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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Daniel Dylan Wray

‘Oh my God, this is like recording Nina Simone’: David Holmes on producing Sinéad O’Connor’s final album

David Holmes Sinéad OConnor Nina Simone Sinead OConnor Shane MacGowan Belfast Sainsbury
Sinead O’Connor.
‘It’s up there with her best work – it’s very, very special’ … Sinead O’Connor. Photograph: Kim Haughton/Shutterstock

In 2018, David Holmes was invited to Shane MacGowan’s 60th birthday concert bash. The Pogues, Bono, Nick Cave, Bobby Gillespie and more were all performing songs in his honour. “Everyone was there to celebrate the genius of Shane but she stood out by a country mile,” says Holmes. “Sinéad O’Connor stole the show.”

Holmes, the Belfast DJ, producer and composer who has worked with everyone from Noel Gallagher to Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh, bumped into O’Connor after the show and took his chance to propose working together on an album about healing. “She never even questioned me,” says Holmes, speaking by phone. “She didn’t have a clue about anything I’ve ever done before but that’s so Sinéad. Just so non-judgmental and incredibly approachable.”

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