Latest news with #SineadO'Connor
Campaign ME
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Campaign ME
Gen Z and Gen Alpha demand authentic connection, not cringe campaigns
Sinead O'Connor: In the relentless pursuit of relevance, brands are aggressively trying to capture the attention and loyalty of Gen Z and the newly emerging Gen Alpha. But whilst billions are poured into campaigns every year, are we actually speaking to this audience, or simply at them? Rather than speculating from the outside, we went straight to the source. Samar is a bright 16-year old currently with us on work experience, so we asked her one big question: 'What do brands consistently get wrong about your generation, and what do they need to understand to truly connect?' In this piece, Samar offers her candid insights on effective engagement with her and her peers. If we want to better market to their generation, it's time we listen. Samar Shaibani: It's no surprise to us, the younger generations, to see another minute-long advert with flashy colours and scripted dialogue. We have grown up online and seen it over and over again. More often than not, I find myself watching a thirty-second video of an influencer trying their new makeup routine over a brand's own thirty-second ad. We are no longer excited or interested in the same old campaigns or repetitive products disguised as 'new'. To be honest, it's inauthentic. Seeing Dior launch the same 'Jadore' perfume to a new edition of Nike Tech being released hasn't exactly sparked conversations or captivated our attention. Speak my language Brands try to reach me through teen-speak when it often comes off as cringe and awkward. Seeing a brand use terms like 'bae' and 'baddie' gives me second-hand embarrassment. It just reminds me of how detached they are from me. Rather than building a genuine connection, it disregards our cultural values and beliefs. This, paired with meaningless content and a lack of representation of social and ethical issues, is an immediate turn-off. We are not a passive audience. On the contrary, we care. We notice ignorance about issues surrounding us and want brands that resonate with our values and speak to us like our equals. Rather than brands maximising their profit by minimising their risk, we need brands that are willing to take a risk for us. This traditional advertising also misses where most younger generations truly hang out: TikTok. Traditional adverts rely on perfect visuals that often feel out of place. What is successful now is understanding. We need relatability and transparency to be immersed in and connect with brands Authenticity shapes aesthetics We are driven by influencers and their authenticity as well as their need to be helpful to us. Many large influencers follow mass trends, chasing the 'going viral reward', while micro-influencers are the ones most important to us. These creators highlight a community, frequently sharing their routines and replying to comments. I feel satisfied with their suggestions and would trust them with my life instantaneously. They cater to what speaks to us the most: an aesthetic. Their aesthetic isn't bland and focused on visuals, but rather it's a lifestyle. When brands authentically collaborate with them, it doesn't feel like a promotion, but a recommendation. Aesthetics have been a large influence on us, from the 'coquette' to the 'chic'. When a brand makes a specific aesthetic for their brand identity, it becomes incredibly successful through our interest and captivation. I have the urge to be consumed by that specific aesthetic being portrayed. I need it injected into my veins. Marketing for us, not to us Take 'Rhode' by Hailey Bieber, for example. Her brand has a focal point on the 'clean girl' aesthetic and its association with being put together, classy and effortlessly minimalistic. This aesthetic isn't compatible with a mass audience. However, it flourishes in the target demographic. View this post on Instagram A post shared by rhode skin (@rhode) The BoldxCollective marketing agency has acknowledged this, saying: 'The brand's minimalistic packaging, sleek branding, and the promise of fresh, hydrated skin align with a generation's desire for authenticity.' Alternatively, Duolingo is self-involved in TikTok culture. They are incredibly aware of our sense of humour and present their personality authentically. I actually laugh at their posts, losing hours scrolling through their page and their funny comments replying to us. Even if they don't have a focal point of being aesthetic, we feel like they resonate with our perspective, creating a strong connection between them and us. Gen Z and Gen Alpha want brands to stop marketing to us but rather for us. We need a change towards transparency, risk, and authenticity. We need you to change to cater to our needs, stop being cautious and take that leap of faith. Connect with us. Trust us. We don't want to see picture-perfect adverts, we need originality. By Samar Shaibani, Grade 12, Dubai English Speaking College and Sinead O'Connor, Senior Director, Current Global MENAT
Irish Daily Star
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Star
Inside Sinead O'Connor's relationship with son Shane before their tragic deaths
The music world was mourning the loss of Sinead O'Connor, whose cause of death was revealed six months after her passing, which followed the devastating loss of her son. The 56-year-old singer was found "unresponsive" in her London residence in July 2023 , and authorities have now confirmed she passed away due to natural causes. The iconic voice behind "Nothing Compares 2 U" was not under any suspicion by the police, and she was "pronounced dead at the scene". Her death came a year and a half after the heartbreaking suicide of her 17-year-old son, Shane Lunny, who disappeared in January 2022. Read More Related Articles Mick Jagger had brutal reaction when he saw The Beatles perform live for first time Read More Related Articles Sam Heughan admits he will miss element of Outlander after season 8 filming wrapped David Holmes, a producer collaborating with O'Connor on her yet-to-be-released 11th album, reflected in a documentary about her life: "Even though Sinead was this incredibly resilient survivor, I totally believe that people can die of a broken heart.", reports the Express . Shane, whom Sinead lost custody of in 2013, vanished while under suicide watch at Tallaght Hospital. Sinead O'Connor had a close relationship with her son (Image: (Image: GETTY)) His body was found shortly after he went missing, and the grief-stricken singer announced his death on X, previously known as Twitter. She expressed her sorrow with the words: "My beautiful son, Nevi'im Nesta Ali Shane O'Connor, the very light of my life, decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God. "May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace." Sinead O'Connor was a mother to four children from four different fathers, whom she described as "unusual, intelligent, loving, compassionate, spiritually advanced, funny, worthwhile, hard-working human beings" in her memoir titled "Rememberings". Shane was the third child Sinead O'Connor had with music producer Donal Lunny, with whom she collaborated on one of her albums. Sinead expressed: "It was produced by Dónal Lunny, as was my third child, Shane. If we had not made this album, we would not have made our beautiful son." She also mentions in her memoir "Rememberings" that Shane is "the child who is most like me, I believe, to look at and by nature." After his passing, Sinead shared a heartfelt message on social media, calling him "the love of my life, the lamp of my soul." Sinead O'Connor is remembered for her work in the music industry (Image: (Image: GETTY)) In her tribute, she penned: "We were one soul in two halves," and "He was the only person who ever loved me unconditionally. I am lost in the bardo without him." A week following Shane's tragic discovery, Sinead checked herself into a hospital after posting worrying messages online, stating "I've decided to follow my son. There is no point in living without him". Sinead's own funeral took place on August 8 in County Wicklow, where she resided for over a decade. This week brought news of a tribute concert set to celebrate both Sinead and her dear friend, the late Shane MacGowan, who passed away in November. The memorial concert, scheduled for March at New York's prestigious Carnegie Hall, will see performances from acts including Dropkick Murphys, Cat Power, Mountain Goats, and Glen Hansard.
New York Times
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
11 Songs to Keep St. Patrick's Day Going
Image Sinead O'Connor Credit... Paul Bergen/Redferns, via Getty Images This year St. Patrick's Day was on a Monday, a particularly cursed fate for a holiday associated with merriment. I propose extending the celebration all throughout the week — a feat of endurance that will require the proper soundtrack. Today, I offer you just that. This playlist contains tracks from 11 very different artists from Ireland.* It features some interpretations of traditional Irish tunes from legends like the Pogues (I'll get to their origins in a moment) and the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem; a few superstars who put Irish rock on the global map in the 1980s and '90s (U2 and the Cranberries); and some younger upstarts refreshing Irish sounds for a new generation (the imaginative post-punk group Fontaines D.C. and the raucous rap trio Kneecap, whose 2024 biopic I highly recommend). Whether you're playing this while sipping a pint of Guinness or trying to conjure that pub atmosphere within the secrecy of your headphones, I hope this playlist keeps you in the St. Patrick's Day spirit all week (and maybe even all year) long. Lots of fun at Finnegan's wake, Lindsay *Before you email me about their exclusion, a friendly reminder that the Dropkick Murphys are from Massachusetts. As for Hozier, well … something tells me that there are at least a few other playlists out there where you can hear his music. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BRITs: Chappell Roan dedicates award to 'sex workers and Sinead O'Connor'
Chappell Roan dedicated her International Artist of the Year Award at the BRIT Awards with Mastercard to "sex workers and Sinead O'Connor". The 27-year-old singer sought off competition from the likes of Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift and Tyler, The Creator to scoop the coveted accolade and while she could not be there in person, she said during a pre-recorded acceptance speech that her work had been inspired by "queer joy" as she acknowledged the late 'Nothing Compares 2 U' songstress. She said: "It's so lit that I'm winning a BRIT! "Thank you, really thank you, seriously, erm, I'm so sorry that I can't be there tonight to celebrate with you but thank you to the BRITs for honouring me and recognsing me. "Thank you to my team, and my fans but especially my UK girlies. You have been there since day one and Chappell Roan was born through experiencing queer joy. "It's so special that I had to write an entire album about it. "I dedicate this to trans artists, to drag queens, to fashion students, sex workers, and Sinead O'Connor." The 'Pink Pony Club' hitmaker - whose real name is Kayleigh Rose Amstutz - added that those people had "laid the groundwork" for her to succeed in her career today and donned a British accent as she promised her UK fans that she would see them soon. She said: "Because of those people, they have laid the groundwork for me to be here today. I did not give up because of them. I will continue going because of them. "I will see you for a spot of tea this summer."
Buzz Feed
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
21 Of The Most Wild, Unbelievable, And Occasionally Controversial Things That Ever Happened On "SNL"
In honor of SNL 's 50 years on air, here are 21 of the most wild and occasionally controversial things that have ever happened live on the show: Note: Some of the following moments have been suggested by and commented on by members of the BuzzFeed Community. 1. When Sinead O'Connor ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II during her performance of Bob Marley's "War": 2. When Adrien Brody decided to improvise his introduction of musical guest Sean Paul by wearing dreadlocks, speaking in patois, and spewing a bunch of Jamaican stereotypes: 3. When Ashlee Simpson got caught lip-synching during her performance of "Autobiography," did a very awkward dance, and ran offstage: NBC / Via "Instead of 'Autobiography,' her prerecorded track of 'Pieces of Me' started playing. She didn't know what to do, so she did this awkward dance and walked offstage before the show cut to a commercial." — chelseasometimes23 4. When Kristen Stewart hosted and accidentally dropped the f-bomb in her monologue: 5. When David Bowie performed " Boys Keep Swinging" and included a little phallic surprise at the very end that SNL 's censorer didn't catch in time: As it was 1979, SNL was already prepared to censor the performance, particularly for the line "other boys check you out." Likely knowing this, Bowie and his team prepared a surprise. For the performance, Bowie's head appeared atop a marionette doll, which danced around to the song. As the song came to an end, a party horn — y'know, those paper, whistle-like things you used to blow on at birthday parties or on New Year's that would unfurl and make a honking sound — shot out of the marionette's pants in a particularly phallic manner. SNL 's team didn't catch it quick enough to edit it out live, nor did they choose to edit it from re-runs. 6. When Martin Lawrence went off script during his monologue, sharing his personal experiences and opinion on women's hygiene and genitals: Because of network policy, this part of the monologue has been edited out of reruns of the episode since it originally aired in 1994. Instead, the following graphics are displayed explaining what occurred and calling it a "frank and lively presentation" that "nearly cost us all our jobs." You can view the video on YouTube or read the transcript from the original monologue here. 7. When Buck Henry hosted an entire episode of SNL with a bandaged head because John Belushi accidentally cut him with a sword during a "Samurai Stockbroker" sketch: You can enjoy the whole sketch on or watch the moment where it all goes wrong below: 8. When Rage Against the Machine tried to perform with upside-down American flags hanging from their amps and were escorted out of the building immediately after their first song: NBC "The upside-down flags were meant to be a protest of the show's host that week: then–presidential candidate Steve Forbes. The crew removed the flags before the show went live, but the band was not invited back in to perform a second song or seen onstage for the goodbyes at the end of the show." — miss_meggin 9. When SNL Executive Producer Dick Ebersol had the audience vote on whether or not they should keep Andy Kaufman on the fans voted him out: 10. When Chevy Chase and Richard Pryor did a "Word Association" job interview sketch in which both their characters said racial slurs back and forth, including Chase saying the n-word: NBC / Via "Chase and Pryor notoriously didn't care for each other IRL, either, and it shows." — angelusgirl 11. When Mike Myers and Dana Carvey made a joke about the appearance of Bill Clinton's daughter — Chelsea Clinton — in a " Wayne's World" sketch, which was edited out of the segment after airing and does not appear online or in reruns. While Wayne and Garth are listing the top ten things they like about Bill Clinton, you might notice in the clip on SNL's official YouTube page that it skips from #3 straight to #1. That would be, because #2 is about Chelsea. According to Cracked, Wayne says, "adolescence has been thus far unkind" to then-12-year-old Chelsea, then goes on to note that he thinks she's "going to be a future fox." Hillary Clinton commented on the joke in a Redbook interview, saying, "I think it's sad that people don't have anything better to do than be mean to a child... I'm going to do everything I can to help Chelsea be strong enough not to let what other people say about her affect her." Bill Clinton added on in a People interview, saying he didn't mind jokes about him on the show, "...but I think you gotta be pretty insensitive to make fun of an adolescent child." Mike Meyers reportedly wrote a personal letter apologizing to Chelsea and her parents, and Lorne Michaels himself issued a public apology. 12. When James Franco accidentally squirted fake blood straight into Leslie Jones' mouth during the "Gift Wrap" sketch: 13. When Fear caused a bit of a riot during their performance and were cut off mid-song with a commercial break for ~fear~ that they'd seriously damage the equipment: "Fear hosted the Halloween episode in 1981 thanks to the help of cast member John Belushi getting them in the door at 30 Rock. They performed offensive songs — including the anti-New York song 'New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones'; had a mosh pit that destroyed the set; and continuously used vulgar language. Concerned they'd destroy the equipment in the studio, the crew cut to a commercial when they began playing 'Let's Have a War.'" — Evelina Zaragoza Medina 14. When Charles Rocket dropped the f-bomb during a sketch, resulting in him getting fired in the middle of the season: "The show was already in limbo, and that mistake cost half the jobs on the show, including Rocket's. SNL would've tanked entirely were it not for Eddie Murphy." — colleend9 15. When both the stage and the audience went uncomfortably silent after the n-word was dropped in this "Commie Hunting Season" sketch: For reference, this sketch aired in 1980, during the show's sixth season. The whole thing is a hard watch and definitely never should've made it to air. Still, you can watch it on YouTube, as SNL has uploaded it to their official account. 16. When Elvis Costello stopped playing "Less Than Zero" 15 seconds into the song and performed "Radio, Radio" — a song that NBC had objected to — instead: NBC / Via "He was then banned from appearing on SNL until he made his triumphant return playing the same song backed by the Beastie Boys years later! THAT was punk rock in its purest meaning." — Brian B. 17. When Kanye West went on an unexpected pro-Trump rant at the end of the episode he appeared on and was ultimately cut off: NBC / Via "In 2018, he wore a MAGA hat and talked about his public support of Trump while the audience booed and cast members — including host Adam Driver — were visibly irritated in the background. While his whole speech didn't air on TV, you can get a quick refresher of what was said and shared by Chris Rock — who'd been in the show's audience that night — on Instagram here." — swifty_girl 18. When Alec Baldwin and Adam Sandler starred in this "Canteen Boy and the Scoutmaster" sketch, in which Alec played a scoutmaster who repeatedly made inappropriate sexual advances on a boy scout in his troop, prompting massive backlash and a response from the Boy Scouts of America: NBC / Via In a Chicago Sun-Times article, a Boy Scouts of America representative said, "We see nothing funny about child molestation, and are surprised that this unfunny subject would be selected for a comedy sketch." Washington Post reports that the clip appears in re-airings with a title card saying the sketch "is based on actual events" and Canteen Boy is "a highly intelligent though quite eccentric 27-year-old who still lives with his mother, and who, despite his age, remains active in scouting," as was canonized in previous Canteen Boy sketches. 19. When Jenny Slate made a splash in her very first episode by accidentally dropping an f-bomb: NBC / Via "It was rumored for a while that the slipup during the 'Biker Chick Chat' was what got her fired from the show, but Slate explained that it was because she wasn't a good fit. It's good to see she's doing a lot more for herself now." — ursulabuffay 20. When Fred Armisen did an impression of then–New York Gov. David Paterson on "Weekend Update" that essentially made fun of him for being blind: NBC / Via During the segment, Armisen squinted and was unable to do basic tasks, seemingly due to his inability to see. According to the New York Times, the governor's office issued a statement about the impression, saying "this particular Saturday Night Live skit, unfortunately, chose to ridicule people with physical disabilities and imply that disabled people are incapable of having jobs with serious responsibilities." You can watch the original "Weekend Update" segment on AND the updated 2010 impression in which Paterson himself joins Armisen onstage to comment on it. 21. And finally, when Cypress Hill started their performance of "We Ain't Goin' Out Like That" by smoking a joint live on air: NBC / Via Facebook: Not only did DJ Muggs smoke weed on national TV, but the band also trashed their instruments at the end of their performance. Safe to say, it wasn't a huge surprise when Lorne Michaels didn't welcome them back on the show. Did we miss any more wild and controversial SNL moments? Let us know in the comments below! Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
