Dido Biography

Florian Cloud De Bounevialle Armstrong, more often known as Dido, is one of the better contemporary female singer/songwriters to emerge from the Lilith Fair era of the ‘90s that brought in a flood of musicians her type. The London-raised chanteuse has spent over 20 years in the music industry, both behind the scenes and in the spotlight, proving she's much more than just a one-hit wonder.Dido's incredible music journey began when she was just six years old, after she entered the Guildhall School of Music in London. By the time she had reached her teens, Dido was already fluent in the piano, violin and recorder, and a stint with a British classic ensemble pushed her further into the public realm. After trying her hand with a publishing job and a few scattered gigs with local music groups, Dido joined her brother, the famed DJ and producer Rollo, in his ‘90s electronica group Faithless. Faithless acquired a surprising amount of fame with the 1996 release Reverence, but Dido chose to pursue her own solo career around this time instead of sticking with the group.Dido's solo career took off in 1999 when she signed with Arista and released her debut solo album LP No Angel. She toured with the Lilith Fair that summer, but did not garner complete success until the following year, when rapper Eminem used part of her song "Thank You" as the chorus for his single "Stan." Eminem's song tremendously helped Dido cross over further into the pop/rock genre, and "Thank You" eventually became a Top Five hit in 2001, as did the entire album No Angel. Dido's sophomore album Life for Rent, released in 2003, was entirely penned by the young and talented musician, and its catchy folk-pop songs helped it to reach the number four position on the Billboard charts in 2004.