Sinead O’Connor, a prominent name in the music industry, is an Irish singer most known for her song Nothing Compares 2 U and who at the time of her passing in 2023 had a net worth of $500,000 to $4.8 million.

While many sources have estimated Sinead’s fortune to be in the millions, others put her net worth at a more modest $500,000.

Sinead O’Connor’s music career started at the young age of 15 when In Tua Nua drummer Paul Byrne’s sister heard Sinead sing at the Magdalene Asylum.

Byrne’s sister put the two in touch with each other, and Sinead recorded the song “Take My Hand” with the band before starting her own band, Ton Ton Macoute.

Her band eventually caught the eye of Ensign Records, who signed the singer in 1985, before the two eventually parted ways following O’Connor’s controversial appearance on Saturday Night Live.

Sinead O’Connor Net Worth

After signing with her record label, Sinead released her first album, The Lion and Cobra, which thanks to singles like Troy and Mandinka, helped the artist earn a Grammy nomination for best female rock vocal performance.

It was Sinead’s second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got released in 1990 that propelled the young singer at the time to new levels of stardom.

The single Nothing Compares 2 U, was by far her most successful song, selling millions of copies worldwide and topping charts in countless countries.

The song was also certified Platinum in the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, New Zealand, and Austria, as well as a 2x Platinum certification in Australia. The single also went Gold in Denmark, Germany, and Italy.

It’s estimated the song alone earned upwards of $6 million in revenue, which includes its earnings from YouTube and Spotify.

Sinead O'Connor Earnings & Financial Data:

Sinead O’Connor Career After Controversy

Following her falling out with Ensign Records in 1992 when she tore a picture of Pope John Paul II, which was negatively received by the public, she continued to release other albums, many of which paled in comparison to her previous work.

She went on to release Am I Not Your Girl? in 1992, and Universal Mother in 1994 before taking a six-year absence from the scene. In 2000, she released her first album since 1994, titled Faith and Courage, followed by Sean-Nos Nua in 2002.

She then released the compilation album She Who Dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High Shall Abide Under the Shadow of the Almighty before announcing her retirement in 2003, which was short-lived.

After returning in 2005 with her reggae album Throw Down Your Arms, Sinead continued to produce music throughout the years, before finally ending her official music career in 2014 with the release of her last album I'm Not Bossy, I’m the Boss.

Sinead O’Connor YouTube and Spotify Earnings

Despite losing a significant part of her fortune over the years, Sinead made millions from her music on YouTube and Spotify.

Since joining YouTube on January 30, 2009, Sinead’s channel has amassed over 680 million views across 19 videos, with the Nothing Compares 2 U official music video taking the lead at 437 million views.

Taking into account YouTube’s average payout of $1200 to $6000 per million views, Sinead has approximately earned anywhere from $818,000 to $4.1 million on the platform alone, with the bulk of that coming from Nothing Compares 2 U across several different videos.

As for Spotify, Sinead has garnered more than 595 million streams, with her hit song taking the number one spot yet again for most streams at 317 million.

Using Spotify’s average payout of $0.003 to $0.005 per stream, Sinead earned an estimated $1.8 million to $3 million.

Nothing Compares 2 U alone earned a minimum of $950,000 and upwards of $1.5 million on the platform, making it Sinead’s most lucrative song across all platforms.

Top 10 Sinead O’Connor Songs by Spotify Revenue