She’s one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with 80 million album sales to her name and the likes of FKA Twigs, Cynthia Erivo and Nicki Minaj citing her as an inspiration. 

However, despite her huge success Enya has chosen a life far from the spotlight, residing in her castle in Ireland, only emerging back into the public sphere to promote a new record. 

Despite the attention the Irish singer, 64, has never married or had children and lives in a remote castle in County Dublin with her 12 cats. 

And it seems for some celebrities her life sounds picture perfect, with a post about her lifestyle going viral recently and prompting Ncuti Gatwa to comment: ‘Goals’, while Dawn O’Porter penned: ‘Icon.’ 

Enya, who is renowned for her ethereal vocals, lives in the impressive Manderley Castle in Killiney, south Dublin, which boasts stunning views of the Irish Sea.

She purchased the building for £2.5million in 1997 and currently lives alone with only her cats for company.

Her next door neighbour is U2 frontman Bono and in a rare televised appearance on This Morning in 2016, she joked that the rocker popped round to borrow sugar.

She previously told The Guardian: ‘It’s very castle on the exterior, but it’s very much a home inside. It’s actually a very small castle and I fell in love with it.’

The performer has maintained a reclusive existence since she shot to super-stardom following the release of her global hit Orinoco Flow (Sail Away) in 1988.

Enya has never married or had children and at one stage was thought to share her residency with a total of 12 cats, although it is uncertain how many she still has. 

Originally from Gweedore, Co Donegal in Ireland, Enya grew up as one of nine siblings. 

Finding a love for the piano and singing, she joined the family’s Celtic music group Clannad before leaving two years later to move in with the band’s late producer Nicky Ryan and his wife Roma.

The three became writing partners, releasing her first album in 1987. But it was her second LP, Watermark, which featured her most well-known song Orinoco Flow (Sail Away) and launched her into stratospheric fame. 

During her career, the threesome always worked together with Enya coming out of hiding to promote a record, but never touring and rarely performing live. 

Nicky passed away last September, leaving behind his widow Roma. Enya’s song Dark Sky Island, which was the title track of their final album together, was played at his funeral.  

Meanwhile, Enya’s last public appearance was at the 2017 Grammy Awards.

Even her family rarely see her, with her uncle Noel Duggan telling The Sun back in 2016: ‘We don’t see much of her. She lives like a queen. She is a recluse.’

A pal also told the publication that she is not a ‘barrel of laughs’ and isn’t someone you would go to the pub with.  

The star’s success is an anomaly in an industry where constant touring, heavy radio play and public appearances are usually required to return strong record sales.

An industry insider told The Sun: ‘Throughout the music business there’s no one else who is so successful about whom so little is known. She doesn’t socialise, she’s barely seen out of the house, there aren’t any clues in her lyrics about her life.’

However, she has vehemently defended her lifestyle and approach to music.

‘It’s not a hanging offence not wanting to go to nightclubs,’ said the singer. ‘What happened to choice? My choice is that after a certain amount of promotion, I feel it gets very false and then I’m not interested.

‘When the album has been out for, say, ten months, people will start focusing on me and I really don’t want that. I love the music to be known, but I’m not after fame for myself.’

She told The Independent that she had ‘never tried to create an enigma’ but has always been an independent person.

Her passion for music has had an impact on her love life, although music is what’s most important to her.

Enya previously said that after a day in the studio she could be ‘dark and difficult’ to be around and needs to be on her own. 

She asked: ‘What sort of man would be able to adapt? 

‘Falling madly in love and getting married would be the most horrific thing that could happen. My affairs are with melody and words and beautiful sounds,’ she explained. 

She previously said: ‘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.’

The star once admitted she was a big Strictly fan, however was unsure if she would ever actually agree to do the show. 

It is also no wonder Enya prefers a life out the spotlight after two terrifying stalker incidents throughout her life. 

Back in 1996, she was stalked by an Italian man for over a year and he eventually turned up at her parent’s pub in Donegal wearing a pendant with her picture in. 

The situation escalated when he was confronted and wounded himself with a knife. 

Later in 2005, Enya was once again faced with an intruder who gained access to her castle and detained a housemaid while she took refuge in a panic room. 

These events further cemented Enya’s decision to avoid public outings and fan meet-and-greets.  

Enya was last seen last May as she enjoyed a rare night out at a wedding in Donegal, northwest Ireland.

The hitmaker smiled for the photo as she posed alongside her sister Moya Brennan, brother-in-law Tim Jarvis and members of the Irish dance group, Donegal Dancers.

The image was shared to the Donegal Dancers’ official Facebook page, as well as on Reddit, with fans quick to comment on how great Enya looked.

They penned: ‘She looks great after another decade! And her outfit, of course, is totally enya coded’; ‘Good to see our Enya. Moya is looking great too.’

Last November Enya made an appearance in the TG4 television documentary Glacaim Leat, which explored the legalisation of gay marriage in Ireland. 

In the documentary, co-star Seán Mac Ruairí is briefly shown hugging Enya at the wedding she was pictured at in May.