Interview: Moya Brennan- Snapshots of My Life

|PIC1|Moya Brennan, Irish singing legend and the voice of Clannad, recently released her new album Signature. The album reflects snapshots of her life, a journey mixed with bittersweet memories and sometimes dark moments. In this interview with Christian Today, Moya reminisces on her 'messed up' past and how she came to find hope once again by devoting her life to God. She also talks about her relationship with her sister Enya - also a former Clannad member and singing legend - and her exciting plans for the future, which include an 'Irish Christmas' visit in the States.


How have you been spending your time lately?

I just came back from doing a show in Brazil as the Goodwill Ambassador for the Christian Blind Mission. It's amazing for me to use my music to fundraise. At the concert, the Prime Minister was there, and there were leaders and other dignitaries... it's great for them to be able to realise what's going on and to pledge towards the foundation that Christian Blind Mission has partnered in.

I'm also involved with Teen Challenge in Ireland. It's a great way of reaching out and helping young people.

As someone who has dealt with various 'issues' yourself, do you feel a connection with the teenagers you work with?

Absolutely. I might have not been as bad as them, but bad was bad enough for me - if you know what I mean. I am glad I was able to get out of it. I didn't do heavy heavy drugs like heroine or anything like that, but I certainly was in the dark spaces that can be awful. Having gone through certain situations, you can always see two sides of it as well...it gives you the opportunity to see if either something is difficult or how something can be very relevant to the way people think. When you've been there yourself, you can share with them in that sort of way.

How were you able to devote your life to God?

|PIC2|I was brought up as a Catholic and knew about God. But I rebelled against it, didn't think I needed it. I just went my merry way and got stuck into being busy with my music. I thought that that's all I needed. I can look back at it now and know that when you don't have God in your life, there's another thing that's there that can creep up very quickly. Being afraid - just being afraid of life because you're alone... even if you're with a partner or family member, you feel alone and you have to achieve things by yourself. But when God is in your life, you're not alone. Of course I didn't know that and I've gone through stages of drinking too much, drugs, having an abortion... I think when I had a miscarriage... it was a stage I realised I've made a mess in my marriage. It was literally a mess. I suppose when I had the miscarriage, it kind of shot me up a lot and I was able to look at myself. My music was going well, I was on the stage, I was doing movies, I was meeting people... but my life was empty and I didn't have any kind of meaning. There was an emptiness I felt. And there's nothing worse than having a hangover and feeling empty!

The great thing about my parents bringing me up in church, is that when you know about God, at least you can turn to Him. What I get scared of young people now is that they find themselves in this black hole and they don't know who to turn to. I just started to pray. I just asked God to help me and guide me to be a better person and to find peace in my heart, not to be afraid. Just general things that I didn't feel like I deserved.

And things got better?

Yes. Gradually that year, in 1987 - it was very gradual - prayers were answered, little things happened... even getting out of bed and feeling happier... just all these little things. It took me ages to realise that I was finding the Lord. I didn't know what to say when people asked me if I were a Christian. You know you hear great testimonies of people giving their lives to the Lord, and they burst into tears? I was very conscious that that didn't happen to me. It took me a long time to say that I was a Christian and to say that it was a gradual thing. It happens that way to 80 per cent of the people anyway. It needs to be talked about because people were in the same boat as I was. Thinking, 'Am I there yet?' It's really important to share that. It didn't dawn on me for ages. But the summer of '87, I was feeling much better. I've made a mess of my marriage, that I felt I probably didn't even deserve another chance. But I was even happy about that. I just said, 'Lord I want to be a better person.' But by the end of the summer - the Lord has a great sense of humour - I met Tim.

Tell me about your new album Signature.

For the first time - the album is about me. Although I did write a couple of songs about me before, in a song called "Perfect Time." God's perfect time.

Signature isn't autobiographical, but it's more like snapshots of my life. I wrote a book a couple of years ago (The Other Side of the Rainbow) - it's kind of delving into certain chapters and choosing different moments and writing a song around it that touches me. I would like to think that that would be a healer and a hope to the people who listen to it. I kind of write in an abstract way, and it's the way traditional songs were written years ago. Abstract in a way that I d like to think, if somebody listens to it, they might find something of themselves in it as well. Even though there are darker moments in the album, I'd like it to render towards giving hope, looking back but knowing the positivity that follows.


Do you have a favourite song yet?

No...There are just so many different moments that mean so much to me! But there is a song I really like called "Tapestry". It really relates to the tapestry of our lives. It's dedicated to my grandparents. There was a poem that they used to recite, called 'The Weaver'. Just the weaving of our lives and how intriguing it can be. There is a lovely story I heard about a little boy, looking at his mum doing tapestry. The other side of the tapestry was a mess because of the stitching. He's looking at it wondering what she is doing. When she finishes, she lifts it up and shows the beauty of the other side. If you think about our lives and God, and the beauty of it all, it's the same. I just love that story. It's like God will make everything beautiful no matter how mad and crazy life can be. I love that image.

And you'll be introducing "An Irish Christmas" this year in America?

Yes. An Irish Christmas released last year. It's an interpretation of my kind of sound of traditional songs. "Joy to the world," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"... A lot of people enjoyed it because it does sound very different. It's being released in America this year, which I'm really thrilled about. I'll be going over doing some shows there at the end of November. I also have a Dutch tour in October and a couple of other projects planned for this year.

What is your relationship like with your sister Enya?

Absolutely great. We don't talk about it much, so people just kind of speculate, but we agreed from long time ago not to bother. When things are said about us, we don't bother answering. We sing together at home. We get up with our father and do things. She has adopted a kind of a way in her life that she delivers her music. A lot of people don't think she has a family even, because she doesn't bring family into her interviews. She's built borders around herself and her music - and we respect that. That's the way she's given her image, and that's fine. We just respect that, and we're just different in doing that.