About Enya
Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (Irish pronunciation: [ˈɛnʲə pˠɑːdʲɾʲəɟiːnʲ nʲiː vˠɾ˝eːnɑːnʲ]) (born 17 May 1961) better known as Enya, is an Irish singer and composer. With an estimated equivalent of more than 80 million albums sold, she is one of the world's best-selling music artists. Enya is the best-selling Irish solo artist, and the second-best-selling music act from Ireland overall, after the band U2. Enya's music has been widely recognised for its use of multi-layers of her own vocals and instrumentation, lengthened reverb, and interwoven elements of Celtic music. Raised in the Irish-speaking region of Gweedore, Enya began her musical career in 1980, playing alongside her family's Irish folk band, Clannad. She left Clannad in 1982 to pursue a solo career, working with the former Clannad manager and producer, Nicky Ryan, and his partner Roma Ryan as their lyricist. She composed the majority of the soundtrack for The Frog Prince (1985). She also composed the soundtrack for the 1987 BBC documentary series The Celts, a selection of which BBC Records released that year as her debut album Enya. She signed with Warner Music UK, and the success of her second studio album, Watermark (1988), propelled Enya to worldwide fame, primarily through the single "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)". She released the multi-million-selling albums Shepherd Moons (1991), The Memory of Trees (1995), the box set A Box of Dreams, first compilation album Paint the Sky with Stars (both released in 1997) and A Day Without Rain (2000). Sales of the 2000 album and its lead single, "Only Time", surged in the United States, following its use in media coverage of the September 11 attacks. Enya's subsequent releases include Amarantine (2005), And Winter Came... (2008), the compilation album The Very Best of Enya (2009), and Dark Sky Island (2015). Enya's accolades include four Grammy Awards and six World Music Awards. She is the most-nominated female Irish artist at the BRIT Awards, with four nominations. "May It Be", her composition from the soundtrack of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. In 2025, Enya received the RTÉ Choice Music Prize's Classic Irish Album award for her 1988 breakthrough album, Watermark. She also composed the soundtrack for the 1987 BBC documentary series The Celts, a selection of which BBC Records released that year as Enya's eponymous debut album. The initial record deal granted her considerable artistic freedom and minimal interference. With an estimated equivalent of more than 80 million albums sold worldwide, Enya is one of the world's best-selling music artists.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.