Sinéad O'Connor: Music ain't what it used to be

Sinéad O'Connor thinks today's female pop stars have been "hoodwinked".

The famously outspoken musician shot to fame in the '80s and hits such as Nothing Compares 2 U made her an international star.

She fast became known for speaking her mind and has openly criticised the Catholic Church and the Pope in the past.

Last year Sinéad had a very public feud with former Disney star Miley Cyrus and wrote a series of open letters criticising the younger singer for allowing herself to be "pimped" by the music industry.

"It's hilarious and cleverly done, they're made to think if you get your t*ts out, you're a maverick," Sinéad laughed to Q magazine. "Bulls**t, obviously. I think people's reasons for making music have changed.

"It used to be people wanted to make music because we're all f**ked up and degenerate and maniacs and there was no other way of expressing ourselves. Now, they don't even care about the music, it's about how they look, and fame. Female musicians have been hoodwinked."

While stars such as Miley and Rihanna have become synonymous with raunchy dance routines and barely-there clothes, Sinéad wants the younger generation to see there is more to being famous than that.

"All they're doing is looking at their t*ts. Their audience are children and those children are being raised to believe their value is in how pretty they are and how many guys want them," she fumed.

The 47-year-old singer slams the idea that she may be jealous of the younger generation and insists she is more worried about the male-dominated music world taking advantage of women.

"It's also very abusive of the male executives, who probable love it," she continued. "But I suppose I'm supposed to be sitting here complaining about the young."