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'
Soñadora
Enya Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yo; el vespero
He sido un eco.
Seré una ola
Seré la luna
He sido todo, soy yo.
Yo; el ébano
Soy la soñadora.
In Enya's song "Soñadora," the verses reflect the singer's introspective thoughts on their identity, influenced by the changing seasons and their own perceptions of themselves. The opening lines of "Yo; el otoño / Yo; el vespero / He sido un eco" establish a sense of transience and echo. The singer's identity is compared to the autumn season, a time of transition and shedding of leaves, as well as the vesper, or evening star, which is a fleeting presence in the sky. The repetition of "yo" emphasizes the self-focused aspect of the singer's reflections.
The second verse begins with "Seré una ola / Seré la luna / He sido todo, soy yo," which moves from the present tense of the previous verse to future and past tenses. Here, the singer imagines their identity transforming into a wave and the moon, both of which have cyclical, recurring qualities. The line "He sido todo, soy yo" is particularly intriguing, as it suggests that even as the singer's identity changes, there is a core part of themselves that remains constant.
The chorus, "Yo; el verano / Yo; el ébano / Soy la soñadora," reinforces the cycle of identity suggested in the previous verses. The summer season and the ebony color both have a sense of abundance, while the epithet "la soñadora" suggests a certain imaginative quality to the singer's sense of self. Overall, the song seems to be a meditation on the mutability of identity and the importance of self-reflection in defining oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo; el otoño
I am like autumn, a season of change and letting go.
Yo; el vespero
I am like the evening, a time of reflection and transition.
He sido un eco.
I have been an echo, repeating what has been said before.
Seré una ola
I will be like a wave, powerful and moving with purpose.
Seré la luna
I will be like the moon, lighting up the darkness and bringing calm.
He sido todo, soy yo.
I have been everything, but I am still myself.
Yo; el verano
I am like summer, a season of warmth and growth.
Yo; el ébano
I am like ebony, strong and resilient.
Soy la soñadora.
I am the dreamer, imagining a better world and living with hope.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: EITHNE NI BHRAONAIN, NICKY RYAN, ROMA RYAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@HailSacerdote
If they don't play this song at my funeral I ain't going 🤞
@ExposingZionistEvil
It is a spiritual-level crime that this most beautiful song has not garnered more "Views" and "Likes".
@juanjuanez2600
The number of views and likes on youtube is inversely proportional to the spiritual level of the video or song :)
@pobrenghilas1253
Some people are just so dumb,they doesn't know what real music is like.they would rather listen to bieber or minaj.
@Doremifasol558
@@pobrenghilas1253 in fact minaj listens to enya
@Miguel-yt7vu
whats your interpretation of the song please? i cant get it...
@roycejohnny9541
i know it is kind of randomly asking but do anyone know a good place to stream new tv shows online?
@theresagriffiths4477
Enya its Theresa here from new Zealand your music is absolutely fantastic and it reminds of you it relaxes me so much im enjoying the music
@casualobserver5335
The voice of an angel
@michaelschremser6405
20 years ago a (then)love of me introduced me to this song (and also the whole CD)...whenever I hear this song (or CD) memories flash back.. Good times, strange times.. Memories....dreams 🖤🖤