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.
Never Happy
Sinéad Quinn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of all the things I'd love to change
Perfect tits, a pert little ass
And an airbrush for my face
Ain't a thing I can't rearrange
And I don't like cellulite
I'll have those dimples on my cheeks
And all those pills they sell you like
But they only make you weak - yeah!
Chorus:
It' all over the place, it's all up in my face
Keep pushing how perfect I should be
I am what I am, I pretend I don't give a damn
It's no wonder that I'm never happy
Hello beautiful you're ok
Here's 30 grand for your wedding pics
Thank you kindly yeah I don't mind
But does my bum look big in this?
Say it again, I'm not convinced
So I said...
(Chorus)
Now and then I pretend that I'm really content
That I'm happy with a 14
When I'd rather be a 10
Starve myself for a day
Then I eat for a week
If I was picture perfect would I feel more complete?
Would I feel more complete??
Chorus x2
It's no wonder that I'm never happy
I'm never happy
I'm never happy
But I'm never happy
I'm never happy
The lyrics of Sinéad Quinn's song "Never Happy" focus on the pressures and expectations placed on women to conform to certain beauty standards. The opening lines depict a list of physical features the singer wishes to change, including her breasts, buttocks, face, and cellulite. The pressure to achieve these standards is further compounded by the constant reminders and advertisements that bombard women every day. Despite this, the singer acknowledges that the pills and other products advertised to "fix" these "flaws" often do more harm than good, leaving women feeling weak and unfulfilled.
The second verse takes a jab at the media's obsession with appearance, with the singer sarcastically thanking a tabloid for offering to pay for her wedding photos. She then questions whether she truly believes that her body is fine the way it is, or whether she is just pretending to be content because the pressure to conform is too much to bear. Finally, the chorus serves as a declaration of defiance against these expectations, stating that the singer is who she is and refusing to apologize for not conforming to societal expectations.
Overall, "Never Happy" is a commentary on the beauty standards that women are expected to meet and the impact that pressure has on their mental and physical health.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got a list the length of my arm
I have a long list of physical attributes I want to change about myself
Of all the things I'd love to change
Every aspect of my physical appearance needs modification
Perfect tits, a pert little ass
I wish to have perfect breasts and a perfectly shaped buttocks
And an airbrush for my face
I need an airbrush or retouching to enhance my facial features
Ain't a thing I can't rearrange
I believe I can change every aspect of my physique
And I don't like cellulite
I dislike the presence of cellulite on my skin
I'll have those dimples on my cheeks
I want to have dimples on my cheeks
And all those pills they sell you like
I am willing to take any pills or supplements advertised to improve physical appearance
But it's alright cos you can eat
It's okay to eat despite taking pills/supplements for body modification
But they only make you weak - yeah!
Using pills/supplements for physical enhancement weakens you in some ways
It' all over the place, it's all up in my face
Pressure to be physically perfect is pervasive and inescapable
Keep pushing how perfect I should be
Society continuously enforces unrealistic beauty standards on women.
I am what I am, I pretend I don't give a damn
I act like I don't care about my appearance but it still bothers me
It's no wonder that I'm never happy
It's unsurprising that I'm never content with my physical appearance
Hello beautiful you're ok
People often compliment me on my appearance
Here's 30 grand for your wedding pics
I was paid a significant amount of money for my wedding photos
Thank you kindly yeah I don't mind
I appreciate the payment and I'm okay with the photos being taken
But does my bum look big in this?
I'm still preoccupied with my physical appearance despite the money
Now and then I pretend that I'm really content
Occasionally I try to convince myself that I'm happy with my appearance
That I'm happy with a 14
I try to convince myself that I'm content with my dress size
When I'd rather be a 10
I secretly desire to be two dress sizes smaller
Starve myself for a day
I sometimes go without eating for a day to achieve weight loss
Then I eat for a week
After depriving myself of food, I then indulge in it excessively
If I was picture perfect would I feel more complete?
I wonder if I would be content if I had an ideal look
It's no wonder that I'm never happy
I'm never content with my appearance
Contributed by Lillian O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gillian Wills
I LOVE this song so much. I had Sinead's album years ago... 🖤
Amelia Portman
One of the few that did 😛
NovemberDays7
Ty for the upload.