Dido has created a soundscape that one can instantly imagine becoming a soundtrack to life in millions of homes around the world. This album is every bit as fresh and beguiling as its predecessor, No Angel, but one characterized by a new-found confidence and musical maturity. The artist explains, "There's a little of everything I myself like to listen to thrown in to the mix: folk, rock, pop, dance, hip hop, whatever. And there's a bit of serendipity too. . . We wanted a multi-layered sound, so that a year from now you might notice in the mix something you've never heard before. But we also have a good sense of when to say, 'OK! Enough! Stop! This is great, so let's just leave it'".

Life for Rent is the second studio album by the British singer-songwriter Dido, released by Arista Records on 29 September 2003, and was produced by her, her brother Rollo and American songwriter Rick Nowels. It was certified 7x Platinum by the BPI; and sold over 12 millions copies worldwide, making it the fourth best selling album worldwide of 2003.The album is seventh of best-selling albums of the 2000s on UK, Dido is the only female singer to have two albums in the Top 10 list.

Background

Dido started work on the album with her brother Rollo in mid 2002.

Commercial success

Life for Rent is the fastest selling album by a female artist, and passed the five million mark worldwide. It sold 102,500 on the first day and 400,351 in the first week on its way to the record.British Hit Singles & Albums (Edition 17), published by Guinness World Records

According to the IFPI, it was the fourth best selling album worldwide of 2003. Also, according to the BPI, Life for Rent was the best selling album of 2003 in United Kingdom; and the seventh best selling album between 2000 and 2009 in the country.

The album spent ten weeks at the top of the UK albums chart. It remained on the chart for 54 weeks.British Hit Singles & Albums (Edition 18), published by Guinness World Records Also, spent 18 non-consecutive weeks at number one on the European Top 100 Albums chart. In the United States, Life for Rent debuted and peaked at number four. By October 2003, the album had sold over a million and half copies. In Australia the album debuted at number one on the ARIA albums chart, was one of the biggest selling albums of 2003 and went on to be certified six times platinum for sales of over 420,000. With this, Dido matched the huge success of her previous effort, No Angel. Dido's "Life for Rent Tour" was taken around the world in 2004.

The album was nominated for "Best British Album" at the 2004 BRIT Awards along with Daniel Bedingfield's Gotta Get Thru This, Blur's Think Tank and The Coral's Magic and Medicine, but they were all beaten by The Darkness's Permission to Land. "White Flag" was awarded the 2004 Ivor Novello Award in the category "International Hit of the Year". Also, in same year, Life for Rent was nominated to Dido's first Grammy nomination, at the 46th Grammy Awards, in the category "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" for the song "White Flag".

Critical response

According to review aggregator Metacritic, the album has received generally positive reviews, scoring 69 out of 100 points based on 12 reviews. Jason MacNeil, from PopMatters, gave a very positive review, finishing with: "this record seems to outweigh the previous album in terms of quality and depth". Alexis Petridis wrote "It would be nice to report that Dido's second album is strong enough to reveal her detractors as snobs, who hate the notion that her music appeals to 'ordinary' people ... Sadly, it proves a little more complicated than that". MSN Music critic Robert Christgau gave a "Choice-cut symbol", which represents "a good song on an album that isn't worth your time or money", selecting "Mary's in India" as the only "good song" on the album. Barry Walters, of Rolling Stone, declared "Like No Angel ... isn't groundbreaking, but it has its own kind of integrity. "Life for Rent doesn't offer anything that drastically different from Dido's debut album , ... she's unassuming and gentle, but her songs are so melodic and atmospheric they easily work their way into the subconscious" was the review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, from Allmusic. Andrew Lynch, from entertainment.ie noted: "Life For Rent is no masterpiece, but it has the same kind of sweet, unassuming, girl-next-door charm that made its predecessor such a smash hit". Derryck Strachan, BBC Music reviewer wrote " ... she treads a fine line between credibility and popularity ... But, she hasn't put a foot wrong with this album. On the positive side that means more well-crafted folk-pop tunes, on the negative side she hasn't moved forward", also said "Although Dido played a significant part in older brother Rollo's band, ... Faithless, it would be misleading to say that the groups success brought her fame".

Singles

"White Flag", was released as the lead single from the album to be played on the radio. The song was well-received by the critics who reviewed the album. It became a major worldwide hit, reaching number one in Australia and Europe. It peaked at number two in the United Kingdom, being held off the top spot by the Black Eyed Peas' "Where Is the Love?", and became her highest-charting single to date there. At year-end UK charts, the song peaked at number 12. It peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became her second Top 20 on the chart. It reached number two on the U.S Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks, and stayed on the chart for 66 weeks. The song references a past relationship with Bob Page. In an interview with British newspaper The Sun, Dido said "the song is an apology to Page for breaking his heart. 'It was a big decision not to get married...". The video featured the TV actor David Boreanaz. The song ranked on Blender's list "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born" at number 317. "Life for Rent" was launched as the second single from the album. It peaked within the top ten in the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Chart at number eight. The music video featured Dido singing in several rooms, and was directed by Sophie Muller.

The third single, "Don't Leave Home", was written by Dido and her brother. The main theme of the song is the use of drugs, where the drugs "sing" to the consumer: "When I've been here for just one day / You'll already miss me if I go away / So close the blinds and shut the door / You won't need other friends anymore". The song debuted and peaked at number 25 in the UK. "Sand in My Shoes", was the fourth and last single from the album. It became an American club hit reaching number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. It debuted and peaked at number 29 in the UK.

Promotional singles

The track "Stoned" was remixed and issued as an American club single around the same time "White Flag" was climbing the pop and adult contemporary charts. "Stoned" became a club hit and peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Songs.

Album credits

Personnel

*Dido Armstrong - vocals

*Pauline Taylor - background vocals

*Rusty Anderson - guitar

*Dave Randall - guitar

*Rick Nowels - guitar, keyboards

*Adam Zimmon - acoustic guitar

*Paul Herman - acoustic guitar

*Aubrey Nunn - bass

*Sister Bliss - keyboards, piano

*Mark Bates - harmonium, keyboards, percussion

*Carlos Paucar - percussion

*Mako Sakamoto - drums

*Andy Treacy - drums

Production

*Producers - D. Armstrong, Rollo Armstrong, R. Nowels

*Programmers - D. Armstrong, Sister Bliss, DJ Pnut, Steve Sidelynk

Charts and certification

See also

*List of number-one albums from the 2000s (UK)

*Live at Brixton Academy (Dido album)

References

This text has been derived from Life for Rent on Wikipedia and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License 3.0

Artist/Band Information

Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong when asked to say her real name. (born 25 December 1971), known mononymously as Dido (), is an English singer-songwriter.

Following the sampling of her single "Thank You" on Eminem's 2000 hit, "Stan", Dido shot to worldwide success with her debut album, No Angel (1999). The album sold in excess of 21 million copies worldwide, and won several awards; including the MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act, two NRJ Awards for Best New Act and Best Album, and two BRIT Awards for Best British Female and Best Album. Her following album, Life for Rent (2003), continued her mainstream success with the help of popular singles "White Flag" and "Life for Rent". The album went on to sell around 12 million copies worldwide and saw her receive more accolades; including the Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year for "White Flag", two further BRIT and NRJ Awards, as well as a Grammy Award nomination. Her third and latest studio album, Safe Trip Home (2008), received critical praise to help maintain her success. She was nominated for an Academy Award for the song "If I Rise". Dido has been ranked #98 of Billboard 200 Artists Music Chart based on the success of her music in the first decade of the 21st century.http

Early life

Dido was born as Florian Cloud de Bounevialle Armstrong Scanned image of the original document. at St. Mary Abbots hospital in Kensington, London, on Christmas Day 1971. "CERTIFIED to be a true copy of an entry in the register of Births, Still-births or Deaths in the District above mentioned." This is an authorized copy of Dido's birth certificate, © Crown copyright. Because she was born on Christmas Day, she also celebrates an "official birthday" on 25 June, following the example of Paddington Bear. Her mother, Clare (née Collins), is a French poet, and her father, William O'Malley Armstrong, was an Irish publisher and former managing director of Sidgwick & Jackson. Her older brother, Rowland Constantine O'Malley Armstrong, Scanned image of the original document. is better known as record producer Rollo, part of the British electronica trio Faithless. Despite their impressive birth names, the pair were known from childhood by the names that are famous now — Dido and Rollo. Dido has made it clear that "Dido" is now her real name and not simply a stage name or nickname.

Dido was named after the mythical Queen of Carthage. As a child, she had to deal with the ambiguous and unusual nature of her name, which led to her being bullied and even to her pretending to have an ordinary name. As she explains:

Career

Early recordings: (1995–1996)

In 1995, Dido began recording demo tracks which were put together on a collection entitled Odds & Ends and sent out by Nettwerk management. Nettwerk had signed her after she was brought to their attention by her collaborations with Faithless (Dido co-wrote and provided vocals for album tracks, such as "Flowerstand Man" and "Hem of His Garment") and the UK dance act spearheaded by her brother, Rollo Armstrong. The collection was released by Nettwerk on CD-R acetate in 1995 and featured a mixture of finished productions and demo versions which she later considered for release on her debut album, released in 1999 as No Angel. Odds & Ends brought her to the attention of Arista Records, who signed her in the USA, striking a deal with her brother's record label, Cheeky Records, to co-sign her. Of the tracks included on Odds & Ends, "Take My Hand" was included on all editions of No Angel as a bonus track; "Sweet Eyed Baby" was remixed and renamed to "Don't Think of Me", while "Worthless" and "Me" were released exclusively on the Japanese edition.

Breakthrough (1998–2000)

Cheeky Records, to which Dido was signed, was sold to BMG records in 1999. This delayed the release of No Angel in the United Kingdom, but also allowed her to concentrate on promoting the album No Angel in the United States, including a slot on Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair tour. Through touring, both before and after the album was available, Dido's music began to receive more exposure. The first official single chosen by Dido and her label, "Here with Me", was used as the theme music for the television programme Roswell. Arguably it was this, as well as the airplay on MTV throughout Europe of the single's video, which brought her mass attention.

In 1998, the music producer for the film Sliding Doors picked her track "Thank You" for the soundtrack. No Angel was first released in 1999, and Dido toured extensively to promote the record.

Eminem helped introduce Dido to the US audience in 2000 when he sampled the first verse of "Thank You" in his UK number-one single "Stan", after seeking permission from Dido herself; she also appeared in the music video as Stan's long-suffering girlfriend. She reportedly did not want to do the video at first, as she was uncomfortable with the scene in the video where she had to be tied up and have her mouth covered with duct tape, but later agreed to it and got along well with Eminem and the crew on set. Interest soared in her debut album, leading it to hit charts in Europe on import sales alone, charting in the top five on the UK albums chart before its official UK re-release. "Thank You" was also sampled by the Airheadz in their trance track "Stanley Here I am" originally as a bootleg, but later entering the UK Top 40 in April 2001.

No Angel (1999–2002)

Her No Angel went on to become the top-selling album of 2001 - both in the United Kingdom and worldwide, debuting at, and returning to, number one in the official UK albums chart many times throughout the year. It spawned two Top Ten hit singles, "Here with Me" and "Thank You", a further Top Twenty hit, "Hunter" and a fourth and final single release "All You Want" which reached the top 25. It was certified platinum in over thirty-five countries, and is estimated to have sold over 21 million copies worldwide.

It is the second biggest selling album of the 21st century in the UK. Dido's widely emulated hairstyle at this time became known as the "Dido flip".

Her sold-out worldwide tour featured hip-hop artist Pete Miser as her live band's DJ. No Angel claimed #97 according the Decade-end album chart by Billboard.http

Life for Rent and Live 8 (2003–2005)

Life for Rent was released in 2003. Preceded by the hit single "White Flag", the music video for which features Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Bones star David Boreanaz, the album sold over 152,000 copies in the first day alone in the UK, and went on to sell over 400,000 in the first week. Three further singles—"Life for Rent", "Don't Leave Home" and "Sand in My Shoes"—were lifted from the album, with Dido embarking on a worldwide tour in support of the album (a DVD of footage from the tour was released in 2005 entitled Live at Brixton Academy). It is the 4th biggest selling album of the 21st century in the UK.

Dido Youssou Live8London.JPGthumbrightDido performing with Youssou N'Dour in Hyde Park, London.

Following her sold-out world tour of 2004, Dido was asked to perform at three of the Live 8 concerts on 2 July 2005—performing in London, then at the Eden Project in Cornwall, before flying over to Paris, performing both solo ("White Flag") and duetting with Youssou N'Dour ("Thank You" and "Seven Seconds").

Also in 2005, Dido provided vocals for her brother's side project Dusted on the album Safe from Harm. She sings on the tracks: "Time Takes Time", "Hurt U" and "Winter" and she co-wrote three tracks on the album: "Always Remember to Respect & Honour Your Mother, Part 1", "The Biggest Fool in the World" and "Winter".

Safe Trip Home (2008)

Dido started working on her third album in October 2005 in Los Angeles. The album was produced by Jon Brion and Dido herself. Collaborators include Brian Eno, Questlove, Mick Fleetwood, Rollo Armstrong and Matt Chamberlain. Recording sessions were held at London's Abbey Road and at Jon Brion's home studio in Los Angeles. During production of the album, Dido attended evening classes in music and English at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dido's official website was relaunched to coincide with the release of the album. The release of the album was postponed several times, though no official reason was ever given for this. The first single from the album, "Don't Believe in Love" leaked to the Internet on 5 September 2008 and was made available digitally on 27 October 2008. The full album was leaked to the internet on the 1 November 2008, some 16 days before its official launch date. On 13 November 2008, the full album was available for a world premier listening at iLike. Full album world premier 2008

On 22 August 2008, Dido's official website confirmed that the album was to be entitled Safe Trip Home, with the official release date of 17 November 2008. A free song from the album, "Look No Further" was made available to download from the site for a limited time. Other songs included on the album are: "It Comes And It Goes", "The Day Before the Day", "Never Want To Say It's Love" and "Grafton Street". The latter was composed in collaboration with Brian Eno. The album cover features a photograph of astronaut Bruce McCandless II during a spacewalk, as part of space shuttle mission STS-41-B.

In December 2008, Dido's song "Let’s Do The Things We Normally Do", was criticised by Gregory Campbell, MP for East Londonderry and Minister for Sports, Arts and Leisure for Northern Ireland, for referencing lyrics from a song, "The Men Behind the Wire” which was written in the aftermath of the introduction of detention without trial for persons accused of being members of paramilitary groups. Campbell described "The Men Behind the Wire" as "written about people who were murderers, arsonists and terrorists". Campbell suggested "she should clarify her position so that her fans and the wider public knows where she stands on these things". The album failed to sell as well as her previous efforts.

The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. In October 2010, former NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless sued Dido for possible unauthorized use of a photo of his 1984 space flight for the album art of Safe Trip Home, which showed McCandless “free flying” about 320 feet away from the space shuttle Challenger., MSN News, accessed 04/10/2010 The lawsuit - which also named Sony Corp.’s Sony Music Entertainment and Getty Images Inc. as defendants - does not allege copyright infringement, only infringement of his persona., Business Week, accessed 04/10/2010

Fourth album and new collaborations (2009–present)

Dido began recording her fourth studio album just months after releasing Safe Trip Home. In July 2009, she claimed that the album, which is untitled, will have an electronic approach, in an attempt to take a totally different direction to her previous albums.

In September 2010, "Everything to Lose", was released via digital download, a track that had previously appeared on the Sex and the City 2 movie soundtrack.

Dido has recently written songs for the forthcoming album from Jason Mraz. A release date has not been set.

After recording "If I Rise", A.R. Rahman has reportedly tied up with Dido for a music video which is expected to be shot soon, they also plan to perform together in an upcoming concert.

Dido confirmed herself on her official twitter account that she will be releasing her new album sometime in 2011.

She's described the album as a big fun electronic extravaganza.

According to Dido herself, via her official website, she has recorded the album in London and in California. The album will feature collaborations from A. R. Rahman, Rick Nowels, Greg Kurstin and Jeff Bhasker and will be completed soon. She has also stated she has got other new collaborations coming up. One rumored track is "The Girl Who Got Away", which has the collaboration of drummer Ash Soan.

Other work

In addition to her solo work, Dido has co-written and provided vocals for tracks with Faithless, including "One Step Too Far"—which was released in the UK as a limited edition single, where it debuted at number six—and "No Roots", the title track of the fourth Faithless album. Rollo—Dido's brother—co-writes and co-produces much of Dido's solo material, including many tracks on No Angel, Life for Rent and Safe Trip Home.

She provided guest vocals for each of the six studio albums by Faithless, from 1996's Reverence to 2010's The Dance. Dido worked with her brother on a CD to accompany the children's book he wrote with Jason White, Safe from Harm; the CD is also titled Safe from Harm and the artist is listed as "Dusted". She co-wrote Britney Spears's worldwide number one hit "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman", soundtrack feature track to Spears's first major film debut.

In 2006 she re-released the song "Christmas Day", although it failed to chart in the UK. This had appeared originally on a 2001 EP of "All You Want" (a song from No Angel).

Dido has provided guest vocals to tracks by other artists including "Feels Like Fire" for Carlos Santana's 2002 album, Shaman, and a duet with Rufus Wainwright entitled "I Eat Dinner (When the Hunger's Gone)" for the Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason film soundtrack. A sample of the Dido track "Do You Have a Little Time" is used on the song "Don't You Trust Me?" by Tupac, on the album "Loyal to the Game", which was almost entirely produced by Eminem in 2004.

Annie Lennox has joined forces with Dido and 22 other female artists to raise awareness of the issue of mother-to-child transmission of HIV to unborn children in Africa. The single "Sing" was released on World Aids Day on 1 December 2007, in conjunction with Annie Lennox's appearance at the Nelson Mandela 46664 concert in South Africa.

In 2010, "Everything to Lose", was featured on the Sex and the City 2 soundtrack. The song was written by Dido in her country house where she is recording her fourth album, which will have an electronic approach.

Also in 2010, Dido appears on the score of 127 Hours, a thriller film directed by Danny Boyle.. Prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2010-11-1. The soundtrack features a mix of electric guitars with orchestral arrangements and sound loops. A.R. Rahman, composer, and Dido recorded a song together called "If I Rise" which is featured in the climax of the film. The song was nominated for Satellite Award, Houston Film Critics Society Awards and Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award, and has been nominated for the 83rd Academy Award for Original Song. It won the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song. A music video of "If I Rise", featuring Dido and A. R. Rahman was also released on 17 February.

Personal life

Upon the release of No Angel in 1999, after a long time promoting the album, Dido broke up with her fiancé, entertainment lawyer Bob Page, after a seven-year relationship.

In February of 2011, Dido announced on her website that she was expecting a child with her husband, Rohan.

Dido is a keen Arsenal F.C fan and regularly attended matches with her father as a child. Dido briefly dated Sol Campbell who played for the club at the time.

Awards

*2001: Nominated for the MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video – "Thank You" Retrieved 25 January 2011

*2001: Nominated for the MTV Video Music Awards for Best Video of the Year, Best Rap Video, Best Male Video, Best Directed Video and Best Cinematography – "Stan" (Eminem featuring Dido)

* 2001: Won the MTV Europe Music Award for the Best New Act Retrieved 25 January 2011

* 2001: Nominated for the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Female, Best Album ( No Angel ) and Best Song ( "Stan" (Eminem featuring Dido) )

* 2001: Nominated for the BRIT Award for Best British Female Artist

* 2002: Won the NRJ Award for Best Newcomer

* 2002: Won the NRJ Award for Best Album - No Angel

* 2002: Won the BRIT Award for Best British Female Artist

* 2002: Won the BRIT Award for Best British Album – No Angel

* 2002: Nominated for the BRIT Award for Best British Video - "Thank You"

* 2003: Nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female – "White Flag"

* 2003: Won the Ivor Novello Award for the International Hit of the Year with "White Flag"

* 2004: Nominated for the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Album ( Life for Rent )

* 2004: Won the BRIT Award for Best British Female Artist

* 2004: Won the BRIT Award for Best British Single – "White Flag"

* 2004: Nominated for the BRIT Award for Mastercard British Album - "Life For Rent"

* 2004: Won the NRJ Award for Best international artist

* 2004: Won the NRJ Award for Best Album – Life for Rent

* 2007: Won an ASCAP UK Award

* 2008: Won an ASCAP UK Award for Songwriter of the Year

* 2010: Nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical – Safe Trip Home

* 2010: Nominated for the Brit Awards 2010 for BRITs Album of 30 Years - No Angel

* 2010: Won the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2010 for Best Song - "If I Rise"

* 2010: Nominated for the Houston Film Critics Society Awards 2010 for Best Original Song - "If I Rise"

* 2010: Nominated for the Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards 2010 for Best Song - "If I Rise"

* 2010: Nominated for the Satellite Awards 2010 for Best Original Song - "If I Rise"

* 2010: Nominated for the Academy Awards 2010 for Best Original Song - "If I Rise"

* 2010: Won the Denver Film Critics Society Award 2010 for Best Song - "If I Rise"

Discography

* No Angel (1999)

* Life for Rent (2003)

* Safe Trip Home (2008)

References

This text has been derived from Dido (singer) on Wikipedia and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License 3.0

"Dreamy Pop, electronica shadings, folk guitars and soulful vocals bend and blend together on No Angel...this debut sparkles" - Time Magazine