Miley Cyrus & Brittany Howard's High-Octane "Nothing Compares 2 U" Cover Is a Marvel

The SNL50 festivities are officially in the books, and fans can't stop thinking about one performance in particular.

For SNL50: The Anniversary Special, Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard joined forces with The Roots to pay tribute to the late Sinéad O'Connor with a cover of her worldwide hit, "Nothing Compares 2 U." It was everything the SNL50 musical performances set out to be: tour de forces that remind fans everywhere that some of the most iconic music moments happen in Studio 8H. 

There's something about the combination of the former Voice Coach and Howard that made for an incredibly mesmerizing vocal performance.

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Cyrus and Howard, who rose to stardom during her time in the band Alabama Shakes, perfectly paid tribute to the late Irish singer with drop-dead gorgeous notes. (Howard's ending riff gave us the chills!) 

It was genuinely epic, and thanks to The Roots' impressive arrangement, fans experienced a version of "Nothing Compares 2 U" that's never been done before.

Sinead O'Connor performs on stage at Camp Bestival at Lulworth Castle on August 3, 2014 in Wareham, United Kingdom; Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard perform “Nothing Compares 2 U” on SNL50: The Anniversary Special on February 16, 2025. Photo: Rob Ball/Redferns via Getty Images; Theo Wargo/NBC

What to know about "Nothing Compares 2 U"

Originally written by Prince in 1984 and subsequently recorded as a demo for his band, The Family, "Nothing Compares 2 U" became a worldwide hit when O'Connor included her version of the song as part of her 1990 album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got.

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The track spent an impressive four weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100. It's the only number-one hit of O'Connor's career.

In 1990, one reviewer proclaimed, "When Sinéad sang 'Nothing Compares 2 U,' seas calmed, angels wept and Top 40 radio stood still to listen to this powerful expression of unrequited love."

The song has been memorably covered by many other artists, most notably The Voice's Adam Levine and America's Got Talent alum Kodi Lee.