In spite of her fame, most people don't know very much about Enya as she keeps a notoriously
low profile, living under the radar as much as a world-famous musician possibly can.
Has Enya retired?
What, exactly, has she been up to?
It's time to check in with the reclusive singer.
It's been a few years since Enya has released an album, but her vast fortune means that
she could comfortably live for the rest of her life without churning out another hit.
Enya has been so successful that she is one of the wealthiest musicians in the UK and
Ireland, worth more than one hundred million pounds.
The Sunday Times placed her at number 28 on a list of the U.K. and Ireland’s richest
musicians in 2018, putting her ahead of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and mega-popstar Ed
Sheeran.
Even more impressive than her vast wealth is that it was earned through album sales
alone.
Enya doesn't go on tour, has taken almost a decade between albums, and grants very few
interviews, yet she’s managed to sell around 85 million records.
Her astronomical success is so atypical in the music industry that it has been given
its own name: Enya-nomics.
Enya hardly ever gives interviews and makes few public appearances, which has only fueled
the public's fascination with her.
But while some may label her a recluse, Enya doesn’t see it that way at all.
The singer expressed her frustration with the media’s portrayal of her and other celebrities
in a 2015 interview with The Independent, saying:
According to the songstress herself, her absence from the spotlight is simply due to the fact
that she keeps herself busy.
However, Enya has never been one to seek out the spotlight, even at the height of her fame.
Instead, she’d rather her music speak for itself.
Back in 2000, the singer told The Guardian:
While she may be out of sight, Enya is hardly out of mind.
Her soothing, ethereal voice and songs fit for fairy tales and fantasies continue to
withstand the test of time and attract quite a diverse myriad of fans.
"Like, if elves were real, Enya would be number one on the elf charts week in and week out."
Enya is so beloved and her music so alluring that the singer doesn't even need to release
a new song in order to hit the charts.
In 2013, she made the Billboard Hot 100 for her song "Only Time," despite her most recent
album being released half a decade earlier in 2008.
So how did an old song suddenly break into the top 100?
The ethereal song was featured in an unforgettable Volvo ad featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme performing
“the most epic of splits” on the open road.
As of April 2019, the ad had racked up more than 90 million views on YouTube, proving
that Enya will never not be relevant.
After 2008’s And Winter Came, Enya didn't release another album until 2015’s Dark
Island Sky.
Many fans wondered what Enya had been up to for the near-decade in which she had been
MIA.
According to an interview with Believer, the singer simply needed some time to herself.
Enya told the publication:
Hey, the best things in life are worth waiting for, right?
As of April 2019, Enya hadn’t announced plans to release a new album, but it's safe
to say that the secretive singer is likely working on something.
The songstress told Believer that, while she does get absorbed in the songwriting process,
she also often leaves the studio for weeks at a time before returning to work on an album.
"I have to sort of see what’s going to evolve naturally for me, I don't try to kind of impose.
I always kind of describe it as like, a blank canvas."
Hopefully, the fact that we haven't heard much from Enya lately means that she’s working
on her next album at whatever pace works best for her.
You can't really blame Enya for staying out of the spotlight, especially when she has
such a nice home to hang out in.
The singer purchased an Irish castle back in 1997, and the structure came with quite
an interesting backstory.
Enya revealed to Believer:
Queen Victoria never did visit, but there's another famous figure who is at least familiar
with the sight of the castle.
One of Enya's neighbors is U2 frontman Bono, who she said she bumps into from time to time.
It’s seemingly impossible for single women in the spotlight to avoid questions regarding
marriage and children, and as private as she may be, Enya is no exception.
However, the songstress has been clear that she doesn’t need a partner or children to
be fulfilled.
In a 2000 interview with The Guardian, Enya revealed:
Don’t expect the “Only Time” singer to change her stance on becoming a mother
anytime soon.
Enya told The Telegraph in a 2008 interview:
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