Good morning.
Today we’re listening to Enya, an Irish keyboardist, composer, and singer. Enya Brennan grew up in County Donegal, Ireland, and got her musical start playing keyboard in her family’s folk band. Her first couple solo records were soundtracks, but her breakout was 1988’s Watermark. Somehow Enya had secured a record deal with Warner that gave her lots of creative control, allowing her to channel her Celtic influences into an ambient record.1 The result was a massive hit, led by “Orinoco Flow,” and eventually made Enya one of the best-selling musicians ever. We’re also playing her 1995 album, Memory of Trees. Last year Pitchfork said, “Enya is everywhere.” Today she is here with us.
Watermark - Enya (40m, some Enya vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal
Memory of Trees - Enya (40m, some Enya vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal
We’re appreciating service today.
On the “New Age” label, NPR reported in 2017:
“The Grammys dubbed Enya's music New Age, and the group has earned four Grammy Awards in that category. But Enya has never liked the categorization, and the trio is far too musically accomplished to be considered run-of-the-mill crystal store-soundtrack ‘New Age’ music anyway, or part of what Christgau dubbed a ‘women-are-angels scam.’“