IF Patrick Teoh is famous as the  Voice of Malaysia,  Enya is known as the Voice of Ireland - and never shall the twain meet.

She is the ninth best-selling female singer in the US, with 30 million in album sales in that country alone.

Internationally, Enya has sold over 70 million records. She also won four Grammy Awards and three World Music Awards.

It all started for Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin (her stage name Enya is a transliteration of her first name) when  her siblings formed the band An Clann As Dobhar in 1968. They renamed the band Clannad in the 1970s.

"I joined my family's band, Clannad , as a teenager in 1980 to sing harmonies and play keyboards, but it wasn't musically challenging for me," said Enya, in an interview about her newly-released album.

"I felt like an outsider, but the experience was tremendous. And I enjoyed it so much. Actually, that's where I met Nicky (Ryan) because he was producing Clannad at that time. And after two years with the band, I felt  quite restless musically."

In 1982, shortly before Clannad became famous for the song Theme From Harry's Game, producer and manager Ryan left the group. Enya joined him to start her own solo career.

Enya then formed her own recording studio named Aigle, which is French for "Eagle". "I knew I was gonna move on at that stage, and that's where I got talking to Nicky about the multi-vocal idea. This idea he had,  about one voice, and layering it many times. He was curious to see what would evolve," she said.

The result was Enya's signature sound. It is characterised by folk melodies, layering voices, synthesised background music as well as fanciful reverbs. Her debut Enya in 1987 earned her a foothold and 1988's  sophomore effort Watermark propelled her to international recognition.

Twenty-two years have passed since the original release of Enya’s self-titled debut album. However, the Irish singer is still a bit of a recluse, and abhors a lot of the media attention that comes with being an international  singing sensation.

"I am really a very shy person," said Enya. "If I appear, it is because of the music, not because I want to be seen. I'm not a recluse. I like to go out, but I don't like the glitz that goes with it.

I could have been more famous if I did all the glitzy things, but celebrity always seemed so unnecessary ... fame and success are very different things, anyway."

Well, after more than two decades of entertaining fans around the world and being an international best-selling artiste, it would seem that Enya has found both.

Anyway, on Nov 23, she launched her tenth album and second compilation The Very Best Of Enya. The album brings together for the first time so much of the earth-spanning music created alongside her close friends and partners in music, Nicky and Roma Ryan.

Enya’s elusive combination of classical inspiration, Celtic atmosphere and pop sensibility is evident throughout The Very Best Of as it revisits some of the most exemplary moments from an astonishing career.

From her world-conquering international breakthrough Orinoco Flow to the sad serenity of Only Time that was adopted as a comforting anthem of hope in the face of 9/11, The Very Best Of captures Enya’s most beautiful work to date.

It encapsulates highlights from Enya’s entire career from her debut album’s Boadicea to the first And Winter Came single Trains and Winter Rains.

Along the way it visits a remarkable collection of hit songs and enduring favourites such as Anywhere Is, Caribbean Blue, Book of Days and Amarantine.

It also provides something new in the shape of a stripped-down, previously unreleased version of Aniron that famously featured in Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Rings as well as the also unreleased May It Be from the same film.

The Very Best Of will also be available in a special CD/DVD package. This features the most comprehensive Enya DVD to date, encompassing 13 videos as well as interview and behind the scenes footage. It also includes two ‘making of’ mini-documentaries examining the creation of the Caribbean Blue and Only Time videos.

Get a Bioxil Beauty Kit to go with your CD/DVD

GET a complimentary Limited Edition Bioxil Beauty Kit when you purchase Enya’s The Very Best Of limited edition CD/DVD or you could redeem a complimentary Limited Edition Bioxil Beauty Kit at Bioxil counters (KLCC and One Utama) when you purchase Enya’s The Very Best Of CD. Offer valid while stock last.

GIVEAWAY

THREE lucky readers of The Malay Mail will stand a chance to win The Very Best of Enya CD as well as a Limited Edition Clarity Set courtesy of Bioxil Beauty Revolution worth RM865 each!

All you need to do is name the unreleased tracks in The Very Best of Enya and send them to warnermusiccontests@gmail.com with the subject 'THE MALAY MAIL/WARNER/BIOXIL ENYA CONTEST'. Please include your name, IC number, address and phone number(s).

What are you waiting for? Contest ends Dec 14.