Latest news with #OnlyTime
Metro
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Enya seen for the first time in 8 years after reclusive life in Victorian castle
Enya has been spotted for the first time in years. The Only Time hitmaker, 64, is rarely seen out and about, having floated onto the world's stage in the 1980s with her ethereal, unique sound on hits including Orinoco Flow and Evening Falls. Since, she's clocked up four Grammy Awards, countless nominations and an Oscars shortlist for her soundtrack classic May It Be, from Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The vocalist, famed for her haunting choir-like melodies, is the second most successful Irish artist of all time after U2, having sold over 80million albums, and she's got a reported £98m fortune. Fans have been wondering where Enya is, as her last music drop was ten years ago in her 2015 eighth studio album, Dark Sky Island. She's also not been seen publicly since the Grammys in 2017, so this was a reassuring moment for fans, as she looked the picture of health, dressed up for a wedding at Drumhalla House in Donegal on May 16. The Only Time hitmaker wore a gorgeous black and white lacey dress, with a shimmering necklace and short haircut as she posed with fellow attendees. The Irish singer's reclusive lifestyle has been documented over the years, as she reportedly spends much time in her 19th century castle, located just south of Dublin, by the sea. Having bought Manderley Castle – named after the house in her favourite book, Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca – in 1997 for €3.8m (£2.5m), Enya is thought to enjoy the sprawling space with, at one time, up to a dozen cats. In a 2015 interview while talking about her new music, Enya touched on her love life. 'I am single, yes,' she told The Independent. 'But as the song suggests, there have been… relationships. It's quite hard to have someone accept that – well, not that they are second to the music, but that I do need a certain amount of space for it. 'And even though the person will understand that at the beginning, there is something like jealousy towards the music after a while.' There was a seven-year gap between her last two albums, and Enya said at the time that she needed the pause. Alongside her Irish bolthole, Enya bought a house in the south of France and travelled in this time, visiting family. The rest of her days, the publication report, are spent in Manderley Castle, not far from Bono's place. During her time there Enya has fortified the castle walls sky-high, having experienced a number of disturbing run-ins with stalkers, which she told the outlet has 'been traumatic'. Enya was born Eithne Ní Bhraonáin in Ireland in 1961, one of nine children. As a teenager Enya enjoyed a brief time with her family's band Clannad, before going it alone and collaborating with producer Nicky Ryan and his poet wife Roma Ryan, who she continued to work with all the way to her latest album. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Singer Enya spotted in public for the first time in EIGHT years as reclusive star makes rare trip outside £98m castle
ENYA has been spotted for the first time in eight years after becoming notorious for her reclusive lifestyle. The Irish vocalist spends much of her time hunkered down in her vast Victorian castle near Advertisement 6 Singer Enya has been spotted in public for the first time in EIGHT years Credit: Facebook 6 The Caribbean Blue hitmaker, 64, attended a wedding in Donegal Credit: Facebook 6 She lives a reclusive life in a castle near Dublin Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd Yet a new snap has seen the 64-year-old Caribbean Blue hitmaker stepping out from her stunning £98million compound, which she bought in 1997, for a night out. The vocalist could be seen smiling as she posed for a picture with a bunch of others. She could be seen donning a black lace top and flowing yellow skirt, accessorising with a silver bracelet. The chart star, famed for tracks including Orinoco Flow and Only Time, styled her brunette hair poker straight with a wispy fringe. Advertisement read more enya She kept her make-up fresh as she attended a wedding at Drumhalla House in Donegal on May 16. Fans were quick to gush over the fresh snap on Reddit, which marked her last public appearance since the Grammy's in 2017. One wrote: "Glad to see them and Enya doing well." A second posted: "Omg, I'm so happy to see her finally," as a third put: "Good to see our Enya." Advertisement Most read in Music One loyal fan then added: "I recognise her outfit from this 2016 performance of Orinoco Flow in Japan edit: and Enya's live US performance of Echoes in Rain — re-worn very stylishly." Another mused: "She looks so lovely here, but girl drop the mixtape already omg it's been 10 years." One simply put: "She looks stunning." GOING SOLO Enya's isolated life with her cats has been well-documented. Advertisement We previously reported how she also bans herself from listening to other artists' music and once claimed to have never bought an album — to keep her own work as original as possible. She spends nearly all her waking hours with a much older married couple who for 30 years have helped create her eerie, warbling music. Songs are painstakingly put together, often overdubbed with vocals more than 500 times. They are sung in a bizarre mix of languages. Advertisement Initially a mixture of English and Gaelic, she now records in Sindarin and Quenya, both created by author JRR Tolkien, and Loxian — which she invented herself with her songwriters. ENYA'S HISTORY Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, in Gweedore, Co Donegal, Ireland, she grew up as one of nine siblings. She was a shy child who loved playing the piano and singing, later explaining how the pandemonium of a large family instilled her lifelong love of being alone and describing silence as a luxury. At 19 she joined her family's band, Celtic music group Clannad, on synth and backing vocals. Advertisement She left two years later, moving into the Dublin home of Nicky Ryan, 69, the group's producer, and his wife Roma, 61. Following her acrimonious split from Clannad, the three wrote music together, culminating in her 1987 self-titled debut album. But it was with the release of second LP Watermark the following year that she entered the stratosphere. Featuring her best-known track, Orinoco Flow (Sail Away), it shifted 11million copies worldwide. Since then the trio have worked closely on a string of albums which have quietly sold by the bucketload. Advertisement She has won four Grammys and got an Oscar nod, for her work on the Lord Of The Rings soundtrack. The single star previously spoke of her isolated life, music success and juggling love and said: "I am single, yes. "But as the song suggests, there have been… relationships. It's quite hard to have someone accept that – well, not that they are second to the music, but that I do need a certain amount of space for it." She added to the Advertisement "It's difficult." 6 The Orinoco Flow and Only Time singer has achieved huge chart success Credit: Handout 6 She has won four Grammy Awards Credit: Getty - Contributor 6 She previously told how any relationship would come second to her music Credit: AFP Advertisement
Times
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
In search of Enya, the star who sailed away from the spotlight
She is estimated to be worth €140 million and has sold more than 80 million albums worldwide, quietly building a fortune from her Killiney castle, but the elusive Enya's mystery endures. Despite being Ireland's bestselling solo artist and second overall behind U2, Enya has never toured or even performed a solo concert. Heavily decorated with four Grammy awards and six World Music Awards, she remains intensely private, rarely gives interviews and has not made a public appearance in years. This, it seems, has only added to her allure, and more than 38 years after the release of her self-titled debut album, Enya's new-age ethereal voice, meticulously layered and haunting melodies have found a new audience. The 63-year-old Only Time singer has clocked up millions of views on TikTok. The American reality TV star Spencer Pratt, who has 2.1 million followers on TikTok, has made several videos of himself eating burritos to Enya's song Echoes in Rain. He has been on a campaign recently for permission to sample the track for a remix with I'll Do It, a song by his wife, Heidi Montag. He has abandoned a plan to visit Enya, warned by Irish people online that it would be a fruitless expedition, but his initiative has helped to create yet another generation of Enya fans. It's not the first time Enya has gone viral. In 2023, she was celebrated in all her mystical glory with the Enyacore trend, when fans created fantasy and medieval-style videos set to her music and shared them with the world. In 2019, she trended on Twitter when her single Caribbean Blue was the soundtrack to the final scene of Channel 4's hugely popular series Derry Girls. Enya also showed up on the soundtrack to Bo Burnham's 2018 indie film Eighth Grade. Last month, there was hope that the Donegal singer would attend the RTE Choice Music Prize event in Vicar Street, Dublin, to collect an award in recognition of the impact of Watermark, her 1988 album. Instead Enya, whose real name is Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin, wrote a statement that was read out by Priscilla Kotey, managing director of Warner Music Ireland. It did not say whether Enya had plans to record another album. 'I am very very honoured tonight,' she said. 'When Watermark came out, I was just so proud to be able to make music. My love of music has always been a driving force to me and any success always feels like a great bonus, as I've been determined to create music which is true to myself from a very young age. Watermark really kickstarted my career and has always remained very special to me.' Even when Watermark was released, Enya, then 27, was described in the media as reclusive and as someone who put her music before her image. Today, she is rarely seen outside her 19th-century castle in Killiney, south Dublin, which she bought for IR£2.5 million in 1997. She was reported to have outbid Michael Flatley. Surely, though, someone must have seen her recently? The Sunday Times recently visited her home, which she named Manderley after the fictitious manor in Daphne du Maurier's novel Rebecca. Although the property is surrounded by 9ft stone walls and a solid timber gate, those who pass by can still see its Victorian turrets, which offer panoramic views of the Irish Sea. There was no answer but, after some very bad experiences with fans, Enya never opens the door to unexpected guests. In 2005, a stalker broke into her home and terrorised her for two hours. It was reported that the man had tied up a maid before searching the castle for Enya. She managed to avoid him by locking herself in a safe room as gardai rushed to the scene. In a separate incident, an Italian fan was said to have stalked Enya for more than a year, and stabbed himself after he was thrown out of her family's pub in Donegal. Many residents in the nearby village of Dalkey say they have never seen Enya in person, though they regularly encounter other big stars, such as the U2 singer Bono, as they go about their day-to-day business. However, neighbours have recalled seeing her being chauffeured in a brown Mercedes-Maybach limo, which was priced at more than €500,000 at the time. Only a few other people in Ireland have owned this car, including the Coolmore stud owner John Magnier and the property developer Johnny Ronan. In an interview several years ago, though, Enya laughed off descriptions of her as a recluse, saying simply that she was working. Born in 1961 and raised in Gweedore, Co Donegal, where Irish was her first language, Enya was the middle child among four brothers and four sisters. After leaving school, she studied classical music and in 1980 she joined several members of her family in the band Clannad, touring Europe and recording two albums with them. She left the band several years later to complete her studies and write her own music. • Enya: 'I walked away from the things that would have made me more famous' Despite having lost a core member, Clannad are still known as one of the most influential Irish groups of the past five decades. The Sunday Times reached out to the family band on social media to see if they could set up an interview with Enya. They responded: 'Unfortunately can't help with this. Best to contact Nicky Ryan through Warner Music … that's the only route.' Enya has co-owned a music company, Aigle Music, with Nicky and Roma Ryan since 1981. Nicky Ryan, a manager and music producer, is credited with having helped Enya bring her sound to life, and his wife, Roma, is known for adding another layer to her artistic legacy through her lyrics. Their support was not overlooked by Enya, who made sure to thank them in her statement at the RTE Choice Music Prize event. 'I couldn't have made it happen without Nicky and Roma, and I am eternally grateful for their talent, vision and support. This award is as much theirs as it is mine,' she said. Efforts were made to reach the Ryans at their home and studio in Killiney, but requests for a few words about Enya's success were politely declined via the intercom outside their gate. Enya's ethereal sound and unique blend of Celtic, classical, and ambient music still influence a wide range of artists across genres. Taylor Swift cited Enya as an influence on the atmospheric production of Folklore and Evermore. The Fugees memorably sampled Boadicea in Ready or Not (1996), bringing it into hip-hop culture, which was followed by Drake using the same song in Is There More (2018). Moby has spoken about Enya's influence on his approach to ambient soundscapes, and Grimes and Brandy have both said the Irish artist's ability to layer vocals and create lush soundscapes inspired their work. Lana Del Rey's dreamy and cinematic music draws comparisons to Enya's style, and Florence + the Machine use similar ethereal vocal layering and orchestral elements. Back in Dalkey village, business owners and locals were happy to hear of Enya's latest accolade, but could not recall seeing her in recent years. Jérôme Fernandes, owner of the Guinea Pig, said she had last dined at his restaurant before the Covid-19 pandemic. 'Even though she is rarely seen these days, Enya is still very much respected in Dalkey as she's brought so much positivity to the area,' he said. 'When she was here before Covid it was clear that she wasn't looking for attention and didn't stand out compared to anyone else. We have catered for many celebrities and artists over the years and I feel it's important that their privacy is respected.' Pam Cooney of the Grapevine wine shop said she had never seen Enya in all her years working in Dalkey. 'I've never seen her out and about, and we get many stars either going to the pub or enjoying a meal in the village,' she said. 'Nevertheless, if Enya doesn't choose to go out in public much, that's her business alone. She's had an incredibly successful career and deserves to spend her time as she wishes.' Louie Krcho, a worker at the Roberts of Dalkey market, told The Sunday Times he had been a massive fan since he was a child. 'I've been listening to her for as long as I can remember and I'm always hopeful that I'd see her around,' he said. 'Unfortunately, she's not come across my path yet but I would be sure to leave her alone as I know she's a very private person.' A young man who worked in a nearby restaurant said that, despite having lived in Dalkey all his life, he had never heard of Enya. 'I like my music, but I'm drawing a blank on who she is,' he said. 'Looking at a picture of her now I'm positive that I've never seen her in person or even on television.' • Why today's stars love Enya In 2022, Enya was seen at an event at Dublin City University celebrating the achievements of her sister Moya Brennan, who received an honorary doctorate. She was seen posing happily in several photographs with her sister and their mother, Baba Brennan, who is now in her nineties. Last year, a photograph emerged on social media of Enya having a meal with friends and some of her siblings at a restaurant in Monte Carlo. She sat the head of the table wearing a red summer dress. That was the singer's last known public appearance and, although little information could be gathered from the images alone, it was enough to satisfy fans that Enya is surrounded by her friends and family.
