Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong[5] (bornFlorian Cloud de Bounevialle Armstrong, 25 December 1971), knownmononymously asDido (/ˈdaɪdoʊ/DY-doh), is an English singer and songwriter. She attained international success with her debut albumNo Angel (1999); hit singles from the album include "Here with Me" and "Thank You". It sold over 21 million copies worldwide[6] and won her several awards, including twoBrit Awards; additionally, she wonBest British Album andBest British Female as well as theMTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act. The first verse of "Thank You" is sampled in "Stan", a critically acclaimed collaboration with American rapperEminem. Her next album,Life for Rent (2003), continued her success with the hit singles "White Flag" and "Life for Rent". In 2004, Dido performed with other British and Irish artists in theBand Aid 20 version of the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?".
Dido made a comeback in 2013, releasing her fourth studio album,Girl Who Got Away, which reached the top 5 in the UK. Having taken time out of the music industry to raise her son, she reappeared on stage at the 2013Reading and Leeds festival where she reunited with Eminem.[11] Dido released her fifth studio album,Still on My Mind, on 8 March 2019 and embarked on her first tour in 15 years in support of the new album. In May 2019, Dido received theIvor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection from theBritish Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors.[12] In 2020, Dido co-releasedThe Last Summer (Deluxe Edition), a studio album in collaboration with her brotherR Plus (Rollo Armstrong).
Dido was born Florian Cloud de Bounevialle Armstrong atSt Mary Abbots Hospital inKensington, London, on 25 December 1971.[13][14][15] As she was born onChristmas Day, she also celebrates an "official birthday" on 25 June, following the example ofPaddington Bear.[16][17] Her mother, Clare (née Collins), is a poet of French ancestry,[14][18] and her father, William O'Malley Armstrong (1938–2006), was an Irish publisher and former managing director ofSidgwick & Jackson.[19][20] Her elder brother, Rowland Constantine O'Malley Armstrong,[21] is better known as record producerRollo, part of the British electronica trioFaithless.
Despite their birth names, the pair were known from childhood by the names Dido and Rollo.[14] Dido considers this as her real name, not simply a stage name or nickname.[5][17][22] As a child, she had to deal with her birth name's ambiguous and unusual nature, which led to her being bullied[5] and even to her pretending to have an ordinary name.[14] In a 2001 interview, she said "To be called one thing and christened another is actually very confusing and annoying. It's one of the most irritating things that my parents did to me. ... Florian is a German man's name. That's just mean. To give your child a whole lot of odd names. They were all so embarrassing. ... I thought it was cruel to call me Dido and then expect me to just deal with it."[14] The nameDido derives from the legendaryQueen of Carthage.
Dido was educated at Thornhill Primary School inIslington, Dallington School,City of London Girls' andWestminster School, where she was taught by the contemporary musician and Head of Academic Music,Sinan Savaskan. After she stole arecorder from school at the age of five,[23] her parents enrolled her at theGuildhall School of Music and Drama in London. At age nine she had touredYugoslavia with a recorder orchestra.[24] By the time she reached her teens, she had learned to play the piano, recorder, and the violin. She read law atBirkbeck, University of London, while working as a literary agent. She didn't finish the degree, deciding instead to take up music full-time.
In 1995, Dido began recording 10 demo tracks which were put together on a collection entitledOdds & Ends and sent out byNettwerk management. Nettwerk had signed her after she was brought to their attention by her collaborations withFaithless, the UK dance act spearheaded by her brother,Rollo Armstrong (Dido co-wrote and provided vocals for album tracks, such as "Flowerstand Man" and "Hem of His Garment"). The collection was released by Nettwerk onCD-R andacetate disc in 1995 and featured a mixture of finished productions and demo versions which she later considered for release on her 1999 debut album,No Angel.Odds & Ends brought her to the attention of A&RPeter Edge atArista Records, who signed her in the US in late 1996, and negotiated a co-sign deal with her brother's independent record label,Cheeky Records.[25] Of the tracks included onOdds & Ends, "Take My Hand" was included on all editions ofNo 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. Peter Leak became Dido's manager during the recording ofNo Angel after Edge played some of the in-progress recordings and been "blown away" by them.[25]
Her single "Thank You" received significant airplay and success following a sample used in "Stan" by American rapperEminem
In 1998, the music producer for the filmSliding Doors selected her track "Thank You" for the soundtrack. Cheeky Records, to which Dido was signed, was sold to BMG records in 1999. This delayed the release of the albumNo Angel in the United Kingdom, but also allowed her to concentrate on promotingNo Angel in the United States, including a slot onSarah McLachlan'sLilith 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", initially struggled to make an impact on radio, but while the label were considering switching to an alternative track, the song made a breakthrough as a result of its use in television programmeRoswell.[25] The song was used as the theme music of the show, but it was actually when it was played in its entirety during the season finale that it really made an impact with audiences.[25]
Manager Peter Leak toldHitQuarters that sales jumped from 2,000 to 9,000 units during the week of the show's transmission.[25] Arguably it was this, as well as the airplay on MTV throughout Europe of the single's video, which brought her mass attention. Subsequently, the song was used in the British romantic comedyLove Actually.No Angel was released in 1999, and Dido toured extensively to promote the record.
American rapperEminem helped introduce Dido to a US audience in 2000 when he received permission from Dido herself to sample the first verse of "Thank You" in his hit single "Stan". Dido also appeared in the music video as Stan's pregnant girlfriend. She 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. In North America, the video usually aired with the trunk scene censored.[26] Interest soared in her debut album, leading it to hit charts in Europe on import sales alone, charting in the top five on theUK Albums Chart before its official UK re-release.
No Angel went on to become the top-selling album of 2001 worldwide,[27] debuting at, and returning to, number one in the officialUK 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 over21 million copies worldwide.[6] In America, "Don't Think of Me" was released as the second single, peaking at number 35 on the USBillboardAdult Top 40 in May 2000.
Dido's widely emulated hairstyle at this time became known as the "Dido flip". Her sold-out worldwide tour featured hip-hop artistPete Miser as her live band's DJ.No Angel claimed No. 97 according to the Decade-end Album Chart byBillboard.[28]
Following her sold-out world tour of 2004, Dido was asked to perform at three of theLive 8 concerts on 2 July 2005—performing inLondon, then at theEden Project in Cornwall, before flying over toParis, performing both solo ("White Flag") and duetting withYoussou N'Dour ("Thank You" and "Seven Seconds"). Also in 2005, Dido provided vocals for her brother's side projectDusted on the albumSafe 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".
Dido's third album,Safe Trip Home, was released in November 2008. The album, which Dido began work on in October 2005, was produced byJon Brion and Dido herself and features contributions fromBrian Eno,[35]Questlove,Mick Fleetwood,Rollo Armstrong, andMatt Chamberlain. Recording sessions were held atLondon's Abbey Road and atJon Brion's home studio in Los Angeles. During production of the album, Dido attended evening classes in music and English at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles.[36] The first single from the album, "Don't Believe in Love", was released in October 2008, and a track titled "Look No Further" was made available to download from her official website for a limited time. The album failed to sell as well asNo Angel orLife for Rent, and Dido opted not to tour in support of the album due to her difficulties with performing the material that was written about the death of her father.[37] It was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.[38]
In December 2008, Dido'sSafe Trip Home song "Let's Do the Things We Normally Do", was criticised byGregory Campbell,MP forEast 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 ofdetention 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", and suggested "she [Dido] should clarify her position so that her fans and the wider public knows where she stands on these things".[39][40] The album's artwork features a photograph of astronautBruce McCandless II during aspacewalk, as part of space shuttle missionSTS-41-B; McCandless sued Dido,Sony Music Entertainment, andGetty Images Inc for unauthorised use of this photo in September 2010.[41] The case was settled under undisclosed terms on 14 January 2011.[42]
Shortly after the release ofSafe Trip Home, Dido returned to the studio to start recording new material for inclusion on her fourth studio album. In July 2009, Dido said that the album would have an electronic approach, in an attempt to take it in a totally different direction to her previous albums.[43] In September 2010, Dido released the single "Everything to Lose" via digital download,[44] following its appearance on the soundtrack of the filmSex and the City 2 (released in May 2010).
In November 2013, Dido released the albumGreatest Hits, a compilation of previous material and remixes that also included a new track, "NYC".[56] The release ofGreatest Hits completed Dido's contractual obligations withRCA Records, and she spoke of her plans to release her music independently.[57] By late 2013, she was writing material for a fifth studio album.[58]
Dido signed to BMG to release her fifth album in early 2019.[59] Dido worked with her brother and long-time collaboratorRollo Armstrong,[60] along withRick Nowels and Ryan Louder. On 9 November 2018, Dido announced her new album's title,Still on My Mind, along with its cover. It was released on 8 March 2019 and charted at number 3 on the UK Albums chart, number 1 on the UK Indie Album chart and sold over 60,000 copies in the UK.[61] The teaser single "Hurricanes" was released on 12 November 2018. The official lead single "Give You Up" was premiered 22 January 2019 on BBC Radio 2.[62] The single peaked at number 32 on theUK Singles Download chart.[63] It peaked at number 1 on the USDance Club Songs chart.[64] "Give You Up" was followed by edited versions of "Take You Home" (released 5 April 2019) and "Friends" (released 22 July 2019) as singles. Dido toured in support of the album from May 2019, making it her first world tour in 15 years.[65] The deluxe edition of the album was released on 15 November 2019[66] but failed to chart, despite the release of another single, "Just Because".[citation needed]
Dido was featured on her brother Rollo'sThe Last Summer album, which was released on 11 October 2019,[67][68][69] under the alias "R Plus". The album charted at number 96 on the UK Album Sales Chart.[70][71] Dido featured on the singles "Summer Dress",[72] "Those Were The Days"[73] and "My Boy",[74] with another feature appearing on "Together (In These Times)" and alternate version ofThe Last Summer album track "Together".[75] The deluxe version ofThe Last Summer was credited to both R Plus and Dido.[76]
In February 2023, Dido appeared on American singer-songwriterCaroline Polachek's albumDesire, I Want to Turn Into You on the track "Fly to You"[77] alongside Polachek and singerGrimes, and is credited as a co-writer.[78][79] On May 18, 2023,Jason Derulo released the single "When Love Sucks", which samples "Thank You", and includes a feature credit for Dido.[80] On 15 November 2023, it was announced that Dido had signed withWarner Chappell Music, to distribute her discography catalogue and future music releases.[81] In December 2023, Belgian-Greek DJ duoDimitri Vegas & Like Mike released "Thank You (Not So Bad)" alongside Dido,Tiësto andW&W, which was a reimagining of Dido's "Thank You";[82] she re-recorded her vocals for the remake.[83] It peaked at number 50 on the UK Singles Chart, and became Dido's first song to place on the main UK singles chart since "No Freedom" in 2013[84] and her highest charting song since 2004's "Sand In My Shoes".
On 4 September 2025, Dido was featured on a new, promotional single-version of "Find a Way", by Faithless also featuringSuli Breaks; Dido sings a new verse and chorus on the updated track.[85]
In addition to her solo work, Dido has co-written and provided vocals for tracks withFaithless, 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 onNo Angel,Life for Rent andSafe Trip Home.
She provided guest vocals for each of the six studio albums by Faithless, from 1996'sReverence to 2010sThe 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 titledSafe from Harm and the artist is listed as "Dusted". She co-wroteBritney 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, and co-wrote the song "Never Ending" onRihanna's 2016 albumAnti. Dido's song "Thank You" was also sampled by Rihanna for "Never Ending".
Dido has provided guest vocals to tracks by other artists including "Feels Like Fire" forCarlos Santana's 2002 album,Shaman, and a duet withRufus Wainwright entitled "I Eat Dinner (When the Hunger's Gone)" for theBridget 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?" byTupac, on the album "Loyal to the Game", which was almost entirely produced by Eminem in 2004.
Dido joinedAnnie Lennox and 21 other female artists to raise awareness of the issue of mother-to-child transmission of HIV to unborn children in Africa.[86] The collaborative single "Sing" was released onWorld Aids Day on 1 December 2007, in conjunction with Lennox's appearance at theNelson Mandela 46664 concert in South Africa.
After releasingNo Angel in 1999, and after much time spent promoting the album, Dido broke up with her fiancé, entertainment lawyer Bob Page, after a twelve-year relationship.[87] Dido then married author Rohan Gavin in 2010. They have one son, who was born in July 2011.[88]
^abPeter Paphides (25 March 2005)."Music to watch girls by". London: Times Newspapers, Ltd. Archived fromthe original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved15 May 2008.she didn't know she was going to sell 21 million copies of her first album
^abcdeSheryl Garratt (20 May 2001)."How Dido did it".The Observer.Archived from the original on 30 March 2013. Retrieved2 October 2008.
^Clare Teresa Armstrong (Mother) (4 February 1972). "BIRTH – Florian Cloud De Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong".Registration District of Kensington. Vol. GRO Volume 5C. London:General Register Office for England and Wales. p. 2242. "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.
^Simpson, Dave (29 January 2001)."What went right?".The Guardian.Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved9 February 2018.
^"Dido revient au naturel" [Did returns to the natural].Le Parisien (in French). 17 November 2008.Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved3 June 2015.Dido, dont la mère est d'origine française
^McCandless v. Sony Music Entertainment et al., Case No. CV10-7323-RGK (C.D. Cal.) (Docket No. 4 [Notice Of Settlement And Dismissal With Prejudice], filed 14 January 2011
"(Pussy Pussy Pussy) Whose Kitty Cat Are You?" – Music and Lyrics by Marvin Montgomery (1996)
The entire song score fromThe Postman – Music and Lyrics by Jeffrey Barr, Glenn Burke, John Coinman, Joe Flood, Blair Forward, Maria Machado, and Jono Manson (1997)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.jpg)
_(cropped).jpg)
