ABSTRACT
Easily the most popular Irish female singer in recorded sound history, Enya-born Eithne Ni Bhraonain in Gweadore, County Donegal-possesses an ethereal voice ideally suited to translate the mysterious beauty of her cultural heritage for worldwide consumption. After recording with her family’s group, Clanned, in the early 1980s, she went solo to produce the British film soundtrack, The Frog Prince (Island ISTA 10; 1985). It was followed by Enya (Atlantic 81842; 1987), the score to a BBC television documentary, “The Celts.” The album established the template for Enya’s later releases, blending new age-influenced ambient textures and synthesizer washes, bits of traditional instrumentation (uilleann pipes, harps), and her Irish-language singing, placed deep within the overall mix rather than distinctly up-front.
