Annie Lennox honours Sinéad O’Connor’s memory in moving Grammys performance

Simon Kelly

She also called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Annie Lennox was close to tears during a moving tribute to the late Sinéad O’Connor at the Grammys, where she called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Scottish singer-songwriter performed a powerful rendition of the 1990 hit ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ during the In Memoriam segment at the 66th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

Once the song finished, Lennox raised her fist and said: “Artists for ceasefire. Peace in the world.”

Annie Lennox honours Sinéad O’Connor’s memory in moving Grammys performance

O’Connor, who passed away in July last year, was honoured in memorial among other artists such as Shane MacGowan, Andy Rourke and Burt Bacharach, who died in the last year.

Lennox bore a striking resemblance to the late Irish singer, donning a shaved head and wearing an all-black outfit and a red sacred heart on her sleeve.

Annie Lennox at the #Grammys: “Artists for ceasefire. Peace in the world.” pic.twitter.com/bF8R5n2zLA

— Variety (@Variety) February 5, 2024

The 69-year-old is among over 300 artists, actors and advocates who published a letter urging US President Joe Biden to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Israel through Artists4Ceasefire.org.

Lennox, who has long given her vocal support to Palestine, was the only artist at the Grammys this year to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The song, along with the outward support for those Palestinians suffering at the hands of Israel, was a beautifully fitting tribute to O’Connor, who would always use her platform to give support for those in need.

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In a tribute to O’Connor’s death in July, Lennox called her a “truth-teller” and “fearless.”

She also shared a video of Sinéad speaking out over the vitriol and hate she received at just 24-years-old for speaking out against war, saying, “No-one knows what Sinead went through except her close friends and family, but here she is – speaking with such grace and dignity about how it feels to be publicly targeted and ‘taken down’ when you try to speak truth to power.”