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'
Journey
Enya Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a winter night
The angels
Begin their flight
Dark skies
With miles to go
No footsteps
To be lost in snow
They fly to you
Oh, newborn king
They fly to you
Oh, angels sing
One is sorrow
One is peace
One will come
To give you sleep
One is comfort
One is grief
One will take
The tears you weep
New star
In a midnight sky
In heaven
All the angels fly
Soft wings so true
And all things
They will give to you
Somewhere
In a winter night
The angels
Begin their flight
Tonight
All sing
Oh, angels
A newborn king
Tonight
All sing
Oh, angels
A newborn king
Enya's song "Angel" is a hauntingly beautiful holiday tune that speaks to the arrival of the angels to the newborn king. The song begins with Enya painting a picture of a winter night, when the angels begin their journey. The mood is melancholic, as it seems the angels have a long way to go and there are no footsteps to guide them in the snow. Nonetheless, the angels persist in their mission to find the newborn king, heralding his arrival with their song.
As the song progresses, Enya sings of the different roles that the angels play. One is bring sadness or sorrow, one brings peace, and yet, another will come to soothe and give sleep. One is the embodiment of comfort, whilst the other will wipe tears away. Their goal is singular, and that is to welcome the newborn King with open wings and a unified song.
The song culminates with the arrival of the new star in the sky, which guides the angels to their destination. The heavens above come alive, and the angels take on a new meaning. Their wings become 'soft' and 'true,' and their purpose becomes the only motive. The final lines of the song are an affirmation of the importance of love, compassion, and unity in welcoming the newborn King.
Overall, Enya's "Angel" is a beautiful ode to the arrival of the angels and their mission to welcome the newborn king. The song is a reminder to all of us to embody the qualities of peace, comfort, and compassion.
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere
In an unspecified location
In a winter night
During a cold season evening
The angels
Spiritual beings who serve God
Begin their flight
Take off to soar through the sky
Dark skies
Absence of light in the atmosphere
With miles to go
A journey of considerable distance remaining
No footsteps
No imprints left in the snow from previous travellers
To be lost in snow
To disappear among snowy terrain
They fly to you
The angels are coming to your location
Oh, newborn king
A new ruler has just been born
One is sorrow
One of the angels represents sadness
One is peace
Another angel symbolizes serenity
One will come
The arrival of a specific angel is imminent
To give you sleep
This angel will help you rest
One is comfort
An angel brings consolation
One is grief
Another angel embodies sorrow
One will take
An angel intends to relieve you of something
The tears you weep
This angel will take away your sorrow
New star
A recently formed celestial body
In a midnight sky
During the darkest part of the night
In heaven
In the realm of God
All the angels fly
Every single angel is up in the air
Soft wings so true
The angels' wings are gentle and authentic
And all things
Everything is included
They will give to you
The angels will provide these things for you
Tonight
On this evening
All sing
Everyone is chanting
Oh, angels
Talking to the group of heavenly creatures
A newborn king
A just-born ruler
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EITHNE NI BHRAONAIN, NICKY RYAN, ROMA RYAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@enyatv
Celebrate this holiday season in style with all your favorite Christmas tunes like timeless classics by Donny Hathaway, Otis Redding, and the Drifters and new holiday favorites by Michael Bublé, Sia, Coldplay and more! Listen here https://TOPSIFY.lnk.to/100GreatestXmas 🎄 🎅 🎁
@justiceman176
Have you tried to listen to filipina singer-songwriter JASHAEL?
@ernstgottliebmessmer6096
Xmas is garbage.
@NegativeReferral
Enya's music has gotten me through a long period of panic attacks during my teen years. Her voice heals the mind and soothes the nerves. You could argue she has saved my life.
@sunny83179
Ya I can relate too. Whenever I feel blocked in earthly lyf then I listen to her song. It takes me in the angelic dimension.
@redraider3226
Her voice is a blessing
@sunny83179
@@redraider3226 exactly
@allgood6760
Can't argue with that... music is the language of the soul❤️.. I don't think Enya has any equal 🙂🇳🇿
@sunny83179
@@allgood6760 i dont think that enya belongs to this earth. As if she has come from some angelic realms to help us with her music.
@troywalker8078
I once traveled with a young child who never stopped crying. We soon discovered that playing Enya on the CD would stop his crying. He would mellow almost as soon as the music started. Enya saved that journey.