Miley Cyrus performs ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ on ‘SNL 50’ after Sinead O’Connor feud

nypost.com:

passed away at 56 on July 26, 2023.But the Irish icon — who was at the center of one of the most controversial moments in “Saturday Night Live” history when she ripped up a photo of Pope John Paul II in 1992 — lived on Sunday night during “SNL 50: The Anniversary Special” when Miley Cyrus channeled her during a performance of O’Connor’s signature song “Nothing Compares 2 U.”Cyrus, 32, belted out her rendition of O’Connor’s chart-topping Prince cover, which she performed with singer-guitarist Brittany Howard — just two days after they also paired up at “SNL: The Homecoming Concert.”It was a surprising but touching tribute to O’Connor — not only because of her shocking protest of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church during her “SNL” performance of Bob Marley’s “War,” but because of the feud she had with Cyrus before her death.Their generation-spanning spat began when Cyrus told Rolling Stone in 2013 that her “Wrecking Ball” video was inspired by O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” clip.

While Cyrus swings naked on a wrecking ball and licks a sledgehammer in the video, she also sheds a tear a la O’Connor. Both clips won Video of the Year at the VMAs.O’Connor responded to Cyrus’ homage in an open letter written “in the spirit of motherliness and with love.”“I am extremely concerned for you that those around you have led you to believe, or encouraged you in your own belief, that it is in any way ‘cool’ to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos,” she wrote. “It is in fact the case that you will obscure your talent by allowing yourself to be pimped, whether it’s the music business or yourself doing the pimping.“Nothing but harm will come in the long run, from allowing yourself to be exploited, and it is absolutely.