Enya was born into a musical family. Her father, Leo Brennan, was the leader of the Slieve Foy Band, a popular Irish show band; her mother was an amateur musician. 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 1979, and contributed to several of the group's popular television soundtracks. In 1982, she left Clannad, claiming that she was uninterested in following the pop direction the group had begun to pursue. Within a few years she was commissioned, along with producer/arranger Nicky Ryan and lyricist Roma Ryan, to provide the score for a BBC-TV series called The Celts. The soundtrack was released in 1986 as her eponymous solo album.
Enya 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 first single, became a number one hit in Britain, helping the album eventually sell eight million copies worldwide. Enya spent the years following the success of Watermark rather quietly; her most notable appearance was a cameo on Sinéad O'Connor's I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got. She finally released Shepherd Moons, her follow-up to Watermark, in 1991. Shepherd Moons was even more successful than its predecessor, eventually selling over ten million copies worldwide; it entered the U.S. charts at number 17 and remained in the Top 200 for almost four years.
Again, Enya was slow to follow up on the success of Shepherd Moons, spending nearly four years working on her fourth album. The record, entitled Memory of Trees, was released in December of 1995. Memory of Trees entered the U.S. charts at number nine and sold over two million copies within its first year of release. In 1997 came the release of a greatest-hits collection, Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya, which featured two new songs. Enya's first album of new material in five years, A Day Without Rain, was released in late 2000. In 2001, she contributed material to the first film in Peter Jackson's award-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy, scoring a hit with the single "May It Be." Amarantine, her first full-length recording since Day Without Rain, followed in November of 2005, and has so far sold nearly five million copies.
(Much of the above content of this biography has been taken from http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0ifoxqe5ldhe~T1.)
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, her song "Only Time" (from A Day Without Rain) was used as a backdrop in many radio and TV reports about the attacks. She initially frowned upon this use, especially when many bootlegged versions of Only Time mixed with sound effects from the attack began to appear.
Enya eventually agreed to release a special edition of the song with funds going to the families of victims. Many Enya fans, however, are resentful that her music has been linked with the attacks; an example of this occurred on a 2002 appearance on CNN's Larry King Live when images of battle in Afghanistan were shown on screen as she performed "May It Be", a song with little war connection. This sparked some complaints within Enya's fan community.
Enya is admittedly a slow worker when it comes to composing music. As a result, fans have had to wait as long as five years between albums. In September 2004, a new song, set to words from a Japanese poem Roma Ryan had written and called "Sumiregusa" ("Wild Violet") was unveiled in Japan as part of an advertising campaign for Panasonic. In announcing the new recording, Warner Music Japan stated that Enya's next album was scheduled for release (in Japan at least) in mid-November. Enya issued a press release on her official Web site on 19 September stating that this was a mistake and no new album was immediately forthcoming.
Enya was awarded the World's Best-Selling Irish Act award at the World Music Awards in London on 19 November 2006. On February 11, 2007 Amarantine won Enya her fourth Grammy when it was awarded the Best New Age Album award.
Recent Releases
In November of 2005, a new album, entitled Amarantine, was released. It won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for 2007.
In 2006, Enya released several Christmas-themed CDs with newly recorded material. On October 10, 2006, Sounds of the Season was released containing six songs: the previously released "Oíche Chiúin" (a.k.a. "Silent Night") and "Amid the Falling Snow", new recordings of the standards "Adeste Fideles" (a.k.a. "Oh Come All Ye Faithful") and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" as well as two original songs, "Christmas Secrets" and "The Magic of the Night". This CD was released only in the United States in an exclusive partnership with the NBC television network and the Target department store chain.
In later November two new editions of Amarantine were released. In North America, it was reissued as Amarantine - Special Christmas Edition with a second disc containing the four new Christmas songs previously issued on Sounds of the Season (the original album already had "Amid the Falling Snow" while "Oíche Chiúin" is a recording dating back to 1988 which had already been featured on numerous collections). The UK received a deluxe version of this release (Amarantine - The UK Special Edition) which also included three postcards and a copy of Roma Ryan's book Water Shows the Hidden Heart which is referenced on the original album. Canadian fans could choose from the Special Christmas Edition of Amarantine, or an EP entitled Christmas Secrets which only contained the four new songs.
Coinciding with these releases was the relaunch of Enya's official website on Nov. 2, 2006. On November 16, 2006 Enya mentioned on ITV1's that she is working on a new album. A month later, in a Japanese interview Enya said that the album will be a complete Christmas album and it will be released in the winter of 2007. There is no schedule for the release date itself.
Enya's album, "And Winter Came", was released in November 2008. It contains twelve tracks - ten brand new songs plus a newly recorded choral rendering of Oiche Chiuin (Silent Night) and a stunning version of the traditional Christmas hymn 'O come, o come Emmanuel'
Dark Sky Island
Enya Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The blue voice of the sea
And they whisper as they touch the shore
Come back to me
Come back to me
Boat by boat upon the waves
All come to find the light
Come back to me
Come back to me
Capella, Auriga
Eta Carinae, Sagitta
Aquila, Alpha Centauri
Twilight comes to close the day
And let the night break free
And from deep blue skies the heavens rise
Come back to me
Come back to me
Come back to me
Come back to me
Capella, Auriga
Eta Carinae, Sagitta
Aquila, Alpha Centaurii
Moonlight brings the ocean's storms
Like waves upon the sea
And the midnight shore calls out once more
Come back to me
Come back to me
Come back to me
Come back to me
Come back to me
Come back to me
The lyrics of Enya's song Dark Sky Island describe the beauty and serenity of the sea and the sky. The waves of the sea speak to us through their blue voice, and as they touch the shore, they call out to us to come back to them. The boats upon the waves all come to find the light in the darkness of the sky above, and we are beckoned to return to the calmness of the sea. The song also mentions various constellations, including Capella, Auriga, Eta Carinae, Sagitta, Aquila, and Alpha Centauri, which are elevated in the deep blue skies as twilight comes to close the day and let the night break free.
The moonlight brings the ocean's storms, and the midnight shore calls out once more for us to come back to the sea. The repetition of the phrase "Come back to me" throughout the song emphasizes its main theme of longing, urging listeners to return to the beauty and tranquility of the sea and the sky.
Overall, the song conveys a tranquil atmosphere with its simple and repetitive lyrics, echoing the calmness of the sea and the stars above.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen to the waves speak up
Pay attention to the sound of the waves
The blue voice of the sea
The ocean has a distinct sound or voice
And they whisper as they touch the shore
The sound of the waves becomes a soft whisper as they reach the shore
Come back to me
An invitation to return to the artist
Boat by boat upon the waves
One by one, boats are sailing on the sea
All come to find the light
The boats are seeking the light of the shore or harbor
In the darkness of the sky above
While the sky is dark, the harbor light helps guide the boats to shore
Capella, Auriga
These are the names of stars or constellations
Eta Carinae, Sagitta
These are the names of stars or constellations
Aquila, Alpha Centauri
These are the names of stars or constellations
Twilight comes to close the day
The period just after sunset and before nightfall
And let the night break free
As twilight ends, the night takes over
And from deep blue skies the heavens rise
The starry sky becomes visible as it gets darker
Moonlight brings the ocean's storms
The full moon can cause stronger ocean currents or tides
Like waves upon the sea
The effect is similar to how the waves move on the surface of the water
And the midnight shore calls out once more
The artist is calling out to the shore in the middle of the night
Come back to me
An invitation to return to the artist
Come back to me
An invitation to return to the singer
Come back to me
An invitation to return to the singer
Come back to me
An invitation to return to the artist
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EITHNE NI BHRAONAIN, NICKY RYAN, ROMA RYAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Giovanni Bernardi
I'm Italian & been listening to Enya since I was 3 years old. Now I'm over 30. I still & always love this star, in the true sense of the word, the same. I could say her music has been & is the soundtrack of my life. I feel like flying in the endless sky upon her notes. 🌌 ⭐ 🌌
Eileen Ortiz
Yo Amo a Enya,su hermosa voz,canciones con sentido.Ahora tengo 47 años.Soy puertorriqueña 🇵🇷 de Puerto Rico.La verdad lo bueno no se olvida y siempre esta vivo en el interior del corazon.Eya 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻❤️❤️❤️👌🏻🌌🌠
Maria Clara Francisco Da Silva
São muito lindas as músicas da Enya, tanto que é difícil parar de ouvir.❤
Matiana Hernández Hernández
Me gusta mucho como canta enya
Saludos desde México
Mary Carvalho
I started listening to Enya in my thirties, now I'm sixty-four and I've passed through a lot of things... Good and bad things and in all of these moments I've had her voice and songs calming me down, as if she was saying to me that everything would be all right...Thank you Enya. I love you and wish you peace and a lot of health!
Jeffrey Bryan
Iv loved Enya since I heard her for the first time when I was 12. Now I'm 46 and her music still moves me in the most powerful way. Angelic and tranquil it soothes my soul. As an artist myself her music is absolutely awe inspiring!! I shall love it always 💕♥️🥰
Zana Vukasovic
I really enjoy listening
King $chlong
I'm 41 but I'm interested in what other music you listen to it that time when you found enya?
Idelvan Adelino Silva
Todas as melodias são maravilhosas ! 👏🥰
Mark Simkins
Three things we love about Enya. In order 1. The humming and background vocals. 2. Her piano work is perfect. Listen to it in every song. Captivating. 3. Of course her wonderful singing. An angel for sure example Santa Maria Every song is like no other artist.