Irish singer-songwriter and musician Enya released her fifth studio album, A Day Without Rain, in November 2000. Like the Enya fans have grown accustomed to, she sings in her multi-tracked, ethereal voice, accompanying Roma Ryan’s lyrics, which are full of pastoral imagery and abstract romantic sentiments.

A Day Without Rain received mixed reviews from critics, who felt it too derivative of Enya’s previous albums, but it was a commercial success peaking at No. 6 in the United Kingdom and initially, No. 17 on the Billboard 200 in the United States.

After the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, sales of the album and its lead single, “Only Time,” skyrocketed after it was used by several radio and television networks in their coverage and aftermath of the attacks. As a result, “Only Time” climbed to No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and A Day Without Rain reached a new peak on the Billboard 200 at No. 2. It became the fifth highest selling album of 2001 in the United States, and the best selling new age album of all time with an estimated 16 million copies sold worldwide. It remains Enya’s highest selling album of her career. In 2002, the album won Enya her third Grammy Award for Best New Age Album.

Having sold 75 million albums worldwide, and won four Grammys among a bushelful of honors, Enya is one of the most successful female artists of all time and second only to U2 as the biggest selling Irish artist in history.