Enya Artist profile
The Queen of electro-ethereal Folk (with a castle to match. Yep Enya bought her very own castle in Killiney, Ireland.) is revered for taking her musical heritage of Irish waves and bringing the world into it with the very ethereal sounds that are reminiscent of old Celtic fantasy stories. Enya is the spelling and pronunciation of the name of this musical artisan and E-I-T-H-N-E is the original spelling in this songwriter’s native tongue, the Donegal dialect of the Irish language.
She is born in a musical family and even formed a band with some of them, the group Clannad, better known for their Theme From Harry’s Game. Her extreme talent makes her one of the most unique music creators of all time and an inspiration for fathoming wonder out of individual originality and traditions’ inheritance.
The wealthiest woman in music (yes, it is not the usual and more onscreen suspects) earned every penny of her wealth by taking us beyond the boundaries of time, space and preconception into worlds that our minds could suddenly creating out of sound waves. Her songs are a success on and off screen bringing soft wonder to our daily lives. She is also a muse and a teacher for those who want to learn to create and harness or make the most of a most magical blend of who you are: who you worked to be and who you have be borne to be. She has inspired many not least Antonín Mrkos who named the asteroid (6433 Enya) he discovered on 18 November 1978 after her.
Enya in ten songs
- Watermark: This purely inspiring instrumental is the title track of her 1990 album. It is also featured in the 1990 film Green Card alongside other songs from her “River” and “Storms in Africa”. These are by far not the only pieces that have made it to the movies. Her songs On your shore and “Exile” (from the album Watermark) and “Epona” (from the album Enya) were featured in the 1991 film L.A. Story. “Ebudæ” is also featured on the soundtrack to the Robin Williams feature film Toys
- Orinocco Flow: One of the most recognisble songs from Enya, often called Sail away because of the repetition of the phrase in the chorus
- China Roses is a graceful walz of ethereal beauty that seems to be inspired directly from the far Asian elegance in a most Euro-Irish take
- Storms in Africa
- So I Could Find My Way is a delicate lullaby from her 2015 album that sounds like a subtle entry to Christmas, an ode giving thanks and an air of a gift back, all in one, in her unique electro-ethereal way. We can now go to sleep in peace.
- Even In The Shadows
- I Could Never Say Goodbye – With this number, Enya reminds us why she loves, creates and shares such a unique and addictive style of music
- Wild Child: An epic rendering of the adventures bursting within and through our fragile souls
- Caribbean Blue: An unmissable track that cannot hide its electronica sounds but loses none of its ethereal charm.
- Only Time: the best way to complete this 10-piece Enya collection is with this classic from Enya’s 2000 release. Arguably her piece of reference, the tune brings a sense of divine or at the least otherwordly peace. It has been used over and over again. Its use span comedy and drama context when it seeks to pass an important message. This is the case respectively in an episode of Friends (The One where Chandler Takes a Bath) and in the media to soothe the news reporting the attacks of 9/11.
Enya featured on Tiki’s I write the songs