While most artists have a gigantic ego that seeks a constant spotlight to cling to, in the case of Enya it is quite the opposite. For Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin - her real name - being a hermit is a symbol of triumph and freedom after being one of the most important music stars of the nineties.
With over 80 million records sold and a nomination for an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy for the songMay It Be that she composed forThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Enya lives secluded in a fairytale castle in Killiney, south of Dublin.
Purchased in 1997 for 3.8 million euros, it is a crenellated Victorian-style mansion built in 1840 in homage to Queen Victoria's ascension to the throne, and at one point had a secret tunnel connecting the property to the beach, surrounded by 1.4 hectares of gardens, she invested several million euros in restoration and reinforcing security.
However, in 2005 she experienced a terrifying situation when a fan sneaked onto the property, tied up the housekeeper, and the artist had to hide in the panic room. Fortunately, no harm was done.
She named the property Manderley, in honor of the place where Rebecca lives, the protagonist of the novel of the same name by Daphne du Maurier, whose most important film adaptation starred Joan Fontaine, Laurence Olivier, and Judith Anderson in 1942.
The most striking thing about the artist is that she lives with only the company of a dozen cats, she has never married or had children because she believed that was not her path. As revealed by the Daily Mail, a friend describes her as "not very fun" and that you wouldn't go out for a drink with her at the pub, and her uncle Noel Duggan, co-founder along with other family members of the group Clannad, which Enya joined in 1976, stated some time ago that "we don't see her much. She lives like a queen. She is a hermit."
Her last public appearance was at the 2017 Grammy Awards, and eight years later she was seen posing with some family members at a wedding, a picture of which circulated on social media.
In 1982, she decided to focus on her solo career, but it wasn't until six years later that she achieved international recognition with Watermark, whose single Orinoco Flow is one of the best songs in her repertoire. Her music is Celtic, new age, and contemporary pop style.
Although she has stated on occasion that she does not feel like "an enigma", an anonymous source revealed to The Sun that "in the entire music industry, there is no one as successful about whom so little is known. She does not socialize, she is rarely seen outside her home, there are no clues in her lyrics about her life."
The Daily Mail recently published part of an interview in which she referred to her romantic situation. Enya said that "falling madly in love and getting married would be the worst thing that could happen. My affairs are melodies, words, and beautiful sounds."
She also revealed that "there have been relationships. It's quite difficult for someone to accept that - well, not to be second to music, but that I need a certain space for it. And even though the person understands it at first, some jealousy towards the music arises later."
Among her most emblematic songs are Only Time, Caribbean Blue, Book of Days, or The Celts. She has sung in ten languages, including Latin, she is the most successful Irish artist after U2, and throughout her career, she has had 1 Oscar and Golden Globe nomination, has won 4 Grammy Awards, 6 World Music Awards, and 1 Critic Choice, among others. Celebrity Net Worth estimates her fortune at 150 million dollars.
It has been five decades since she made her artistic debut, and on May 17th, she will turn 65.