Enya
b. Eithne Ni Bhraonain, 17 May 1961, Gweedore, County Donegal, Eire. Enya, a classically trained pianist, was formerly a member of Clannadbefore embarking on a solo career that blossomed unexpectedly with her UK chart-topper Orinoco Flow. Daughter of noted Irish Showband leader Leo Brennan (Brennan is the non-Gaelic form of Bhraonain) who led the Slieve Foy Band, Enya was born into a highly musical family. Her mother was also a musician, and in 1976 some of her brothers, sisters and uncles formed the band Clannad (Gaelic for family). Enya joined the band on keyboards in 1979 and shared in some of their success as they recorded haunting themes for a variety of television programmes, giving them their first chart success. However, Enya, who has professed she has little time for conventional pop music, never quite fitted into the band and left amicably in 1982. A few years later she was asked to record the music for the BBC television series THE CELTS which was subsequently released as her debut album in 1987. An endearing blend of ethereal singing (in Gaelic and English), the album was largely ignored, as was the accompanying single I Want Tomorrow. However, the following year, Enya released WATERMARK in much the same vein and had a surprise UK number 1 with the single Orinoco Flow. Working with her long-time collaborators, Roma Ryan (her lyric writer) and Nicky Ryan (her producer), Enya followed the chart-topper with two smaller hits—Evening Falls and Storms In Africa Part II. She adopted a lower profile for the next couple of years with a brief appearance on Sinead O'Connor's album being one of her few vinyl outings. She returned in the early '90s with a two new albums and another hit single with Caribbean Blue.