Dido Biography

Dido was born on December 25, 1971, in London, England. Her unusual name can be attributed to the African warrior queen she was named after. The daughter of a literary agent and a poet (Dido's mother used to write poems as a hobby), she grew up without the luxury of television.

But, Dido still found a form of entertainment in music, as did her brother Rollo, who is presently the lead singer in the popular British trip-hop band, Faithless. Dido kept busy teaching herself how to play the recorder (a kind of flute), which led to her acceptance into the prestigious Guildhall School of Music in London at age 6.

And her innate talent at playing instruments became even clearer when she moved from the recorder to playing the piano and the violin. Originally only interested in instruments, Dido became fascinated with music after listening to jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald at age 16. Influenced by her brother's eclectic record collection and the sultry Ella, Dido began singing with several bands.

Despite the discouragement of her brother, who was not impressed by his sister's voice, Dido did not intend on giving up singing. So she worked in publishing and attended law school by day and sang lead vocals in different London venues by night.

Ironically, he who initially dissuaded her from singing eventually led to the start of her music career. Dido appeared on the debut album of Faithless' Reverence in 1996, which went on to sell 5 million copies. Dido's work with Faithless helped propel her career, and she toured with her brother's group for the next 2 years, giving her even more musical experience. By this point, her brother Rollo knew Dido was talented, as did Arista Records.

The record company heard some demos that Dido had recorded of her own songs -- while on touring hiatus -- and they invited her to meet with über-producer Clive Davis in 1997. She sang for Mr. Davis, who provided backup for her, and she was signed to the record company.

Dido's debut album, No Angel, was produced by Dido with the help of other contributors (including Rollo), and was released in mid-1999. The album has already spawned hits such as "Here With Me" (which has been chosen as the theme song of the hit show, Roswell) and "Thank You" (which appeared on the soundtrack of the Gwyneth Paltrow film, Sliding Doors). The talented songwriter also appears on Faithless' 1999 album, Sunday 8PM.

While Dido has an established fan base in her native England, it took controversial rapper Eminem to really increase her profile in the United States. Slim Shady sampled "Thank You" for his dark song, "Stan," which has been hailed as one of the best tracks off his multi-platinum album.

With an appearance alongside Eminem on Saturday Night Live, as well as solo appearances on talk shows such as Late Night With Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn (Kilborn admits to being obsessed with Dido, as he constantly professes his love to her on the air), and intense American airplay, Dido's star is quickly on the rise in America and Europe.

Dido was once Billboard's "Heetseekers List," but No Angel has already spent more than 60 weeks on its album charts and has been certified 4X platinum, on the strength of "Thank You" and "Hunter."

Not only has she been on the Lilith Fair bill, but she has also opened for Sting and has since been on a year and a half tour of her own. While she was playing classroom-size venues for most of the tour, one of the most hailed artists of 2001 will surely pack stadiums soon enough.

DIDO PICTURES

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DIDO BIOGRAPHY