The world was blessed with the birth of Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin on May 17, 1961.

 

 

Five years later, another blessing came in the form of Janet Damita Jo Jackson on May 16, 1966.

 

 

Both icons, legends and Queens with similar backgrounds and career trajectories.

 

Both started out performing with their families.

 

Both debuted as solo artists in the 80s and continue to release albums around the same time:

 

Albums:

 

Enya:

Enya (1987) (reissued in 1992 as The Celts)

Watermark (1988)

Shepherd Moons (1991)

The Memory of Trees (1995)

Paint The Sky With Stars (1997)

A Day Without Rain (2000)

Amarantine (2005)

And Winter Came... (2008)

The Very Best of Enya (2009)

Dark Sky Island (2015)

 

Janet:

Janet Jackson (1982)

Dream Street (1984)

Control (1986)

Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)

Janet (1993)

Design of a Decade (1995)

The Velvet Rope (1997)

All for You (2001)

Damita Jo (2004)

20 Y.O. (2006)

Discipline (2008)

Number Ones (2009)

Unbreakable (2015)

 

Both were nominated for Oscars and Golden Globes and lost:

 

Oscar nominations for Best Original Song:

Enya - May It Be

Janet - Again

 

Golden Globe nominations for Best Original Song:

Enya - May It Be

Janet - Again

 

Both have almost the same amount of Grammy Awards:

 

Grammy Awards

Enya - 4

Janet - 5

 

Janet has left more of an impact when it comes to inspiring countless artists, but Enya seems to have pulled ahead in terms of longevity with sales/streaming, despite Janet having more successful mainstream songs. Why?

Edited December 22, 20232 yr by SoldierofLove

Amarantine clears. 

I love me some Enya but Janet sweetie...

I love our Irish queen Enya but Janet is just that girl.

The parallels

23 minutes ago, Invisibility said:

I love me some Enya but Janet sweetie...

 

25 minutes ago, holyground13 said:

I love our Irish queen Enya but Janet is just that girl.

Enya would slay "Would You Mind", but could Janet do "Orinoco Flow" justice?

23 minutes ago, umich said:

The parallels

Ok! That's what I'm sayin! They are soul sisters. Something about that Taurus energy...

We love both queens! They have their own lanes and were incredibly successful.

Enya vs.Sade

Sade vs.Janet

IDC about stats, Enya is unmatched. Her earlier music is so layered and experimental and we never talk about it. Ebudae, Evacuee, Storms In Africa, Exile, Tea House Moon, and The Memory of Trees >>>>>>>>

Enya didn't spent 90s on defending a pedophile, so her

8 hours ago, CottageHore said:

IDC about stats, Enya is unmatched. Her earlier music is so layered and experimental and we never talk about it. Ebudae, Evacuee, Storms In Africa, Exile, Tea House Moon, and The Memory of Trees >>>>>>>>

One has to be deep,Mystical and very spiritual to appreciate and fully understand Enya music......Not everyone has that

 

OT:

 

 

 

Edited December 22, 20232 yr by Mystic Boy

12 hours ago, SoldierofLove said:

Enya seems to have pulled ahead in terms of longevity with sales/streaming, despite Janet having more successful mainstream songs. Why?

In creative and artistic terms, Enya created an actual genre of music (one there is a huge market for). Literally no-one has even come close since to replicating the specific kind of ‘new age’ and mellow soundscapes that are her trademark.

 

Janet entered the big league through her peak era Jam & Lewis albums that for many define a particular point in time. A time that the music scene has long since moved on and evolved from.

 

For a few years she was the ‘go to’ Dance Pop/ R&B girl, operating within that space but her sound whilst not generic, was not unique either and other girls have since come to occupy that same position Janet once owned. Rihanna being the most notable next generation replacement.

Weyes Blood, Agnes Obel and Susanne Sundfor though all clearly influenced by Enya, can’t quite hit the same sweet spot or creative space that peak Enya can.

 

 

Edited December 22, 20232 yr by Dante Silva

JANET 

What a random comparison.  I’ll have to go with Janet. 

1 hour ago, Dante Silva said:

In creative and artistic terms, Enya created an actual genre of music (one there is a huge market for). Literally no-one has even come close since to replicating the specific kind of ‘new age’ and mellow soundscapes that are her trademark.

 

Janet entered the big league through her peak era Jam & Lewis albums that for many define a particular point in time. A time that the music scene has long since moved on and evolved from.

 

For a few years she was the ‘go to’ Dance Pop/ R&B girl, operating within that space but her sound whilst not generic, was not unique either and other girls have since come to occupy that same position Janet once owned. Rihanna being the most notable next generation replacement.

Weyes Blood, Agnes Obel and Susanne Sundfor though all clearly influenced by Enya, can’t quite hit the same sweet spot or creative space that peak Enya can.

 

 

So well said  it’s the same reason why Lana is seeing such a massive peak randomly out of nowhere, over 10 years into her career. When you cultivate your own signature sound and stay true to it, you remain the ubiquitous presence of that sound and thus the sound never ages or goes out of style, because there’s nothing to compare it to. Enya’s hundred-layered vocals and ethereal melodic songs, as you said, can not be replicated. It’s just… Enya. And so as long as Enya is making music true to her sound, people will enjoy it in troves.

Janet. Never got Enya’s appeal but she has a couple songs that I like

I love Enya.  Her music is so ethereal and i love she has a lot of irish songs. Theres sumn good in the genes bc i love Clannad (her family band) too. What i really love ab them is just the traditional Irish music vibe.  Like when trying to find Irish music i love the enya/clannad type moreso than the other type i heard which is like translating pop songs or trying to modernize classical songs. Idk if that makes sense but that is lot of the Irish music i saw when trying to find irish music as a kid. But the sound clannad/enya has was just way superior.

Edited December 23, 20232 yr by kikichara

I love both, but I have to go with Janet—even if it's a wildly random comparison.