ENYA

Enneagram Type 4 (The Individualist) with a 3 Wing

R Carter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Why we think Enya is a Type 4

  • Demeanor. She is gentle, shy, thoughtful, and easily overwhelmed. She often conveys a sense of tranquility and peacefulness that matches the qualities of her music. Her performances are characterized by a poised and elegant bearing. She typically dresses in flowing, graceful clothing.

  • Pursuit of a unique style. Enya's musical style is a blend of Celtic, New Age, and pop music. This unique style, often referred to as "Enya sound," is achieved through multi-tracking her voice up to 500 times on some songs. 

  • Deep emotional expression and introspective themes in her music. Enya's music is renowned for its emotional depth, evoking strong feelings in listeners. Many of Enya's songs have deep, introspective, and often melancholic themes. Songs like "Only Time," "Orinoco Flow," and "May It Be" encapsulate feelings of longing, nostalgia, and introspection. Many of her songs also explore spiritual, fantasy, and dreamlike states.

  • Aesthetic sensitivity. Enya's music is meticulously crafted, creating an ethereal and mystical atmosphere. Her aesthetic—evident in her music videos, album covers, and personal style—is distinctive and atmospheric.

  • Discomfort with fame and her desire for privacy. She lives in an isolated castle. She is not at all about the spotlight, but still eager to succeed in what she's really passionate about (which speaks to her 3 Wing). She has shared that she never had the dream of being on stage.

Enya quotes that show she is a Type 4

  • "I am really a very shy person. If I appear, it is because of the music, not because I want to be seen."

  • "There is no formula to it because writing every song, for me, is a little journey. The first note has to lift you."

  • "My first language is the same as that of the river and the wind; the same as that of the waves of the sea."

  • "It's in my nature to be very shy, to be very quiet, and I was very happy to be on my own."

  • "I find that music makes people just sit and listen, firstly. Then, they seem to interpret their own emotions with the music that you're playing."

  • "I could have been more famous if I did all the glitzy things, but celebrity always seemed so unnecessary."

  • "The success of Watermark surprised me. I never thought of music as something commercial; it was something very personal to me."

  • "I do promotion when it is necessary, but I always want to get back to the music." 

  • "Music is the only language that everybody understands."