Enya was born as Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin on 17 May 1961 in Gweedore, County Donegal in the Gaeltacht region of Ireland. She has eight siblings named Máire, Deidre, Olive, Bridin, Ciarán, Pól, Leon and Bartley, many of whom are performers and musicians too. Both Enya’s parents were also involved in music. Her mother Máire used to play in a dance band and later became a music teacher and a choir director. Her father Leo was a member of the Slieve foy show band and later opened a tavern.

Enya grew up with traditional Irish music, performing on stage from the age of three. When she was eleven, she was sent to a convent boarding school in Milford where she studied piano and classical music. After graduating, she joined the family band Clannad on suggestion of their manager Nicky Ryan.

In September 2004, Panasonic used Enya’s song ‘Sumiregusa‘ in a Japanese commercial promoting their Viera television. Shortly afterwards, Warner Music Japan announced that the new full-length studio album was to be released in November 2004. The announcement was promptly denied by Aigle Music and it wasn’t until a year later that they confirmed the release date of ‘Amarantine‘ for November 2005. In winter of the following year, Enya released a Christmas-themed EP ‘Sounds of the Season’ and mentioned that she was mid-way through a Christmas album. However, as the recording began to take shape, a broader winter theme emerged and the album became ‘And Winter Came….’ Released in November 2008, it’s been a major chart success and brought Enya’s total album sales to over 70 million.

In autumn 2009, 20 years after ‘Watermark,’ Enya released her second best of compilation, ‘The Very Best of Enya.’ The collection came out in three different editions: cd-only, cd/dvd and a deluxe collector’s box set.

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