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The Enya FAQTable of Contents * Introduction * Summary of Questions * Questions & Answers * Bibliography * Credits Introductions Welcome to the Enya FAQ! This is the place to find all the questions and all the answers about Enya! This list contains the most frequently asked questions and is not meant to be an exhaustive list. If you have further questions which are not listed here, just ask them on the forum and fellow members will gladly try to answer. Check this FAQ first though, before you post your question! Also, please bear in mind that Enya's private life is and should stay private. In other words, questions which invade Enya's privacy will be deleted . We hope the FAQ will bring you enlightenment! Summary of Questions A. Enya – Eithne – Nicky and Roma Ryan - Trio– Aigle Music
B. Enya as a person C. Enya and her family D. The creation of Enya’s music Does Enya really do all the instruments and vocals herself? What instruments besides the piano does Enya play in her music? Where does Enya record her songs?E. Understanding Enya’s songs F. Is that a song by Enya? Has Enya performed with other artists? G. Facts and figures about Enya’s career H. Where can I find – sound files – videos - DVDs – sheet music - ... ? I. Copyright issues J. Latest news Questions and Answers A. Enya – Eithne – Nicky and Roma Ryan - Trio– Aigle Music A1. Who is Eithne? How to pronounce Eithne? Eithne is Enya’s true name. "Enya" is phonetic spelling for Eithne (pronounced as ehn-ya). She chose to alter her name because as an artist she wanted to work under her own name, yet knew how many people would have difficulties in pronouncing her Irish name correctly. Related questions: B1. When was Enya born? Is Enya her real name?A2. Why do some people use Eithne and not Enya? "Eithne" is generally used to refer to the woman, whereas "Enya" is used to refer to all three people who are involved with the music: Eithne, Nicky and Roma Ryan. Related questions: B1. When was Enya born? Is Enya her real name?A3. Who are Roma and Nicky Ryan? Nicky and Roma are a married couple that have managed Enya's career since the beginning of her solo career. Nicky is the producer/ arranger/ manager and Roma is the lyricist. Nicky Ryan had previously managed Clannad. Related questions: A4. Do Nicky and Roma have any children? What do we know about them?C5. Who is Clannad? C6. I heard that there are/were conflicts between the members of Clannad and Enya, Nicky and Roma Ryan. Is it true? A4. Do Nicky and Roma have any children? What do we know about them? Nicky and Roma have two daughters, Ebony and Persia. Their daughters were born in the 1970s. Related questions: A3. Who are Roma and Nicky Ryan?A5. Who is Aigle? What does the term ‘Trio’ mean? Aigle, Trio, and Team Enya are all terms used by fans to collectively talk about Eithne, Nicky and Roma. Aigle is also the name of the recording studio that they use. Related questions: D3. Where does Enya record her songs?A6. How do you pronounce "Aigle," and what does it mean? Aigle is the French word for eagle, and is pronounced "ay-gel," with a hard G, like "angle." Related questions: A5. Who is Aigle?B. Enya as a person B1. When was Enya born? Is Enya her real name? Enya was born on 17 May 1961 as Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin (pronounced Enya Patricia Brennan) in Gweedore (Ghaoth Dobhair), County Donegal, Ireland. Enya is the phonetic spelling of her name. Related questions: A1. Who is Eithne? How does one pronounce "Eithne?"A2. Why do some people use Eithne and not Enya? C1. Who are Enya’s parents? Is it true they own a pub? C2. Does Enya have any brothers or sisters? B2. How tall is Enya? 5 feet 2 inches, or 1,57 meters B3. What colour are Enya’s eyes? Enya's eyes appear to be several different colors, blue, green, brown, and hazel, depending upon the different photos or videos. It is possible she may wear coloured lenses for the photo/video shoots. People generally agree Enya’s eyes are probably not blue or brown, but either hazel or grey-ish. B4. Is Enya married? She wears a ring. Enya is NOT married. The rings she wears on her right hand are a Claddagh ring and a wedding band. Both of these belonged to her grandmother who has passed away. B5. Is it true that Enya lives in a castle? In 1997, Enya bought Ayesha Castle and subsequently spent about five years remodeling it. In a CBS Morning interview in 2001, Enya stated she had not yet moved in. At the time the interview was re-aired in 2003, she was living in the castle. Enya changed the name of her home from Ayesha to Manderley. Manderley is the name of the beautiful estate house that is in her favourite novel, Rebecca. Related questions: B6. What is her address? Is she on the 'Net?B6. What is her address? Does Enya spend time on the Unity Fan Forum?? Enya does NOT take part in the forums. Nicky and Roma will occasionally post messages at Unity, the official Enya forum. Please be advised that any messages sent to Enya will most likely never be read by her. Enya is highly protective of her privacy. Messages sent to her home will most likely NOT be answered or even read. Please send all your letters to Warner Music at the following address:
Enya Related questions: B7. Why is Enya so concerned about her privacy? Is it true she had a stalker? Enya is concerned about her privacy for very good reasons. A few years ago, Enya was stalked by an Italian fan. This man wrote her countless letters, moved to Ireland, located her parents, and even waited around the apartment where she lived at that time. After a long time the police (the Garda Síochána) did arrest and imprison this stalker. Related questions: B6. What is her address? Is she on the Net?B8. Enya looks so beautiful! Most photos we see of Enya are the photos in the album booklets, or photos from magazines. As it is with all artists, Enya wears cosmetics in these photos, and sometimes the photos are retouched to create a certain look. Aside from her natural beauty, she rarely eats red meat, prefers fish, and likes a glass of red wine from time to time. C. Enya and her family C1. Who are Enya’s parents? Is it true they own a pub? Enya’s parents are Leo and Baba Brennan. Leo runs a famous Irish pub in Min na Leice (Meenalech), County Donegal, Ireland, called Leo’s Tavern. Leo's son Bartley has now taken over the management. Leo’s Tavern has been the site of many performances from Leo, Baba, and other Brennan family members. With her busy schedule, Enya rarely, if ever, performs there these days. Related questions: B1. When was Enya born? Is Enya her real name?C2. Does Enya have any brothers or sisters? C2. Does Enya have any brothers or sisters? Enya is the fifth child in a family of nine. She has four sisters: Máire (Moya), Deirdre, Brídín, and Olive; and four brothers: Bartley, Ciarán, Pól, and Leon.
Related questions: C1. Who are Enya’s parents? Is it true they own a pub? C3. Who is Bridin? C4. Who is Moya / Máire? C3. Who is Bridin? Bridin is Enya’s younger sister, also a soloist/musician. Her name is pronounced “bri-jin” with both I’s pronounced as in “ick.”Related questions: C2. Does Enya have any brothers or sisters?C4. Who is Moya / Máire? "Moya" is the phonetic spelling of Máire, as "Enya" is the phonetic spelling of Eithne. Moya is Enya’s eldest sister and she is a soloist/musician as well as the lead singer of the Irish group Clannad. Related questions: C2. Does Enya have any brothers or sisters?C5. Who is Clannad? C5. Who is Clannad? Clannad is an internationally famous Irish folk singing group consisting of Enya’s eldest sister, Máire, her two older brothers Ciarán and Pól (who left in 1990), and her twin uncles Noel & Padraig Duggan. Enya was a member of the band from 1980 until 1982, when she and manager Nicky Ryan left to pursue a solo career. The word "clannad" is loosely translated to mean "family." Related questions: A3. Who are Roma and Nicky Ryan?C4. Who is Moya / Máire? C6. I heard that there is/was a conflict between the members of Clannad and Enya, Nicky and Roma Ryan. Is this true? F3. Apart from Clannad, has she appeared on any other artists' records? C6. I heard that there have been conflicts between the members of Clannad and Enya, Nicky and Roma Ryan. Is this true? Enya does not discuss her personal life, including her decision to leave Clannad. Eithne’s sister, Máire, has said in a number of interviews that the rumours of any problems between Eithne and Clannad are completely false. There is no evidence of any "family division" over this matter. Related questions: A3. Who are Roma and Nicky Ryan?C5. Who is Clannad? D. The creation of Enya's music D1. Does Enya really do all the instruments and vocals herself? Yes, Enya does all of the vocals and instruments herself, except where stated. See the albums booklets for guest musicians. Related questions: D2. What instruments, besides the piano, does Enya play in her music?D2. What instruments, besides the piano, does Enya play in her music? It is said that Enya plays some of the strings and percussions, but some of these are also synthesized. Related questions: D1. Does Enya do all the instruments and vocals herself?D3. Where does Enya record her songs? The songs are recorded at Aigle studios, which is the property of Enya, Nicky and Roma Ryan. Related questions: A5. Who is Aigle? What does the term, ‘Trio’ mean?Understanding Enya's songs E1. 1. Some of Enya's songs are not in English, what language are they? Enya sings in Gaelic (her native tongue), English, Latin, Spanish, Japanese, Welsh, French, as well as "Quenya" and "Sindarin," two languages invented by J.R.R. Tolkien, and "Loxian," a language invented by Roma Ryan. For more information about this, please visit the discography. Related questions: E3. I can’t find the lyrics/translation of a certain song in the discography, help! E2. Where can I get translations? See the Official Enya Discography: http://www.discography.enya.com. Click on "tracks." Related questions: E1. Some of her songs are not in English. In what other languages does she sing?E3. I can’t find the lyrics/translation of a certain song in the discography, help! E3. I can’t find the lyrics/translation of a certain song in the discography, help! The discography is complete, and has all songs and lyrics of Enya. If a song has no lyrics listed, it is either an instrumental song or a song with vocalizations instead of lyrics. Enya often uses this kind of “nonsense language” to enhance the music. These vocalizations are not words, hence there are no lyrics. Related questions:E1. Some of her songs are not in English. In what other languages does she sing? E2. Where can I get translations? E4. Who are Rob Dickins and Ross mentioned in Orinoco Flow? Rob Dic-kens was the chairman of Warner Music UK and is also the man who signed her with that label. He now owns his own entertainment company, Instant Karma. Ross is Ross Cullum, who was an engineer on the album Watermark. Interestingly, the Ross Dependency is actually a location on Antarctica, claimed by New Zealand.Related questions: E6. What do the Irish dedications in some of Enya’s albums mean?E5. Who is Ridley Scott and why is Aldebaran dedicated to him? Roma Ryan is a big fan of his work, more particularly a fan of the movie Blade Runner of which he was co-producer. E6. What do the Irish dedications in Enya’s albums mean? * Watermark Tá muid fíorbhuíoch do Rob Dic-kins ar son an chuidiú agus an mhisneach a thug sé dúinn. * Shepherd Moons Ár mbuíochas do Rob Dic-kins a d'fhan, "ag an stiúir". * The Memory Of Trees Ba dheacair dúinne an t-album seo a shamhlú gan focla spreagtha sin Rob Dickins. * Paint The Sky With Stars Mar as gnáth... mbuióchas do Rob Dickins. Related questions: E4. Who are Rob Dic-kins and Ross mentioned in Orinoco Flow? F. Is that a song by Enya? Has Enya performed F1. Was that Enya I heard? Is this song really an Enya song? The Enya discography lists every song that Enya has written, sung, or performed; look under the “tracks” section for a complete listing. Please be aware that several sites and P2Ps offer ILLEGAL downloads, which often wrongly attribute songs to Enya. For example, Now We Are Free, Gladiator Theme, Harry’s Game, and Love Song are often wrongly listed as Enya's music. A more extensive list of mislabeled songs can be found in section 9 of The Member’s Guide To the Enya Forum If you have any trouble finding the song you have heard, ask a fellow member. They will more than gladly help you. Related questions: F2. Where can I see Enya's discography?F4. I heard a song with a sample of Enya, is that possible? H1. Are there any Enya sound files or videos available online? F2. Where can I see Enya's discography? Please see http://discography.enya.com F3. Apart from Clannad, has Enya appeared on any other artists' records? Enya has appeared on Sinead O’Connor’s album The Lion and the Cobra as well as Christy Moore’s album Ordinary Man. In the official discography you can find these songs under the section “miscellaneous.”Related questions: C5. Who is Clannad? F4. I heard a song with a sample of Enya. Is that possible? The song Boadicea was adapted and used, in three other artist's songs: Ready or Not by The Fugees; I Don’t Wanna Know by Mario Winans and You Should Really Know” by Pirates. The Fugees used the song without official permission. The case was almost taken to court, but Enya decided to make a personal agreement with The Fugees. Please note that Enya did not collaborate with these artists; they merely bought the rights to use a selection of Enya’s music. As the music is not Enya, these songs are NOT listed in the official discography. Related questions:Related questions: F2. Where can I see Enya's discography?G. Facts about Enya's Career G1. When did Enya's big break come? Enya’s big break came in 1988 when she released the single ’Orinoco Flow’. G2. In what genre is Enya's music categorized? Because the music is so different, Enya’s music can often be found under many categories, such as New Age, World, Celtic, Pop, Classical, or Other. Related questions: G3. Why does Enya not like the "New Age" category? G3. Why does Enya not like the "New Age" category? Enya has commented on interviews that she does not like music labeled into rigid categories. Usually when they ask "What kind of music is yours?" she simple replies "Enya". Related questions: G2. In what genre is Enya's music categorized? G4. How many records has she sold? Enya has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. Her best selling album to date is A Day Without Rain which has sold more than 12 million copies. G5. What awards has Enya been nominated for and which has she won? won:
GRAMMY Awards:
1993 - Best New Age Album (Shepherd Moons) IRMA (Irish Recorded Music Association ) Awards: World Music Awards: Broadcast Film Critics Association: Echo Awards (Germany): She was also nominated in 2001 for a Golden Globe and for an Academy Award for the song ‘May It Be’ G6. On what occasions did Enya perform? Was it a live performance or lip-synced? Related questions: Related questions: Related questions: I1. Is the Enya logo protected under copyright? What else is protected under copyright? The name Enya™ and the Enya logo are registered trademarks. Related questions: Related questions: J1. Does Enya tour? Enya has done promotional tours to promote her albums and has performed in a live setting on a few television programs. She has not performed since 1980, when she toured with Clannad. Enya currently has NO scheduled tour dates. Related questions: J2. When will the next album be released? We have been told that Eithne, Nicky and Roma went into the studio in 2003 to begin work on the new album. A release date for the new album is not yet known. Official announcements about the release of the new album will be posted online by Enya.com, and will also be made officially by Aigle Music and Warner Music UK. Other sources may not be taken as official (including Warner Affiliates that are NOT Warner Music UK). J3. I heard something happened to Enya! Is this true? A few years ago a rumor was spread that Enya might have died in a car accident. This is NOT true. There was a minor accident, and she was mildly injured, treated and released from hosptial on the same day. Please, be careful with what you choose to read and believe from sources found on the internet. If something were ever to happen to Eithne, Nicky, Roma, or someone at Aigle or Warner would let us know. The only official source for such information is Enya.com. | |||