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Dido Profile |
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Birth Date: December 25, 1971
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Birth Place: London, England, UK
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Birth Name: Florian Cloud De Bounevialle Armstrong
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Height: 5'7"
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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. |
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Other
Information |
Her first musical instrument was the recorder.
Her song "Thank You" was sampled by rapper Eminem in his
controversial hit single "Stan".
Brother is Roland 'Rollo' Armstrong from the music group
Faithless. Dido provided vocals on their recordings and
shows.
She entered London's Guildhall School of Music at the age of
six.
Was named after an African warrior queen.
Was raised without television.
Worked as a literary agent (her father's profession) while
going to law school and singing with her brother Roland
'Rollo' Armstrong's band, Faithless.
Her debut album, "No Angel", was released in 1999. But only
when the TV show "Roswell" (1999) used her "Here With Me" as
its theme and rapper Eminem sampled her "Thankyou" into his
"Stan" on his smash, "The Marshall Mathers LP", did Dido
gain the attention of mainstream audiences.
Born in England but considers herself Irish.
Took part in the Band Aid 20 re-recording of "Do They Know
It's Christmas?". [November 2004]
Winner of the 2002 Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the
Year. |
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