How I unwind: Dido
Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong, or more simply London singer-songwriter Dido, has racked up 30 million album sales, been memorably kidnapped in a car boot by Eminem in the video for 'Stan', and scored multiple hits including 1999's 'Here With Me', 2003's 'White Flag'. Now, at the tender age of 41, she is getting her first Greatest Hits collection - a double-album featuring numerous favourites plus collaborations with Kendrick Lamar and Faithless.
What are you usually doing 10 minutes before a show?
Nerves send me running to the bathroom, that's what's happening annoyingly right before the show. I basically just warm up and I like to be on my own just before the show just to get my head straight, but there's no special ritual.
And right after a gig?
Usually I'm pretty hungry. I don't like eating just before I sing, so I wouldn't have eaten since really early in the day, so after I'd be absolutely starving. I just find that if I've got a full stomach, my voice doesn't sound as good.
What's a recurring topic of conversation for you?
Probably my kid [son Stanley, 2]. When you have a kid, you end up talking about them a lot. Motherhood changes you hugely. In some ways you're still the same but your whole world becomes about them, which is actually very liberating and quite relaxing in a way, because you stop worrying about yourself and torturing yourself about miniscule decisions that didn't really matter anyway.
How does he react to your music?
I've been singing to him since he was little and before he goes to sleep every night, and even before he could talk properly, he got certain words that he picked out of songs and I'd know what songs he wanted. Literally two nights ago, I was singing to him and he just went ''turn it off'' [laughs]. He's absolutely obsessed with the Wiggles, it's like baby crack. He wakes up in the morning and he's just like ''Wiggles'' - he loves all the songs and knows all the movements.
How does it feel putting the Greatest Hits collection together?
When the record company came to me and said we're putting your Greatest Hits out at Christmas, I was like "you're doing what?" At first I was a bit surprised, then I have to say I had so much fun doing it because it's a sort of diary of my last 15 years, all compressed into an hour or so. It's like a really nice fun celebration for me of my career so far, and I feel proud of it.
What's been the biggest career highlight to date?
There are so many. I loved making the 'Stan' video [with Eminem in 2000]. That was just brilliant, those certain unrepeatable things - you're just not going to get to do that again. It was funny because when I was put in the trunk - I'm quite clumsy anyway and when you're tied up you're more clumsy - I ended up hitting my head on a car jack that was in the boot, so I was actually crying in the video. They must have thought I was method acting or something. No one stopped filming, they kept going and my head was pounding. So that's my one and only attempt at method acting.
What has been the best career advice you've ever received?
My brother [and musical collaborator, Rollo Armstrong] said to me, whatever you put out, just always make sure you absolutely love it, because if you do well and keep your integrity, then it's amazing. It's right because if you put something out and you feel good about it, whatever anyone says, you genuinely don't care. Rollo has also given me some of the worst advice as well, "just don't be a singer, you're not going to make it, it's not going to happen". Again that advice is also the best advice he could have given me because I was like "I'm going to show you, let's see who wins that argument". So he gave me the fight to carry on in the early days.
If you weren't a singer, what would you be?
I don't know, it's terrifying to think about doing something else. I'm rubbish at most other stuff. I'm quite good at baking, maybe I'd have a little bakery and just sing in the corner of it occasionally. I'm quite good at experimental healthy baking - I don't use sugar and gluten. Some things I make are absolutely disgusting and my poor husband [writer Rohan Gavin] … usually his comment is ''it's a little too healthy for me'', but Stanley likes it.
Who are your greatest creative inspirations?
Wow, so many. I was a kid from the '80s so I can't ignore the fact that I just loved Duran Duran, Paul Young and Spandau Ballet - all of those people that when I was just really soaking up music definitely got in there. And then I love Carole King and Sinead O'Connor and just all those amazing women who write amazing songs. James Taylor and Neil Young, the list is endless. I love the Police, I was a huge Police fan. I have to say I just absolutely love the '80s, Foreigner and all of those things.
How do you unwind?
My new thing is running but I'm absolutely hopeless at it. Also, I often wake up and say to Stanley ''what do you want to do?'' and we just get in the car and don't know where we're going, and go on an adventure somewhere. It might have been something I've seen a thousand times, but then I see it through his eyes and it's brilliant. Basically, hanging out with him and my husband is pretty relaxing. That or a big drink [laughs].
Dido: Greatest Hits is out now on Sony.
(Source)
