Enya

Artist Image: Enya
Attribution
Image Credit: R Carter (Own work), CC BY-SA 4.0

Biography

Enya (born Eithne Ní Bhraonáin; anglicised as Enya Brennan; 17 May 1961) is an Irish singer, instrumentalist, and songwriter. She began her musical career in 1980, when she briefly joined her family band Clannad before leaving to perform solo. She gained wider recognition for her music in the 1986 BBC series The Celts. Shortly afterwards, her 1988 album Watermark propelled her to further international fame and she became known for her distinctive sound, characterised by voice-layering, folk melodies, synthesised backdrops and ethereal reverberations. She has performed in 10 languages. She continued to enjoy steady success during the 1990s and 2000s; her 2000 album A Day Without Rain sold 15 million copies, and became the top selling new age album of the 2000s in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan. She was named the world's best selling female artist of 2001. She is Ireland's best-selling solo musician and is officially the country's second-largest musical export after the band U2. Her album sales were more than 75 million worldwide, with over 26.5 million in album sales in the US. Her work has earned her four Grammy Awards and an Academy Award nomination.

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed 1980
Number of Albums 26
Record Label Reprise Records
Website www.enya.com
Wikipedia Enya on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Trivia

What was Enya's birth name?

Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin

...Enya was born as Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin on 17 May 1961 in Gweedore, County Donegal in the Gaeltacht region of Ireland. She has eight siblings na...
What was the birth date of Enye?

17 May 1961

...Enya was born as Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin on 17 May 1961 in Gweedore, County Donegal in the Gaeltacht region of Ireland. She has eight siblings na...
How many siblings does Eneya have?

eight

... in Gweedore, County Donegal in the Gaeltacht region of Ireland. She has eight siblings named Máire, Deidre, Olive, Bridin, Ciarán, Pól, Leon and Bart...
Where did Enye go to school?

Milford

...hree. When she was eleven, she was sent to a convent boarding school in Milford where she studied piano and classical music. After graduating, she joi...
What instrument did she study at a convent?

piano

..., she was sent to a convent boarding school in Milford where she studied piano and classical music. After graduating, she joined the family band Clann...
What family band did she join after graduation?

Clannad

...piano and classical music. After graduating, she joined the family band Clannad on suggestion of their manager Nicky Ryan. Clannad featured her twin u...
On what suggestion did Enia join the family band Clannad?

Nicky Ryan

...ng, she joined the family band Clannad on suggestion of their manager Nicky Ryan . Clannad featured her twin uncles Pádraig and Noel Ó Dugáin, older br...
What synthesizer did Enya use?

Prophet 5

...áin and her sister Máire Ní Bhraonáin. Enya provided backing vocals and played the Wurlitzer electric piano, later she used the synthesizer Prophet 5 ....
On what date was Eithne Ni Bhraonain born?

May 17, 1961

...Born Eithne Ni Bhraonain (pronounced Enya Brennan) on May 17, 1961 , in Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland; daughter of Lee O. Bhraonain, a dance band l...
In what county was Enya born in 1961?

County Donegal

... Ireland's bestselling solo artist ever. Enya was born in Gweedore, County Donegal (the Gaelicspeaking region of Ireland) in 1961. Her first language ...
What are some of the signature CelticNew Age tunes?

Orinoco Flow, Caribbean Blue, Anywhere Is and Only Time

...her sound, evidenced on such signature tunes as Orinoco Flow, Caribbean Blue, Anywhere Is and Only Time . In spite of the fact she has never gone on a ...
What was Enya's first language?

Gaelic

... (the Gaelicspeaking region of Ireland) in 1961. Her first language was Gaelic , as was her birthname, Eithne Ni Bhraonain (pronounced Enya Brennan). H...
What was her birthname?

Eithne Ni Bhraonain

...nd) in 1961. Her first language was Gaelic, as was her birthname, Eithne Ni Bhraonain (pronounced Enya Brennan). Her father was a dance band leader, h...
How many uncles were in the popular Irish folk group Clannad?

two

...der, her mother was a music teacher, and three of her siblings along with two of her uncles formed the popular Irish folk group Clannad. Enya studied ...
What instrument did the band decide to incorporate into their traditional music in 1980?

keyboards

... piano and joined Clannad in 1980 when the band decided to incorporate keyboards into their traditional music. In 1982, Enya left Clannad to follow he...
In what year did Enja leave the band to follow her own inspiration?

1982

...e band decided to incorporate keyboards into their traditional music. In 1982 , Enya left Clannad to follow her own inspiration. Nicky Ryan, who had be...
In what county is Enya raised?

Donegal

...sical family and raised in the Irishspeaking area of Gweedore in County Donegal , Enya began her music career when she joined her family's Celtic band ...
In what year did she join her family's Celtic band Clannad?

1980

...gan her music career when she joined her family's Celtic band Clannad in 1980 on keyboards and backing vocals. She left in 1982 with their manager and...
How many languages has she sung?

ten

...ts of new age, Celtic, classical, church, and folk music. She has sung in ten languages. Enya's first projects as a solo artist included soundtrack wo...
In what year was the BBC documentary The Celts released?

1987

... solo artist included soundtrack work for The Frog Prince (1984) and the 1987 BBC documentary series The Celts, which was released as her debut album,...
What label did Enia sign with?

Warner Music UK

...which was released as her debut album, Enya (1987). She signed with Warner Music UK , which granted her artistic freedom and minimal interference from ...
When was Watermark released?

1988

...erence from the label. The commercial and critical success of Watermark ( 1988 ) propelled her to worldwide fame, helped by the international top10 hit ...
What was the name of the 1991 album that sold millions of copies?

Shepherd Moons

... Orinoco Flow. This was followed by the multimillion selling albums Shepherd Moons (1991), The Memory of Trees (1995) and A Day Without Rain (2000). S...
What year was the album The Memory of Trees released?

1995

... multimillion selling albums Shepherd Moons (1991), The Memory of Trees ( 1995 ) and A Day Without Rain (2000). Sales of the latter and its lead single,...
When did the album A Day Without Rain come out?

2000

...hepherd Moons (1991), The Memory of Trees (1995) and A Day Without Rain ( 2000 ). Sales of the latter and its lead single, Only Time, surged in the Unit...
Which single was used in the media coverage of the September 11 attacks?

Only Time

...nd A Day Without Rain (2000). Sales of the latter and its lead single, Only Time , surged in the United States following its use in the media coverage ...
How many languages has Enye performed?

10

...tion for her music in the 1986 BBC series The Celts. She has performed in 10 languages. She received the world's bestselling female award at the 2001 ...
What school did her mother teach music at?

Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair

...nd her mother played in a dance band and later taught music at Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair . Enya has four brothers and four sisters, several of whom for...
How many brothers and sisters does she have?

four

...dance band and later taught music at Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair. Enya has four brothers and four sisters, several of whom formed the band An Clann As D...
Where is Leo's Tavern located?

Meenaleck

...l in northwestern Ireland. Her father owns a local pub Leo's Tavern in Meenaleck and her mother Baba taught music in the local school. In 1968, elder ...
How many children are there?

nine

...w (4) Mini Bio (1) Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin, the fourth youngest of nine children, comes from the small village of Dore (Dobhar in Irish) in the ...
What year did Ciarán & Pol form the band An Clan As Dobhar?

1968

...rn in Meenaleck and her mother Baba taught music in the local school. In 1968 , elder brothers Ciarán & Pol, and uncles Pádraig & Noel Ó Dúgáin, formed...
When did the band recruit Maire Brennan?

1973

.... Changing their name to Clannad, and recruiting sister Maire Brennan in 1973 , the band have gone on to international success performing both their ow...
What was Ryan's job title?

producer

...82 album Fuaim. In 1982, Clannad split with their longtime manager and producer Nicky Ryan. Eithne, apparently frustrated with being left in the backg...
What film did David Puttnam release in 1985?

The Frog Prince

...n musical career. In 1985, film producer David Puttnam commissioned her to write music for his film The Frog Prince (1986) which was released in 1985....
Enya's style resembled what genre of music?

new age

...al motifs, Enya created a distinctive style that more closely resembled new age than the folk and Celtic music that provided her initial influences. E...
How long was Enja a member of Clannade?

two years

...y featured her older brothers and sisters. She stayed with Clannad for two years , then left, hooking up with producer Nicky Ryan and lyricist Roma Rya...
With whom did she record film and tv scores?

Roma Ryan

...two years, then left, hooking up with producer Nicky Ryan and lyricist Roma Ryan , with whom she recorded film and television scores. Enya then recorde...
How many copies of Watermark were sold worldwide?

eight million

...flowing music and multioverdubbed trancelike singing; the album sold eight million copies worldwide. Watermark established Enya as an international st...
In what year did her siblings form Clannad?

1970

...Most important to Enya's career were her siblings, who formed Clannad in 1970 with several of their uncles. Enya joined the band as a keyboardist in 1...
What was the name of the single on Watermark?

Orinoco Flow (Sail Away).

...out album Watermark was released in 1988, featuring the single Orinoco Flow (Sail Away). The album went 4x Platinum and made her an international star...
How many times platinum did Watermark go?

4x

...ed in 1988, featuring the single Orinoco Flow (Sail Away). The album went 4x Platinum and made her an international star. Enya won the Grammy Award fo...
What award did Enye win for her 1991 album?

Grammy Award for Best New Age Album

...Platinum and made her an international star. Enya won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for her 1991 album Shepherd Moons, which remained on the...
What is the predominant language in her region of nativity?

Garlic

...y musicians, and she grew up among her eight siblings. Enyas dialect is Garlic as this is the predominant language in her region of nativity, but she ...
What was her family populated by?

musicians

...f Ireland on the 17th day of May 1961. Her family was one populated by musicians , and she grew up among her eight siblings. Enyas dialect is Garlic as...
What was the name of the tavern her father owned when she was growing up?

Leos Tavern

...eaks English fluently and well enough. Enya's father was the owner of Leos Tavern when she was growing up while her mother worked at the district scho...
What did Enya's uncles have a band called called?

An Clan As Dobhar

...ict school as a music teacher. Enya's uncles also had a band named An Clan As Dobhar , which performed Irish music in the local festivals in Ireland. H...
Who joined the band as members of An Clan As Dobhar?

Her older brothers

...r, which performed Irish music in the local festivals in Ireland. Her older brothers also joined up as members of the band. However, as the years went...
When did her siblings form Clannad?

1976

...Most important to Enya's career were her siblings, who formed Clannad in 1976 with several of their uncles. Enya joined the band as a keyboardist in 1...
When did Enya join Clannad as a keyboardist?

1979

...6 with several of their uncles. Enya joined the band as a keyboardist in 1979 , and contributed to several of the group's popular television soundtrack...
What was the name of the BBCTV series Enya was commissioned to score?

The Celts

...and lyricist Roma Ryan, to provide the score for a BBCTV series called The Celts . The soundtrack was released in 1986 as her eponymous solo album. Eny...
When was the soundtrack for The Celts released?

1986

...core for a BBCTV series called The Celts. The soundtrack was released in 1986 as her eponymous solo album. Enya didn't receive much notice, but Enya a...
What was the name of Enya's second album?

Watermark

...nya didn't receive much notice, but Enya and the Ryans' second effort, Watermark , became a surprise hit upon its release in 1988. Orinoco Flow, the fi...
What was Enye's first single?

Orinoco Flow

...d effort, Watermark, became a surprise hit upon its release in 1988. Orinoco Flow , the first single, became a number one hit in Britain, helping the a...
How long did it take to develop her sound?

four years

...oma Ryan as her lyricist. Enya developed her sound over the following four years with multitracked vocals and keyboards with elements of new age, Celt...