When she first came to prominence as a teenager, the world had never seen or heard anything like quite like Sinead O'Connor. In the midst so many big-haired, pop ingénues that made their name in the 1980s she stood out: a shaven headed waif with bambi eyes, bovver boots and a soaring, acrobatic voice. Her daringly eclectic debut album, The Lion And The Cobra (1987) blended influences from hip hop, punk and traditional Irish music and won her widespread critical acclaim and an international following.

Brash and outspoken -- her shaven head, angry visage, and shapeless wardrobe a direct challenge to the popular culture's long-prevailing notions of femininity and sexuality -- O'Connor irrevocably altered the image of women in rock; railing against long-standing stereotypes simply by asserting herself not as a sex object but as a serious artist, she kick-started a revolt which led the way for performers ranging from Liz Phair to Courtney Love.