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N 1983, Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin was starting her solo career. Expectations were modest for this 22-year-old. Nobody supposed that she would sell upwards of 85 million records.
She changed her name to Enya at the suggestion of Nicky Ryan, her producer and business partner. A few language purists may have complained, but since then she has achieved global, single name recognition. Like, say, Madonna, Cher or Beyoncé.
Her music has been sampled by The Fugees and P Diddy. She is admired by high achievers like Rihanna, FKA Twigs and Grimes. Meantime, Generation Z listeners have discovered the music and are freshly inspired.
Her soundtrack recordings for Lord of the Rings brought in extra fans and enhanced her wide-eyed, unworldly status. Not only could she sing in Irish, in Latin, French and Welsh, but she could utter the Elvish tongues of Middle-earth.
Enya songs play out at weddings and funerals. Many of her best tunes are set in a minor key and become channels of deep emotion. Her listeners may seek out quiet reflection there, and in one famous case, an entire nation used one of her songs to help them grieve together.
That was America, after the 9/11 attacks. The dust had barely settled on the rubble of the twin towers when the CNN news channel began using Enya's Only Time as a theme for America's disbelief.
The words were written by Roma Ryan, the Belfast-born lyricist who had worked with Enya and husband Nicky...