The daughter of a musical mom and dad, Enya explored folk and Celtic music in her native Ireland before blossoming into a chart-topping New Age phenomenon. Born Eithne Ni Bhraonain, Enya joined her brothers, sisters and several uncles in the Irish band Clannad (meaning: family) in 1979 as a keyboardist.
When the band took a pop direction, earning notoriety for a number of popular television soundtracks, Enya left Clannad to pursue a career as a solo artist. With the help of husband-and-wife team of Nicky Ryan (producer) and Roma Ryan (lyricist), Enya recorded the score for the BBC-TV series "The Celts."
An eclectic blend of classical, folk and New Age sounds, the soundtrack was released in 1986 as her self-titled debut on Atlantic. Enya's 1988 follow-up Watermark (Geffen) was an unexpected success, propelled by the single "Orinoco Flow," a No. 1 hit in Britain. Enya's next effort was a guest appearance on Sinead O'Connor's I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got. In 1991, Enya released the much-anticipated Shepherd Moons (Reprise) which debuted at No. 17 in the U.S. and has sold over 10 million copies.
Four years lapsed until the release of Enya's next album, The Memory Of Trees, which was followed in 1997 by Paint The Sky With Stars. The Irish chanteuse's latest, A Day Without Rain, was released in 2000.
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