Sinéad did not enter the Fame Academy in the same way as the other contestants. The first eleven contestants were picked by the show's judges, but the final contestant was picked through a public vote in the first programme of the series. Sinéad, David Sneddon and Paul MacDonald sang in this vote but Sinéad won the public's support. She gained 51% of the votes and won her place in the Fame Academy.
The fan base Sinéad built up in the first programme stayed with her during the whole series, and allowed her to reach the final. During this time she sang a range of songs from Macy Gray's "I Try" and Garth Brook's "If Tomorrow Never Comes" to "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "Don't Speak".
In the final, Sinéad was up against David Sneddon (who had entered the Academy at a later date due to Naomi Roper pulling out due to illness) and Lemar Obika. She finished second with 2.5 million of the 6.5 million votes cast. Although missing out on the guaranteed record deal and living the "lifestyle of a star" for a year, she had the attention of the music industry.
Within a week of leaving the Fame Academy, Sinéad signed a £1 million, five album record deal with Mercury Records.
Her debut single, "I Can’t Break Down", was released 10 February 2003. It reached number 2 in the British charts, being beaten to the top spot by t.A.T.u.. The single sold around 70,000 copies, finishing in 65th place for the top selling UK singles of 2003.
Sinéad's follow up single "What You Need Is" only reached number 19 in the charts, and her self-written album, Ready To Run, peaked at number 48.
Sinéad's only other releases to date was on the Fame Academy Album alongside all the other Fame Academy contestants and guest vocals on fellow contestant Malachi Cush's debut album.
Both before and after Fame Academy, Sinéad was a keen songwriter and performer. The show allowed her to develop her song writing talents and provided her with her first ever singing lessons. The Fame Academy Tour, which followed the series, gave Sinéad her first major public performances outside a TV studio.
In the three years since leaving the Fame Academy, Sinéad has had a regular list of public performances. With the backing of a guitar based group she went on a University tour in 2003. She has played to a full-house at Music Live 2003 at the National Exhibition Centre and in 2005 she supported Children in Need with a performance and sang at the switch-on of Christmas lights in Coventry. She has also taken part in RTÉ's TV show - "The Lyrics Board" and on New Year's Eve, 2005, she performed on another RTÉ television show - "Everyone's A Winner", singing Sheryl Crow's song - "Everyday Is A Winding Road".
Also in 2005 Sinéad was invited by the Irish President, Mary McAleese, "to a reception to celebrate (her) contribution to the entertainment industry in Ireland" at the Presidents official residence, Áras an Uachtaráin.
Sinéad has been touring with SSVC performing for the British Armed Forces around the world. Of note is the fact that while in Cyprus a special "Going Out Tonight" show was put on for those living on the RAF Akrotiri base, unusual because this meant it was open to anyone living on the base, including families of forces members, whereas these shows are normally reserved for servicemen on operations.
Sinéad played the role of Beth in the 2007 live tour of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds. Also in 2007 she performed at and judged each of the nine regional finals for Girl Guiding UK's talent competition 'Guiding Star' and also appeared at the Grand Final in Sheffield on 30 June 2007 as a performer and a judge.
Whilst she's concentrated on smaller intimate gigs in 2008, mainly in smaller locations in London, she'll be the support act for Lulu at the Chichester Festivities in July.
Love Me All the Way
Sinéad Quinn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I feel you breaking through
I feel you breaking through
I nearly lost myself the day I found you
Could've opened up to you
Opened up to you
I can be an island that's OK
Baby feel free to go
To walk away, walk away
CHORUS
This is the way I see it
This is the way I feel it
You can either take or leave it
But if you're gonna stay then love me all the way
Or don't love me at all
This is the air I'm breathing
Check out the way I'm feeling
You can either take it or leave it
But if you stay then love me all they way, all they way
Or don't love me at all
You stripped me of my hearts defences
And now you're breaking through
I feel you breaking through
You're standing close and I can sense it
I'm diving into you, I'm diving into you
I can be a mountain on my own
I can be the one who stands alone
Baby feel free to go
to walk away, walk away hey......
chorus
In these lyrics from Sinéad Quinn's song Love Me All the Way, the singer portrays someone who has established a wall around herself, potentially to protect herself from being hurt in a romantic relationship. But she acknowledges that someone is breaking through that wall - possibly the person she's currently involved with - and that's causing her to feel vulnerable. She admits that before she met this person, she had nearly lost herself, which suggests that she has found a new sense of purpose and meaning in her life since starting the relationship. However, even though she's opening up to this person, she still asserts her independence by saying that she can be her own island and her own dawn.
The chorus of the song is a declaration of the singer's needs: she needs to be loved completely and wholeheartedly by whoever chooses to stay in her life. She acknowledges that not everyone will choose to do so, but if they do, they must be willing to commit fully. She repeats the phrase "love me all the way" several times, driving home the importance of this need. In the second verse, the singer says that the person she's involved with has broken down her defenses and is standing close to her. She's diving into the relationship, which suggests that she's willing to take a risk in order to experience the fullness of love.
Overall, this song is a powerful representation of the fear and vulnerability that can accompany opening oneself up to love. The singer is clear about what she needs, but there's also a sense of uncertainty and hesitation throughout the lyrics. It's a poignant reminder that, even in the midst of a loving relationship, we're all still human and need to be willing to take risks in order to experience the fullness of intimacy.
Line by Line Meaning
I built a china wall around me
I protected myself from being hurt by building walls around me.
I feel you breaking through
However, you are breaking down those walls and getting through to me.
I nearly lost myself the day I found you
I was hesitant to let anyone in, but I took a chance on you and it was almost too much for me.
Could've opened up to you
I could have exposed myself to you.
I can be an island that's OK
I am capable of being alone if I need to be.
I can be the dawn to my own day
I can be the light that begins and sustains my own happiness.
Baby feel free to go
If you need to leave, I won't stop you.
To walk away, walk away
I won't hold it against you if you have to leave.
This is the way I see it
This is my perspective.
This is the way I feel it
This is how I feel about it.
You can either take or leave it
You have the choice to accept or reject it.
But if you're gonna stay then love me all the way
But if you decide to stay, please commit to loving me with all of yourself.
Or don't love me at all
If you can't do that, it's better to not love me at all.
This is the air I'm breathing
This is essential to my survival.
Check out the way I'm feeling
This is how I'm feeling.
But if you stay then love me all they way, all they way
But if you remain, please give me your whole heart.
You stripped me of my hearts defences
You took away the barriers that were protecting me from being hurt.
And now you're breaking through
And now, you are getting through to me.
You're standing close and I can sense it
I can feel you standing close.
I'm diving into you, I'm diving into you
I'm taking a risk and giving you my heart.
I can be a mountain on my own
I can be strong and independent without anyone else.
I can be the one who stands alone
I am capable of standing on my own, even if it's lonely.
Or don't love me at all
If you can't love me the way I need to be loved, it's better to not love me at all.
Contributed by Caden K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.