Biography for
Enya (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

17 May 1961, Gaoth Dobhair, Donegal, Ireland

Birth Name

Eithne Ní Bhraonáin

Nickname

The Silver Lady

Height

5' 2" (1.57 m)

Mini Biography

Eithne, the fourth youngest of nine children, comes from the small village of Dore (Dobhar in Irish) in the Gweedore (Gaoth Dobhair) region of County Donegal in the northwest of the Republic of Ireland. She now lives in Killiney, a coastal district on the southern outskirts of Dublin The family is very musical and her parents played in a family dance band before settling down. Her father owns a local pub - Leo's tavern in Meenalech (min na Leice) - and her mother Baba taught music in the local school. In 1968, elder brothers Ciaran & Pol, and uncles Padraigh & Noel O Dugain, formed the band "An Clan As Dobhar" to perform traditional Irish music at festivals etc. Changing their name to Clannad, and recruiting sister Maire Brennan in 1973, the band have gone on to international success performing both their own and traditional material. They have recorded a number of albums. Enya joined Clannad in 1980 and, credited under her real name, provided keyboards and (mostly) backing vocals. She appears on their 1982 album "Fuaim". It is often said that she also appeared on their 1980 album "Crann Ull" although she is not listed in the credits. In 1982, Clannad split with their long time manager and producer Nicky Ryan. Eithne, apparently frustrated with being left in the background, left at the same time and, in Ryan's belief that she had talent in her own right, moved to live with him and his wife Roma Ryan and develop her own musical career. In 1985, film producer David Puttnam commissioned Eithne to write music for his film The Frog Prince (1984/I) which was released in 1985. The Titles on The Frog Prince (1984/I) credit music to Enya Ni Bhraonain and the transition of Eithne to Enya had begun. In 1986, BBC-TV began work on a six part documentary series charting the history and continuing cultural influence of the Celts. Enya was signed to write and perform music for the series. "The Celts" (1987) was first shown in 1987 and a selection of its music released under the title "Enya", giving the artist her first album, largely unnoticed at the time. Her 'big break' began in 1987 when she was signed by Rob Dickins, head of WEA Music UK, after he had heard and been entranced by the "Enya" album. WEA's backing made the recording of "Watermark" possible and the album was released in 1988. Although no singles were originally planned, it was the release "Orinoco Flow" (Sail Away) that brought Enya to public attention and resulted in an unexpected chart number one in several countries. She continued the success with her next albums "shepherd Moons" and "The Celts"...

IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Trade Mark

Often sings in a mix of Latin and Irish Gaelic.

Has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Often changes from mezzo-soprano to light alto on some songs.

Trivia

Usenet newsgroup: Alt-Music-Enya

Adopted the spelling "Enya" in order to avoid having to continually explain how to pronounce her true first name, "Eithne."

Director James Cameron wanted Enya to compose music for Titanic (1997), but when a deal couldn't be reached, James Horner ended up composing an Enya-influenced score for the film.

As a recording entity, "Enya" is often considered to be three people: Enya herself, producer Nicky Ryan and lyricist Roma Ryan. The trio have worked together since the early 1980s.

Has a minor planet/asteroid named after her.

Name is a registered trademark.

As of summer 2003, has never toured or performed a live concert. Most TV appearances have been accomplished by her either lip-synching to her original recording, or singing along with it. There have been a few exceptions, most notably at the 74th Annual Academy Awards and at least once on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (1992). According to Enya, tours and live concerts of her music are virtually impossible due to the logistics of trying to replicate her sound on stage.

Her New Age albums have earned her 4 Grammy Awards

Sister of Maire Brennan.

Comes from a region in the West of Ireland where the Gaelic language is still spoken. Although Enya can speak fluent English, her first language is Gaelic.

She creates her signature sound by layering as many as eighty tracks of her own voice.

A sample of her song "Boadicea" was used on the Mario Winans hit 'I Dont Want To Know'. It was also used without permission in the Fugees' song "Ready or Not." The Fugees originally did not credit Enya on their album, did not sue them, but it was later settled and she is now credited.

Neighbor of Alison Doody.

The late Pope John Paul II was reportedly a big fan of her music. She was even invited to the Vatican to sing for him.

Because of the soothing nature of her music, the singer's "Only Time" received extensive airplay in the wake of the 9/11 catastrophe. It was this exposure that firmly introduced Enya to American audiences on a grand scale.

Personal Quotes

"A lot of people know "Enya" the music, but they don't know what I look like, or what I do. And I think that that's really good... for me, and for the music as well."

Browse biographies section by name

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z