Sinead O'Connor has announced plans to retire from the music industry in order to pursue a different career, but hasn't revealed what that career might be.

The Irish singer, who is 36 years old, issued a statement via her official website that said, "I would request that as of July, since I seek no longer to be a 'famous' person, and instead I wish to live a 'normal' life, could people please afford me my privacy."

She added: "The last recordings I will make will be (believe it or not) a track for Dolly Parton's upcoming tribute album and a track for Sharon Shannon's forthcoming album."

O'Connor plans to record the new songs in May, and will release a new DVD titled "Goodnight, Thankyou, You've Been a Lovely Audience," in July.

The singer's statement also said that she doesn't want her name "exploited" by the press after July.

"I also mean that (with love) I want to be like any other person in the street and not have people say 'there is Sinead O'Connor,'" she wrote. "I am a very shy person, believe it or not. So I ask with love, that I be left in peace and privacy by people who love my records too.

"And I hope it doesn't sound rude. It ain't meant rude. I am glad that ye are helped by my songs. So help me too, by giving me what is best for me, a private life."

The retirement announcement isn't O'Connor's first. In 1992, she announced plans to retire to study opera and help children in Dublin, her native city.

In 1999, she was ordained as a priest in Roman Catholic Church splinter group, saying at the time that she wanted to be known as Mother Bernadette.

O'Connor recently canceled a scheduled string of performances with Massive Attack, reportedly because she suffers from a fatigue syndrome.