Sinead O'Connor will no longer perform Nothing Compares 2 U as she can't 'emotionally identify' with it

It was the song that turned her into an international star, but Sinéad O'Connor has announced that she will no longer perform her signature song Nothing Compares 2 U.

After 25 years the 48-year-old singer said that she has run out of all of the emotion she once brought to the song and would be lying to audiences if she continued to perform the hit.

In a statement on her Facebook page O'Connor wrote: "OK, the time has come for me to cease singing Nothing Compares 2U. The first principle of the manner in which I'm trained as a singer (Bel Canto) is we never sing a song we don't emotionally identify with.

"After twenty-five years of singing it, nine months or so ago I finally ran out of anything I could use in order to bring some emotion to it.

"I don't want audiences to be disappointed coming along to a show and then not hearing it, so am letting you know here that you won't."

The song, written by Prince, was the biggest hit of 1990, and claimed number one spot on the Billboard charts for four weeks.