Enya "Watermark"

Watermark is the second studio album by the Irish singer, songwriter and musician Enya (Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (anglicised as Enya Patricia Brennan; born 17 May 1961), released on 19 September 1988 by Warner Music internationally and on 10 January 1989 by Geffen Records in the United States. After the release of her previous album Enya (1987), she secured a recording contract with Warner Music after a chance meeting with chairman Rob Dickins, who had become a fan of her music. Her contract allowed her considerable artistic and creative freedom, with minimal interference from the label and no deadlines to have albums finished. Enya recorded Watermark in ten months with her longtime collaborators, manager, producer and arranger Nicky Ryan and his wife, lyricist Roma Ryan. It was initially recorded in Ireland in demo form before production relocated to London to re-record, mix, and master it digitally. Watermark features music in different styles, displaying Enya's sound of multi-tracked vocals with keyboards, percussion instruments, and elements of Celtic and New age music, though Enya believes her music does not belong in the latter genre.

Watermark received many positive reviews from critics and it became an unexpected commercial success, which propelled Enya to worldwide fame. It peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart, number twenty-five on the Billboard 200 in the United States, and reached number one in New Zealand and Switzerland. It was certified quadruple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 1.2 million and four million copies across the United Kingdom and the United States, respectively. To promote the album, Enya embarked on a worldwide promotional tour which included interviews, appearances, and live performances. Four singles were released from the album, including the international top-ten hit "Orinoco Flow", which spent three weeks at number one in the United Kingdom. Watermark was reissued in 1989, 1991, and 2009; the latter for release in Japan with a bonus track.

In March 1987, the 26-year-old Enya released her self-titled debut solo album Enya on BBC Records in the United Kingdom and by Atlantic Records in the United States. It was originally produced as the soundtrack to the BBC2 documentary series The Celts, with Enya and her recording partners of five years, manager, arranger and producer Nicky Ryan and his wife, lyricist Roma Ryan. It was a mild commercial success, peaking at number 69 in the United Kingdom. Soon after its release Rob Dickins, then chairman of Warner Music UK, became a fan of the album, playing it "every night before I went to bed". Several weeks later, he met Enya and the Ryans at a chance meeting at the year's Irish Recorded Music Association Awards in Dublin where Dickens learned Enya was considering to sign to a rival label, prompting him to attract her to Warner. After a period of negotiations, Dickins signed Enya with a deal worth £75,000, granting her wishes to complete musical and artistic freedom, without interference from management or deadlines to have albums finished. Dickins later said, "Sometimes you sign an act to make money, and sometimes you sign an act to make music. This was clearly the latter ... I just wanted to be involved with this music." In the process, Enya departed from Atlantic and signed to the Warner-led Geffen Records to handle distribution in North America.

To generate interest in the album, Warner Music organised a private album launch reception at the Serpentine Gallery within Hyde Park and the Westbury Hotel in London, one week prior to its release. Watermark was released on 19 September 1988 in the United Kingdom; its release in the United States followed on 10 January 1989. The album was a success on the charts, entering the UK Albums Chart at number 46 for the week of 15 October 1988 before a three-week climb to its peak of number five. In its initial run the album spent 54 weeks on the chart, returning each year from 1989 to 1995 for a total 99 weeks. In the United States, it debuted the Billboard 200 chart at number 100, the week of 4 February 1989. The album had a steady climb, and reached its peak at 25 on the week ending 22 April 1989. It was present on the chart for a total of 39 weeks. On the Billboard New Age Albums chart, the album reached its peak position of number two during its 286-week stay. Elsewhere, the album went to number one in New Zealand and Switzerland.

In January 1989, Watermark had sold over 20,000 copies in Ireland and 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom. Five years later, the album was certified quadruple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipment of 1.2 million copies. In the United States, Watermark sold 500,000 copies in its first four months of release. After 7 years, the album was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of four million copies. It sold one million copies in the country between March 1995 and March 1996. In November 2008, Billboard reported the album had sold 3,877,571 copies in the United States according to figures tracked by Nielsen SoundScan since 1991. Worldwide, the album has sold an estimated 8 million copies.

Enya released four singles from Watermark between 1988 and 1991. "Orinoco Flow" was the lead single, released in October 1988 and entered the United Kingdom singles chart at twenty-nine. It climbed to number five in its second week before it reached number one in its third, staying at the top for three consecutive weeks. It was the first single from Warner to reach number one on the chart in six years. The single was certified silver by the BPI for 250,000 copies sold in its first month of release. Dickins observed that some of the public were confused on the song's title and were asking shop staff for "Sail Away", so he ordered to have the title changed on subsequent pressings to "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)". The single became a crossover hit in the United States after the single gained airplay on progressive rock, Top 40, and new age format radio stations. "Evening Falls..." was also released in 1988, and peaked at number three in Ireland and number 20 in the United Kingdom. "Storms in Africa" followed, and reached number 12 in Ireland and 41 in the United Kingdom. In 1991, after "Exile" was used in the soundtrack to Green Card (1990) and L.A. Story (1991), the song was released as the album's fourth single. A music video was produced for each single with Michael Geoghegan as director, and included in the video compilation Moonshadows, released on VHS and LaserDisc by Warner Music Vision and Warner Reprise Video in 1991.

To further promote the album, Enya embarked on a worldwide media tour which lasted from September 1988 to May 1989 and included press, radio and television interviews and appearances, record signings, and lip-sync performances of songs from Watermark. Among her performances included "Orinoco Flow" on the British music show Top of the Pops on 19 October 1988, and "Storms in Africa" at the 1989 World Music Awards in Monte Carlo.


At the 32nd Grammy Awards in 1990, "Orinoco Flow" was nominated for Best New Age Performance and Best Music Video.