Dido (singer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dido
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Dido performing in 2019
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| Birth name | Florian Cloud de Bounevialle Armstrong |
| Born | 25 December 1971 Kensington, London, England |
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| Years active | 1995–present |
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Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong (born on December 25, 1971), known as Dido, is an English singer and songwriter. She became famous around the world with her first album, No Angel (1999). Popular songs from this album include "Here with Me" and "Thank You".
No Angel sold over 21 million copies worldwide. Dido won several awards for it, including two Brit Awards. She also won Best British Album and Best British Female. The first part of her song "Thank You" was used in "Stan", a well-known song by American rapper Eminem.
Her next album, Life for Rent (2003), was also very successful. It featured hit songs like "White Flag" and "Life for Rent". In 2004, Dido joined other British and Irish artists for the Band Aid 20 charity song "Do They Know It's Christmas?".
Dido's first two albums are among the best-selling albums in UK history. Both are in the top 10 best-selling albums of the 2000s in the UK. In 2011, Dido's song "If I Rise" with A. R. Rahman was nominated for an Oscar.
Dido returned to music in 2013 with her fourth album, Girl Who Got Away. It reached the top 5 in the UK. After taking time to raise her son, she performed with Eminem at the 2013 Reading and Leeds festival. Her fifth album, Still on My Mind, came out in March 2019. She then went on her first tour in 15 years. In May 2019, Dido received an Ivor Novello Award for her amazing collection of songs.
Contents
Early Life and Music Training
Dido was born Florian Cloud de Bounevialle Armstrong on Christmas Day in 1971 in Kensington, London. Because she was born on Christmas, she also celebrates an "official birthday" on June 25. Her mother, Clare, is a poet, and her father, William, was a publisher. Her older brother, Rowland, is a record producer known as Rollo. He is part of the British music group Faithless.
Even though their birth names were Florian and Rowland, Dido and Rollo were known by these shorter names since they were children. Dido sees "Dido" as her real name, not just a stage name. When she was young, she sometimes found her birth name confusing and unusual. The name Dido comes from the legendary Queen of Carthage.
Dido went to several schools in London. When she was five, her parents enrolled her at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. This happened after she took a recorder from school. By the time she was a teenager, she had learned to play the piano, recorder, and violin. She later studied law at Birkbeck, University of London, but she decided to focus on music full-time instead of finishing her degree.
Music Career Highlights
Early Recordings and First Album
In 1995, Dido started recording 10 demo songs for a collection called Odds & Ends. Her brother Rollo, who was in the group Faithless, helped her get noticed. Dido sang on some Faithless songs, like "Flowerstand Man." The collection helped her get signed by Arista Records in the US in 1996.
Her first album, No Angel, was released in 1999. A song from the album, "Thank You", was chosen for the movie Sliding Doors. The album's release in the UK was delayed, which allowed Dido to promote it more in the United States. She toured a lot, and her music started to become more popular.
The first official single, "Here with Me", became very popular after it was used as the theme song for the TV show Roswell. It was also used in the British romantic comedy Love Actually.
Breakthrough with Eminem
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In 2000, American rapper Eminem helped Dido become even more famous. He got her permission to use the first part of her song "Thank You" in his hit song "Stan". Dido also appeared in the music video for "Stan" as Stan's pregnant girlfriend.
Because of this, interest in her album No Angel grew a lot. It became the top-selling album worldwide in 2001. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart many times. The album had two top ten hit singles, "Here with Me" and "Thank You." It sold over 21 million copies around the world.
Life for Rent and Live 8
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Dido's second album, Life for Rent, came out in 2003. Her brother Rollo Armstrong helped produce it. The album sold over 12 million copies worldwide, making it the fourth best-selling album of 2003. It became the seventh best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK. This made Dido the only singer to have two albums in the top 10 list for that decade.
The album's first single was "White Flag". Life for Rent sold over 152,000 copies on its first day in the UK. Three more singles were released from the album: "Life for Rent", "Don't Leave Home", and "Sand in My Shoes". Dido went on a worldwide tour to support the album.
In 2005, Dido was asked to perform at three Live 8 concerts. These concerts aimed to raise awareness about poverty. She performed in London, Cornwall, and Paris. She sang her own songs and also duetted with Youssou N'Dour.
Safe Trip Home and Later Work
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Dido's third album, Safe Trip Home, was released in November 2008. Dido started working on it in 2005. The album was produced by Jon Brion and Dido herself. It included music from artists like Brian Eno and Questlove. The first single from the album was "Don't Believe in Love". This album did not sell as many copies as her first two. Dido decided not to tour for this album.
After Safe Trip Home, Dido began working on new music. In 2010, she released the song "Everything to Lose" which was featured in the movie ... and the City 2.
In 2011, Dido released "If I Rise" with producer A. R. Rahman. This song was written for the movie 127 Hours. "If I Rise" was nominated for an Oscar and won the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song.
Recent Albums and Collaborations
Dido's fourth album, Girl Who Got Away, was released in March 2013. "No Freedom" was the main single from this album. The album was recorded in London and California.
In November 2013, Dido released Greatest Hits. This album included her older songs, remixes, and a new song called "NYC". After this, Dido planned to release her music independently.
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Dido signed with BMG to release her fifth album in early 2019. She worked with her brother Rollo Armstrong and other producers. On November 9, 2018, Dido announced the album's title, Still on My Mind. It was released on March 8, 2019, and reached number 3 on the UK Albums chart. The song "Give You Up" was the official lead single. Dido toured to support the album starting in May 2019, which was her first world tour in 15 years.
In 2019, Dido was featured on her brother Rollo's album The Last Summer, released under the name "R Plus." The deluxe version of this album was credited to both R Plus and Dido.
More recently, in February 2023, Dido appeared on American singer-songwriter Caroline Polachek's album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You on the song "Fly to You." In May 2023, Jason Derulo released the song "When Love Sucks," which samples Dido's "Thank You." In December 2023, DJ duo Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike released "Thank You (Not So Bad)" with Dido, Tiësto, and W&W. This song was a new version of Dido's "Thank You," and she re-recorded her vocals for it. It reached number 50 on the UK Singles Chart.
Other Music Work
Besides her solo music, Dido has written and sung on songs with Faithless, her brother's group. This includes "One Step Too Far" and "No Roots." Her brother, Rollo, also helps write and produce much of Dido's solo music.
Dido has sung on all six studio albums by Faithless, from 1996 to 2010. She also worked with her brother on a CD for a children's book they wrote called Safe from Harm.
Dido co-wrote Britney Spears's hit song "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman". She also co-wrote the song "Never Ending" on Rihanna's 2016 album Anti. Rihanna also used a sample of Dido's song "Thank You" for "Never Ending."
Dido has also provided vocals for other artists. She sang on "Feels Like Fire" for Carlos Santana's 2002 album, Shaman. She also sang a duet with Rufus Wainwright called "I Eat Dinner (When the Hunger's Gone)" for the Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason movie soundtrack. A part of Dido's song "Do You Have a Little Time" was used in the song "Don't You Trust Me?" by Tupac.
In 2007, Dido joined Annie Lennox and 21 other female artists to raise awareness about HIV in Africa. They released a song called "Sing" on World Aids Day.
Personal Life
After releasing No Angel in 1999, Dido ended her long relationship with her fiancé, Bob Page. Dido married author Rohan Gavin in 2010. They have one son, Stanley, who was born in July 2011.
Dido is a big fan of the Premier League football club Arsenal. She has dual British and Irish citizenship because her father was Irish.
Discography
- No Angel (1999)
- Life for Rent (2003)
- Safe Trip Home (2008)
- Girl Who Got Away (2013)
- Still on My Mind (2019)
Tours
- No Angel Tour (1999–2001)
- Life for Rent Tour (2004)
- Still on my Mind Tour (2019)
Awards and Nominations
See also
In Spanish: Dido (cantante) para niños
- List of British Grammy winners and nominees
