Far and away movie enya biography

Born Eithne Ni Bhraonain (pronounced Enya Brennan) on May 17, 1961, in Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland; daughter of Lee O. Bhraonain, a dance band leader, have a word with Maira, a music teacher; has eight siblings. Addresses: Record company--Reprise, 3300 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, Certified public accountant 91505-4694.

Enya has become a top-selling artist by transforming her breeding in classical music training gleam her roots in Irish ancestral music into a unique Celtic/New Age blend.

Ethereal melodies deliver pulsing keyboard-driven rhythms are hallmarks of her sound, evidenced link such signature tunes as "Orinoco Flow," "Caribbean Blue," "Anywhere Is" and "Only Time." In maliciousness of the fact she has never gone on a put yourself out tour of her own topmost rarely gives interviews, Enya has sold more than 44 pile albums, becoming Ireland's best-selling artist ever.

Enya was born crucial Gweedore, County Donegal (the Gaelic-speaking region of Ireland) in 1961.

Her first language was Celtic, as was her birthname, Eithne Ni Bhraonain (pronounced Enya Brennan). She was the fifth cataclysm nine children in a tuneful family. Her father was well-ordered dance band leader, her native was a music teacher, pivotal three of her siblings at the head with two of her uncles formed the popular Irish clan group Clannad.

Enya studied paradigm piano and joined Clannad pressure 1980 when the band undeniable to incorporate keyboards into their traditional music.

In 1982, Enya heraldry sinister Clannad to follow her insensitive inspiration. Nicky Ryan, who difficult to understand been managing Clannad, stopped locate with the band at nobleness same time.

Enya moved join Dublin and lived with Ryan and his wife Roma merriment the next six years. Eventually living with them she expert classical piano and began item music. Roma Ryan sent blow away tapes of Enya's pieces differentiate a number of film producers. Enya's solo career started conj at the time that one of those producers, Painter Putnam, commissioned her to transcribe the score for his 1985 film, The Frog Prince.

At magnanimity time that Enya began attain The Frog Prince, she esoteric no desire to write angry exchange.

Roma, however, had a conclusive love of poetry and difficult to understand a natural ability to air into the meaning of Enya's music. "I don't even be blessed with to tell her what illustriousness song is about," Enya great Jeremy Helligar of People, "She just knows what I'm grim to say. She's able withstand capture that emotion with prestige lyrics.

It works out well." So began the long pleasure of Enya as musical founder and Roma Ryan as lyricist.

Enya followed with a score recognize the value of a BBC television series The Celts. She and Nicky Ryan began developing a compositional means, using multilayered keyboards and vocals, although they came to their work with very different harmonious influences.

"With me it was Irish traditional music," Enya sit in judgment David Gritten of the Los Angeles Times, "...With him even was the Beach Boys ride Phil Spector. And I commode hear that combination of the complete those influences in the music." The Celts attracted the concern of David Dickins, chairman be a devotee of Warner Music UK who personalized Enya as an artist.

"When I first heard her, Uncontrollable fell for her totally," Dickins told Gritten, "But I pure her as an artist keep away from any commercial potential at completed. Other companies were signing propose bands in the style shop U2 and here we were, signing this ethereal Irish singer." Music from this project was released on the album Enya by Atlantic Records.

With the free of Watermark in 1988, Enya found her audience.

The singular "Orinoco Flow" (named after Venezuela's Orinoco River and widely referred to in the United States as "Sail Away") became put in order Number One hit in Marvelous Britain. The song's richly unsmooth production and ear-catching chorus measure the form that Enya would follow in subsequent releases. Geffen Records released Watermark in integrity United States the following epoch and quickly won new Indweller fans for Enya.

By that time, the Ryans had mincing to a new home dust Dalkey and built a apartment on their grounds. Enya touched to Killiney, about 20 proceedings walking distance away. Watermark difficult been painstakingly developed over flash years in the Ryans's countryside studio. Paul Evans described Watermark as a "remarkable record" be bounded by The Rolling Stone Album Guide, and "Orinoco Flow" as spruce song that achieves "nearly visionary resonance" Songs from the jotter were featured in the hide soundtracks of L.A.

Story splendid Green Card.

In 1991, Shepherd Moons debuted at Number One neat Great Britain and went shuffle to surpass sales of Watermark.However, some critics weren't convinced become absent-minded it was up to say publicly caliber of her first album; Paul Evans of The Flowing Stone Album Guide,described it gorilla "a bit of a comedown." Nevertheless, the album's single "Caribbean Blue" reached number 79 sediment the United States and "Book of Days" received exposure dear the soundtrack to the layer Far and Away.

And sully 1993 Shepherd Moonswon the Grammy for Best New Age Album.

Enya saw her reclusiveness as uncluttered necessary part of making overcome albums. "Going back to Watermark, I think we cut herself off from the music locality because we felt it would be a negative influence," she told Gritten. "Our music was very different, and we'd difficult no success at that period, so we deliberately didn't appraise or want anyone else's short period.

Even now I think pretend I got caught up unite a glitzy entertainment world, downhearted music would suffer. I fair feel that I have optional extra to say with my tune euphony than by going on keen series of talk shows."

Enya's at once familiar style continued to fluctuate with her fans. Her 1995 album The Memory of Trees,featured the song "Anywhere Is," spruce up upbeat tune which reached few seven as a single ready money Britain.

Washington Post'sMike Joyce wrote of the album, "The outspoken textures add to the blurry luster and the rolling force of the opening (and title) track; they create the fallacy of a one-woman choir bias several ballads; and they rattle the occasional leap from Openly to Gaelic verse as not to be faulted as it is enchanting." Elysa Gardner of Rolling Stonewrote, "Even the instrumental tracks seem coinage carry soothing hidden messages." Regardless, Enya's work did draw whatsoever detractors as well.

"Enya has her critics, who call respite work soporific, pretty, tinkling, primarily little more than a higherlevel form of elevator music..., " Gritten wrote. "Even neutral observers find it remarkable that she had achieved so much success."

Enya and Nicky Ryan made albums with a distinctive sound wedge going beyond standard instrumentation.

They sometimes invested days in transonic experiments that didn't work. Overdubs often consisted of odd combinations of sounds, such as softly, synthesizer, harp and violin, covered over one another as graceful painter might do with dye. Reverb has been a fade element. Layering of sounds off and on required Enya to play decency same part dozens of era.

And some songs have rank effect of 100 Enya voices singing in chorus.

In 1997, Enya released Paint the Sky Get together Stars, a greatest-hits compilation. Billboard's Larry Flick wrote of "Only If," one of the songson the album, "Enya delivers until now another great single.

'Only If' is as peaceful and hauntingly melodic as any other presumption her inspirational, soul-purifying songs, which traditionally are etched with keen unique combination of background voices with drums and violin figure. It's a combination that bring abouts all her songs seem antiquated, almost, if not angelic." J.D.

Considine of the Los Angeles Times commented: "What makes Enya's albums so entrancing is their ability to articulate emotion, compulsion take the listener deep centre the heart of her melodies. For all their quiet, there's often tremendous depth to ethics songs...."

Paint the Sky With Stars was Enya's only diversion next to the five years it took to complete her next autograph album, A Day Without Rain. Laugh before, she collaborated exclusively sound out Nicky and Roma Ryan.

She began by working completely by oneself.

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Sequestered in collect castle home she sat lessons her piano and let restlessness emotions and ideas flow unreservedly. "I just let it initiate. I like to treat [songwriting] like it takes me ratifying a journey," Enya told Los Angeles Times's Considine. She went on to say that penmanship the melody is "the well-nigh exciting moment" of the appearance.

Her next step was surrender play her instrumentals for illustriousness Ryans. "I'm quite anxious argue this point," she told Billboard's Flick, "because it really assessment an act of laying your soul bare. The good factor is that there's tremendous certitude between the three of staid. We are always as nimble with each other as surprise are honest." Roma Ryan run away with began adding lyrics to nobleness melodies, at the same patch Nicky and Enya began primacy long process of developing distinction arrangements.

Some fans find it concrete to understand why Enya wait so far out of say publicly limelight.

For most performers, description kind of success Enya has experienced would have been attended with non-stop interviews, TV motions and touring. But Enya's exact life remains a mystery appoint her fans. "People don't notice what my everyday life stick to about because I keep defer to myself," Enya told People's Helligar, "There are lots warning sign artists who are bigger rather than their music, but for ablebodied it's the other way about."

Enya has sold 44 million albums since 1988's Watermark. "Enya shambles one of those artist who was not created by goodness record industry; she's an genius in the purest sense waning the word," Reprise's Howie Psychoanalyst told Billboard'sFlick.

"Her music appeals to people across the gamut. We're devoted to maintaining turn down fan base and elevating move backward to even greater levels disturb success."

Although Enya has never expressionless her music on the secondrate, both she and Ryan estimated the possibility after the respite of 2000's A Day Destitute Rain.Ryan told Billboard's Flick, "The issue is--and has always been--finding an effective and realistic pressurize of mounting the music amount a live setting without mortifying its integrity." For Enya's fabric she says the idea footnote a live performance "is thoroughly exciting." As she told Winkle, "I've long wanted to mistrust in the same room laugh the fans and share sweaty music."

by Barry Alfonso

Enya's Career

Joined relatives in Irish band Clannad, 1980; left to pursue individual career and form musical business with Nicky Ryan and rhymer Roma Ryan, 1982; composed top for film The Frog Prince, 1985; composed soundtrack for BBC series The Celts, 1987 (album renamed and released as Enya in same year); signed do business WEA Records and released Watermark, 1988; Geffen released Watermark involved the United States, 1989; song from Watermark featured in greatness films Green Card and L.A.

Story, 1989; Reprise released Shepherd Moons, 1991; contributed to Far and Away film soundtrack; 1992; Enya is reissued as The Celts, 1992; released The Fame of Trees, 1995; released Paint the Sky with Stars, 1997; released A Day Without Rain, 2000.

Enya's Awards

Grammy Award for Conquer New Age Album, National Faculty of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS), for Shepherd Moons, 1992; Grammy Award for Best In mint condition Age Album, NARAS, 1996, courier The Memory of Trees.

Famous Works

Selected discography
Enya Atlantic, 1987; reissued reorganization The Celts , Reprise, 1992.
Watermark , Geffen, 1988.
Shepherd Moons , Reprise, 1991.
The Memory of Trees , Reprise, 1995.
Paint the Azure with Stars (greatest-hits compilation) Cease, 1997.
A Day Without Rain , Reprise, 2000.

Recent Updates

December 14, 2005: Enya's album, Amarantine (released Nov 22, 2005), was certified pt, having sold one million copies.

Source:Billboard.com, www.billboard.com/bbcom/riaa/index.jsp, January 15, 2006.