Sinéad O’Connor Had An ‘Astounding’ Album ‘Nearly Finished’ Before She Died, Her Documentary Director Says

In a video shared not long before her death, Sinéad O’Connor said she was writing new music. It turns out she had been writing music, to the point where she had an album almost ready to go.

Kathryn Ferguson, who directed the 2022 O’Connor documentary Nothing Compares, spoke about O’Connor with Variety and said, “For me, what’s really sad is that she did have an album that was nearly finished with Northern Irish composer and musician David Holmes. A few people I know who’ve heard it said it was astounding, and I was so looking forward to that being released and people responding to her music again. I really hope that that will come out at some point.”

O’Connor indicated this herself in a tweet from July 8, writing, “Hi All, recently moved back to London after 23 years absence. Very happy to be home : ) Soon finishing my album. Release early next year : ) Hopefully Touring Australia and New Zealand toward end 2024. Europe, USA and other territories beginning early 2025 : ) #TheB*tchIsBack.”

As for whether this album will see the light of day, that remains uncertain. However, in a 2021 interview with People, O’Connor spoke about her music and making sure her family was taken care of in the event of her death, saying, “See, when the artists are dead, they’re much more valuable than when they’re alive. Tupac has released way more albums since he died than he ever did alive, so it’s kind of gross what record companies do. That’s why I’ve always instructed my children since they were very small, ‘If your mother drops dead tomorrow, before you called 911, call my accountant and make sure the record companies don’t start releasing my records and not telling you where the money is.’”