The World Bids Farewell To Queer Music Icon, Enya

Everyone knows Enya, one part of the lush trio; a layered, new age vocalist who captured a global audience first with her crossover hit “Orinoco Flow” and later, the album “A Day Without Rain” featuring the track “Only Time” that cradled a mourning country through the tragedy of 9/11.

Maybe you only heard of Enya from her collaboration with writer/director Peter Jackson and screenwriter/producer Phillipa Boyens, who recruited Enya to perform the title track from their epic “Lord of the Rings” saga in the early 2000’s. Or, maybe you read one of the sensational articles that routinely goes viral, discussing the fact that the reclusive Enya lives alone in her Ireland castle with an army of cats, creating a sort-of mythology around the singer.

The reality is this, dear readers: A fact many remain completely unaware of- Enya wasn’t just a singer. Eithene, the raven haired, blue eyed, velvet voiced mystery that captivated our imagination was the singer.

Enya was a group. Enya was comprised of Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin, the lead singer, Nicky Ryan, an award winning producer who gave the trio their signature sound, and his wife, Roma Ryan, the lyricist for all of the Enya songs you love. The three have collaborated under the name “Enya” since the the singer parted ways with her family music group, Clannad in 1982.