Enya (born 17 May 1961), birth name Eithne Ní Bhráonain (sometimes seen as the Anglicized "Enya Brennan") is Ireland's best-selling solo artist. But Enya is really three people: Enya herself; Nicky Ryan, who produces her records; and Roma Ryan, who writes the lyrics, often in Welsh, Irish, Latin, Spanish, etc. Enya is a phonetic approximation of how Eithne is pronounced in Irish Gaelic.

Career

In 1980, Eithne joined the group Clannad (the members included siblings Máire Brennan, Pól Brennan, and Ciarán Brennan). She left the group to start her own solo career shortly before Clannad became famous for "Theme From Harry's Game" in 1982. Enya achieved a breakthrough in her singing career in 1988 with the hit song "Orinoco Flow" (sometimes referred to as "Sail Away").

She became known worldwide after the September 11, 2001 attacks because her song "Only Time" (from the album A Day Without Rain) was used in radio and TV reports around the globe. She initially frowned upon this use, especially when many bootlegged versions of "Only Time" mixed with sound effects from the attack began to appear. She agreed to release a special edition of the song with funds going to the families of victims. Many Enya fans, however, are resentful that her music has been forever linked with the attacks.

A number of her songs are sung entirely in Irish Gaelic or Latin, with others containing the hithero-mentioned mixed with English or English by itself. Enya has performed songs relating to J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, including 1991's "Lothlórien" and 2001's "May It Be" (sung in English and Quenya) and "Aníron" (in Sindarin) -- the last two appearing on the soundtrack of Peter Jackson's movie The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. "May it Be" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song in at the 2002 ceremonies, but did not win. Despite winning Grammys for "Best New Age Album", Enya does not personally classify her music as belonging to the genre.

Enya rarely performs in public, and even when appearing on television often lip-synchs or sings to a backing track. She has never toured since become a superstar in 1988. She has said that her form of music is virtually impossible to perform accurately in a live venue. Nonetheless, there were plans for Enya to perform a live concert, perhaps for pay-per-view, but as of 2004 these plans have yet to materialize.

Enya is a self-admitted slow worker when it comes to composing music. As a result, fans have had to wait as long as five years between albums. In 2004, Enya was reportedly working on her next album, but no release date is in sight.

Albums

• Enya (1987)
• Watermark (1988)
• Shepherd Moons (1991, won 1992 Grammy for "Best New Age Album")
• The Celts (1992) (remastered rerelease of the 1987 album Enya)
• The Memory of Trees (1995, won 1996 Grammy for "Best New Age Album")
• Paint The Sky With Stars (1997) (mainly contains remixed and remastered versions of earlier songs)
• A Day Without Rain (2000, won 2001 Grammy for "Best New Age Album")

External links

• Official web sites:
  • Reprise Record's Enya site (http://www.repriserec.com/enya/)
  • Enya.com (http://www.enya.com/)
• Enya - Magic & Melody (http://www.enya.org/) is an unofficial website with extensive information about Enya
• Enya - Translations and Lyrics (http://frogcircus.org/enya/)
• The Enya Discography (http://www2.netdoor.com/~jallison/enya/index.htm)