Hello, Gorgeous! Sinéad O'Connor Goes Shockingly Glam for New Album Cover

If she's the boss, you better get to work! A little more than two months before releasing her 10th studio album, Sinéad O'Connor unveiled its surprising cover featuring a nearly unrecognizable snapshot of the music
legend.

Sporting a jet-black bob with dramatic bangs, smoky eye makeup, and a skintight black PVC leather dress (complete with a high neck and long sleeves), the singer looks like a heroine from a Quentin Tarantino film... who could do some serious damage with that glittered guitar.

Obviously, the whole sexy, futuristic superhero look for I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss is a major departure from her standard style, which is defined by a shaved head, light makeup, and relatively unfussy clothes. So what inspired such a dramatic about-face in the icon?

It was Sheryl Sandberg, or, rather, the women's empowerment movement Sandberg created. O'Connor took to her personal website to explain her change of heart.

"Originally I had a different title, The Vishnu Room, but a few months back when I saw the phrase 'I’m not bossy, I'm the boss' and became aware of the Ban Bossy campaign, I wished I could re-name the album, since indeed it can be tricky being a female boss and I think Sheryl’s campaign is a terribly important one."
Sinead O'Connor in her more typical look (Getty Images)
In fact, this power struggle is something the star has been dealing with for decades. Back in February, she explained that her iconic anti-glam image was an intentional act of rebellion against record executives when she was first starting out in the '80s.

"I got put into the record business at a time when record executives were a little frisky. Put it that way," O'Connor said. "You had to protect yourself straight off. You'd be better to have a bag on your head, really." But the execs had other ideas in mind.

"They wanted me to grow my hair really long and wear miniskirts and all that kind of stuff because they reckoned I'd look much prettier," O'Connor shared. "So I went straight around to the barber and shaved the rest of my hair off … to make myself as unattractive as I possibly could."

But even though there's no doubt that O'Connor is now the boss (and has been for a long time), changing the title of her latest album at first seemed impossible.

"At the stage I became aware of the Ban Bossy campaign, it was too late to change the album title because the sleeve was already in print," the star lamented in her blog post before explaining a fortunate turn of events. "Last week, when the record company received the promo shots, which included the cover shot you now see, they asked could they change the planned cover to the current one, and that allowed me the opportunity of changing the title."

This stroke of luck made her "very happy girl." We're pretty sure she's not alone in that sentiment.

I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss arrives on Aug. 12.