Connor in the wake of her death on Wednesday
From there, the two singers could be seen standing side-by-side and facing one another as they traded turns with the verses of the catch ballad.
They then joined their two powerhouse voices together for the memorable pre-chorus and chorus.
Decked out in an elegant pink dress and her hair styled short and dyed platinum blonde, the Hurts 2B Human star took time out after the song to encourage the thousands in attendance to be good and kind to one another.
‘You just never know … what people are going through, so it’s not hard to give people a smile,’ she said, as reported by Entertainment Weekly.
‘It’s not hard to be kind, I’m learning that lesson in this lifetime as well, we can all learn that together.’
Afterwards, Carlile, 42, posted a clip of their performance on Instagram Story, which she called ‘a bittersweet moment.’
While the two stars decided to sing Nothing Compares 2 U for their tribute to O’Connor, it should be noted that the song was actually written and composed by Prince for his side project, The Family.
It ended up being released on the band’s self-titled studio album, The Family (1985).
After explaining the impact O’Connor’s music had on her as a young girl, Pink introduced Carlile during her concert at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio
United! Carlile is currently serving as the opening artist for Pink on her Summer Carnival tour
Monumental: Carlile called the tribute performance a ‘bittersweet moment’ on Instagram
In unison: The two singers stood side-by-side and facing one another as they traded turns with the verses, then joined their two powerhouse voices together for the pre-chorus and chorus sections of the power ballad
Be kind: After the performance, the Hurts 2B Human star took time out to encourage the thousands in attendance to be good and kind to one another: ‘You just never know … what people are going through, so it’s not hard to give people a smile’
But some five years later, O’Connor would record her rendition of Nothing Compares 2 U as the second single off her second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got ( (1990).
Hers power ballad version, featuring lyrics exploring feelings of longing from the point of view of an abandoned lover, was a smash hit all over the world, topping the charts in O’Connor’s native Ireland, as well as Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the U.S.
In fact, it went on to spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.
In addition, it was number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and reached number two on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
Prince later released a live rendition of Nothing Compares 2 U, in a duet with Rosie Gaines that was included on his compilation album The Hits/The B-Sides.
Five years after Prince wrote and composed Nothing Compares 2 U for his side project, The Family, O’Connor released her rendition as the second single off her second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got ( (1990); she is pictured win September 1990
RIP: The Irish singer and musician was found unresponsive at her flat in Hern Hill, South London on Wednesday, and pronounced dead at the scene; O’Connor is seen in March 2023
Police were called out to O’Connor’s flat in Hern Hill, South London on Wednesday after she was found ‘unresponsive’, according to CNN.
Officers would later pronounce the Grammy winning singer dead at the scene, and notify next of kin.
At this point, there’s been no official cause of death released, but police have come forward to announce they do not suspect any foul play.
O’Connor released 10 studio albums during her career between 1987 and 2014, but I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990) became her biggest success, selling over seven million copies worldwide, in part, due to the popularity of Nothing Compares 2 U,
