'Nothing Compares' clip: Sinead O'Connor reflects on her early '90s fame

Watch a scene from the new documentary about the controversial Irish singer/songwriter

Video Transcript

[MUSIC - SINEAD O'CONNOR, "MANDINKA"]

SINEAD O'CONNOR: (SINGING) I do know Mandinka-- (SPEAKING) I sang Mandinka with Jake's baby girl in the back of my pants, and I had Public Enemy's logo painted into the side of my head. They decided they wouldn't go to the Grammys-- quite rightly-- because they were protesting.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

CHUCK D: I protested the Grammys in 1989 because they refused to recognize rap music-- and hip-hop-- as a legitimate musical category. I thought it was admirable when she put the Public Enemy logo on her head. With Sinead O'Connor, you didn't get the sense that she was just being pretentious or that she was fake. It was like, yeah, she seriously has issues with this. This is what's going to drive her artistry. She's committed to that.

SINEAD O'CONNOR: (SINGING) Ooh, Mandinka.

[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]

ELAINE SHOCK: It was a brilliant performance. At that point, she was the darling of everyone.

SINEAD O'CONNOR: In one way, I loved it. Obviously, I was a very young woman. And you fantasize about being famous. In another way, I was frightened by it. What, maybe, was difficult for me was the timing of the success, saying it meant that I suddenly had this identity. And I didn't feel like it was really me. To be honest, I also had very little self-esteem. I couldn't understand why anyone liked my records.