Enya

The sixth of nine children, Enya grew up in a pub in Co. Donegal drenched in music. Her parents were both musicians and when she was old enough she played keyboards and sang backing vocals with Clannad, the band formed by her brothers, sister and cousins. She went on to write music for the movie The Frog Prince, worked with Sinead O'Connor on her debut album The Lion And The Cobra and was acclaimed for the music she provided for the BBC TV documentary The Celts. Working closely with former Clannad producer Nicky Ryan, Enya devised a unique style, blending Celtic themes with heavily synthesised textures and classical influences, achieving her international breakthrough in 1988 with the Watermark album, including the smash hit Orinoco Flow. Her atmospheric, ethereal melodies became the blueprint for a worldwide fascination with new age music and she has gone on to sell over 88m albums despite rarely appearing live.

Please enable Javascript to view this page competely.