Sinéad O'Connor talks musical heroes

Sinéad O'Connor hails musicians as the heroes of the young.

The Irish songstress has found herself the subject of the media's glare on numerous occasions over her 27-year career.

She's notoriously outspoken, and doesn't shy away from controversial topics.

"The media came after me from the word go, because I'm different. If a woman isn't propping up the establishment, if you can't tempt her into behaving herself, you have to 'crazy' her. They disempower you that way. Musicians are very dangerous people, because we're the heroes of the young," she outlined to Q magazine.

In the past, Sinéad, 47, has voiced her opinion on the Catholic Church and the cover-up of paedophile priests. More recently she criticised popstar Miley Cyrus for her provocative dance routines and stage costumes.

At the height of her fame, Sinéad was a multi-award winning singer and even bagged a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance in 1991. Just a few years later she decided to turn her back on showbiz, a decision she doesn't regret.

"If you walk away from fame, fortune, material sh*t, tell it to go f**k itself, reject the stuff everyone wants, you're holding up a mirror to everybody else. Without meaning to, you're telling them they're full of sh*t. And people aren't gonna like that," she explained.

Despite not always enjoying her fame, Sinéad does concede that with recognition comes the power to do good.

While being slammed for being outspoken by some, Sinéad has always stood up for what she believes in.

"Growing up in the '70s, music was all about rebellion. Songs like Idiot Wind by Bob Dylan. Music was a safe place to say stuff that couldn't be said anywhere else. Myself, Kurt Cobain and Roseanne Barr were the first people talking about child abuse without being in shadow," she said.