A New York concert honouring the late Sinéad O’Connor featured a rousing rendition of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” performed by her daughter, Roisin Waters.
Though she’s not a professional singer, Waters appeared to be perfectly at ease as she took the stage barefoot and in a floral print dress during Wednesday’s “Sinéad & Shane at Carnegie Hall,” held in honour of O’Connor and Shane MacGowan. MacGowan, who was the lead vocalist for the Pogues, died in November.
“Sing along if you like,” she told the crowd before launching into her mother’s classic 1990 hit.
The Dresden Dolls’ Amanda Palmer, who was also part of the concert’s lineup, offered high praise for Waters’ performance on Instagram.
“Oh man…I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house,” Palmer captioned a video post of the performance. “Every other performer was crammed side of stage to watch this bittersweet majesty unfold.”
“And my god, could you feel the power of musical alchemy in the hall last night,” the singer continued. “The soaring sharp needle of sung and played notes that tear us asunder and stitch us back together. The way it isn’t about any one thing. The way music can communicate more than mere words ever can.”
Other performers for the event included David Gray, Glen Hansard and the Dropkick Murphys.
Waters, whose father is Irish journalist John Waters, lives in Dublin and works as a pastry chef.
O’Connor died in July 2023, at age 56. A London coroner’s court confirmed in January that the Grammy winner’s death was due to natural causes.
Nothing Compares 2 U was originally written by Prince for his side project, The Family, and appeared on that band’s eponymous 1985 debut album.
The song remained relatively obscure until O’Connor recorded her version for her second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, five years later. Propelled by the now-iconic music video, it reached the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in April 1990.