Dido raconte comment elle se détend
Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong, ou plus simplement, l'auteur-interprète londonienne Dido, a cumulé 30 millions d'albums vendus, s'est fait kidnappée dans le coffre d'une voiture par Eminem dans le clip de 'Stan', et a produit plusieurs tubes, dont 'Here With Me', en 1999, et 'White Flag', en 2003. Aujourd'hui, à l'âge tendre de 41 ans, elle sort son premier best of : un double album contenant de nombreux titres qu'elle préfère, ainsi que des collaborations avec Kendrick Lamar et Faithless.
Que faites-vous généralement 10 minutes avant un concert ?
Le trac me fait me précipiter aux toilettes, c'est malheureusement ce qui arrive juste avant un concert. Je m'échauffe, tout simplement, et j'aime être seule juste avant un concert, pour me concentrer, mais je n'ai pas de rituel particulier.
Et juste après un concert ?
Habituellement, j'ai très faim. Je n'aime pas manger juste avant de chanter, donc je n'ai en général pas mangé depuis très tôt dans la journée, donc après, je meurs littéralement de faim. Je trouve que, lorsque j'ai l'estomac plein, ma voix n'est pas aussi belle.
Quel sujet de conversation revient régulièrement avec vous ?
Probablement, mon enfant [son fils Stanley, âgé de 2 ans]. Lorsqu'on a un enfant, on finit par beaucoup en parler. La maternité vous change énormément. Par certains aspects, vous restez la même, mais tout votre monde tourne autour de lui, et c'est en fait très libérateur, et très relaxant, d'une certaine manière, parce qu'on cesse de s'inquiéter pour soi, et de se torturer pour des décisions minimes qui n'étaient, de toute façon, pas importantes.
Comment réagit-il à votre musique ?
Je chante pour lui depuis qu'il est tout petit, et avant qu'il s'endorme, tous les soirs, et même avant qu'il puisse parler correctement, il connaissait des mots qu'il avait entendus dans des chansons, et je pouvais ainsi savoir quelles chansons il voulait [que je lui chante]. Il y a deux soirs de ça, j'étais en train de lui chanter quelque chose, et il m'a dit : "Eteins ça." [rires] Il est complètement obsédé par les Wiggles [Ndlt : un groupe de musique pour enfants], c'est comme une drogue pour enfants. Il se réveille, le matin, et il dit seulement : "Wiggles". Il adore toutes leurs chansons et connait tous les gestes.
Qu'est-ce que vous avez ressenti en réalisant le best of ?
Lorsque la maison de disques m'a contactée et a annoncé qu'ils sortaient un best of pour Noël, j'ai répondu : "Vous faites quoi ?" Au début, j'ai été un peu surprise, et puis, je dois dire que je me suis tellement amusée à le faire, parce que c'est comme un journal intime des 15 dernières années de ma vie, compactées en un peu plus d'une heure. Pour moi, c'est une célébration très sympa et amusante de ma carrière jusqu'ici, et j'en suis fière.
Quel est l'événement le plus important de votre carrière à ce jour ?
Il y en a tellement. J'ai adoré faire le clip de 'Stan' [avec Eminem, en 2000]. C'était génial, ces choses précises qu'on ne peut pas voir se répéter. On n'aura plus la possibilité de les faire. C'était drôle, parce que, lorsqu'on m'a mise dans le coffre (je suis très maladroite, quoi qu'il arrive, et lorsqu'on est attaché, on l'est encore plus), j'ai fini par me cogner la tête contre un cric qui se trouvait dedans, donc je pleure réellement dans le clip. Ils ont dû penser que je jouais la comédie, ou quelque chose comme ça. Personne n'a arrêté le tournage, ils ont continué, et ma tête cognait. C'est ma seule et unique tentative de la méthode Actors Studio.
Quel est le meilleur conseil professionnel que vous ayez reçu ?
Mon frère [et collaborateur professionnel, Rollo Armstrong], m'a dit : "Quoi que tu sortes, assure-toi de toujours vraiment l'adorer, parce que, si tu réussis tout en gardant ton intégrité, alors ce sera génial." C'est vrai, parce que, lorsqu'on sort quelque chose, et qu'on en est satisfait, quoi que vous disent les gens, vous vous en fichez réellement. Rollo m'a aussi donné les pires conseils : "N'essaie pas de devenir chanteuse, tu n'y arriveras pas, ça ne se fera jamais." Ce conseil est aussi le meilleur qu'il ait pu me donner, parce que j'ai pensé : "Je vais te montrer, on verra bien qui va gagner ce pari." Il m'a donné la rage de continuer à mes débuts.
Si vous n'étiez pas chanteuse, que seriez-vous ?
Je ne sais pas, c'est terrifiant de penser à faire quelque chose d'autre. Je suis nulle pour la plupart des autres choses. Je suis très forte en pâtisserie, peut-être que j'aurais une petite pâtisserie et que j'y chanterais, de temps en temps, dans un coin. Je suis très forte pour la pâtisserie expérimentale et saine, je n'utilise pas de sucre ou de gluten. Certains des aliments que je prépare sont absolument dégoûtants, et mon pauvre époux [l'auteur Rohan Gavin]... Habituellement, il dit : "C'est un peu trop sain pour moi", mais Stanley aime ça.
Qui sont vos plus grandes sources d'inspirations artistiques ?
Wouah, il y en a tellement. Je suis une enfant des années 1980, donc je ne peux pas taire mon amour de Duran Duran, Paul Young et Spandau Ballet, tous ces gens qui, lorsque j'absorbais littéralement de la musique, étaient forcément là. Et puis, j'adore Carole King et Sinead O'Connor, et toutes ces femmes incroyables qui écrivent des chansons superbes. James Taylor et Neil Young, et la liste se poursuit encore. J'adore Police, j'étais une énorme fan de Police. Je dois dire que j'adore vraiment les années 1980, Foreigner et tous ces groupes.
Comment vous détendez-vous ?
Mon nouveau hobby est le footing, mais je suis complètement nulle. Sinon, il m'arrive souvent de me réveiller et de demander à Stanley : "Qu'est-ce que tu veux faire ?", et on monte en voiture, sans savoir où l'on va, et on part à l'aventure, quelque part. Ca a beau être un endroit que j'ai vu des milliers de fois, lorsque je le vois à travers ses yeux, c'est incroyable. En gros, passer du temps avec lui et mon mari est très relaxant. Ca, ou un bon verre d'alcool. [rires]
Le best of de Dido, chez Sony, est actuellement en vente.
Traduction de Dido France. Reproduction interdite.
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est Eminem. Afficher tous les articles
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est Eminem. Afficher tous les articles
dimanche 15 décembre 2013
The Sydney Morning Herald - 15 décembre 2013
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)
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)
mercredi 27 novembre 2013
ET - 27 novembre 2013
Dido Reflects on Her Greatest Hits
For most of my childhood, Dido's music was inescapable; on the big screen, on the small screen, on the radio, in my shower. Although given her marvelous melodies, lyrical mastery and haunting voice, I'm at a loss for why anyone would ever choose to evade her tunes. And judging from her Billboard chart dominanace, and omnipresence for the last two decades, it's clear no one else could settle on a reason either.
Now Dido's most popular songs have been culled together for a Greatest Hits album. ETonline recently chatted with the Grammy and Oscar-nominated performer about the odd experience of compiling this collection, her favorite tracks ever and the most bizarre moment in her career.
ETonline: What was your reaction to being asked to compile a Greatest Hits album?
Dido: To be honest I was a bit taken aback [laughs]. I was in the middle of making another record when Sony suggested I put out a Greatest Hits. As an artist, it's not something you think of; you're thinking about making new things, perpetual motion. But I thought about it and assembling it was a really nice celebration of the last 15 years. I ended up getting so into it that I went into storage and got out my old copies of lyrics and memorabilia, which is not something that happens a lot in your career. I wanted to put my heart into the album so it was special for the fans with lots of new stuff no one has ever seen before. It was surreal but a lot of fun.
ETonline: Have you ever had the time to properly reflect on your career?
Dido: I'd never actually stopped to reflect on everything that's happened, and probably never will properly. It's odd to have that very conscious awareness of "Oh, I'm reminiscing now." But it's actually quite inspiring. You're nostalgic at first but then it made me remember where I began. I realized that most of my fans now have been with me since the beginning, which is lovely. The craziest thing that I hadn't bargained for was how emotional it was for me. You never forget where you were when you write a song; it's a very proper memory, so I knew exactly where I was and what I was doing for each track. It was like going into a time machine.
ETonline: Looking back, what do you consider to be game-changing career moments?
Dido: If you had to boil it down to a point, I think White Flag and Thank You and Stan. I remember hearing Here With Me on the radio and hearing it build up and build up and build up and then the Roswell guys turning up and asking if they could use it in their show; there are those key moments. But Thank You being chosen for Sliding Doors and Eminem reaching out, you can't plan that. I think a lot of magic happens and there's a lot of room for magic to happen. Then, I think White Flag debuted at the right time. I just felt so good about it. Even now I look forward to singing White Flag. There's always a great reaction and I'm just so proud of it.
ETonline: You really don't get sick of singing it?
Dido: You'd think so, but no! I'm quite a pleaser by nature, so for me, I like to make the fans happy by performing the songs they want to hear. To me, there's nothing worse than going to a concert and you're so looking forward to hearing your favorite song and they never play it. You're gutted. I love feeding off the audience, and to me, what's the point if you're not going to think of the fans. Anyone can play music in their house, but you put it out because you want interact with your fans. And, as an artist, you get so much from your fans. So when I sing Thank You or White Flag, there's such a strong reaction and you can't beat that.
ETonline: You rose to prominence at a very different time in the industry, do you think you'd be as successful starting out today?
Dido: I think it's a double edged sword. It's incredibly exciting at the moment because if you're clever and not afraid, you can do some really exciting stuff when not bound by the formula or tied into a certain persona. In that respect, it's incredibly exciting. On the flip side, someone like me had a lot of time and patience from my record company -- I toured around promoting Here With Me for a year and a half. That would never happen today! I pretty much hand-sold that first million, I met everyone who bought a copy.
ETonline: What were the most surreal moments in your career?
Dido: Certain gigs, like headlining V Festival. That was crazy. I remember thinking, "What am I doing here?!?" But, really, it's the little moments that really stand out, like walking through an airport in the Far East having never been there before and being approached by someone who barely speaks English, but they're quoting your lyrics to you. That's the most surreal. I was in Ethiopia with Oxfam and we were driving across the desert of coffee farmers, and they were trying to explain to them who I was and why I was there, and they mentioned Thank You and every single one of them started to sing it. That was absolutely crazy. I was sitting in the car on the verge of tears because that's so mental. For the music to have traveled so far and be so welcomed wherever I go because of my songs is completely crazy. Those are the moments where you realize you've gone beyond anything you've ever dreamed of for yourself. But that's the power of music.
Dido's Greatest Hits album is now available.
(Source)
For most of my childhood, Dido's music was inescapable; on the big screen, on the small screen, on the radio, in my shower. Although given her marvelous melodies, lyrical mastery and haunting voice, I'm at a loss for why anyone would ever choose to evade her tunes. And judging from her Billboard chart dominanace, and omnipresence for the last two decades, it's clear no one else could settle on a reason either.
Now Dido's most popular songs have been culled together for a Greatest Hits album. ETonline recently chatted with the Grammy and Oscar-nominated performer about the odd experience of compiling this collection, her favorite tracks ever and the most bizarre moment in her career.
ETonline: What was your reaction to being asked to compile a Greatest Hits album?
Dido: To be honest I was a bit taken aback [laughs]. I was in the middle of making another record when Sony suggested I put out a Greatest Hits. As an artist, it's not something you think of; you're thinking about making new things, perpetual motion. But I thought about it and assembling it was a really nice celebration of the last 15 years. I ended up getting so into it that I went into storage and got out my old copies of lyrics and memorabilia, which is not something that happens a lot in your career. I wanted to put my heart into the album so it was special for the fans with lots of new stuff no one has ever seen before. It was surreal but a lot of fun.
ETonline: Have you ever had the time to properly reflect on your career?
Dido: I'd never actually stopped to reflect on everything that's happened, and probably never will properly. It's odd to have that very conscious awareness of "Oh, I'm reminiscing now." But it's actually quite inspiring. You're nostalgic at first but then it made me remember where I began. I realized that most of my fans now have been with me since the beginning, which is lovely. The craziest thing that I hadn't bargained for was how emotional it was for me. You never forget where you were when you write a song; it's a very proper memory, so I knew exactly where I was and what I was doing for each track. It was like going into a time machine.
ETonline: Looking back, what do you consider to be game-changing career moments?
Dido: If you had to boil it down to a point, I think White Flag and Thank You and Stan. I remember hearing Here With Me on the radio and hearing it build up and build up and build up and then the Roswell guys turning up and asking if they could use it in their show; there are those key moments. But Thank You being chosen for Sliding Doors and Eminem reaching out, you can't plan that. I think a lot of magic happens and there's a lot of room for magic to happen. Then, I think White Flag debuted at the right time. I just felt so good about it. Even now I look forward to singing White Flag. There's always a great reaction and I'm just so proud of it.
ETonline: You really don't get sick of singing it?
Dido: You'd think so, but no! I'm quite a pleaser by nature, so for me, I like to make the fans happy by performing the songs they want to hear. To me, there's nothing worse than going to a concert and you're so looking forward to hearing your favorite song and they never play it. You're gutted. I love feeding off the audience, and to me, what's the point if you're not going to think of the fans. Anyone can play music in their house, but you put it out because you want interact with your fans. And, as an artist, you get so much from your fans. So when I sing Thank You or White Flag, there's such a strong reaction and you can't beat that.
ETonline: You rose to prominence at a very different time in the industry, do you think you'd be as successful starting out today?
Dido: I think it's a double edged sword. It's incredibly exciting at the moment because if you're clever and not afraid, you can do some really exciting stuff when not bound by the formula or tied into a certain persona. In that respect, it's incredibly exciting. On the flip side, someone like me had a lot of time and patience from my record company -- I toured around promoting Here With Me for a year and a half. That would never happen today! I pretty much hand-sold that first million, I met everyone who bought a copy.
ETonline: What were the most surreal moments in your career?
Dido: Certain gigs, like headlining V Festival. That was crazy. I remember thinking, "What am I doing here?!?" But, really, it's the little moments that really stand out, like walking through an airport in the Far East having never been there before and being approached by someone who barely speaks English, but they're quoting your lyrics to you. That's the most surreal. I was in Ethiopia with Oxfam and we were driving across the desert of coffee farmers, and they were trying to explain to them who I was and why I was there, and they mentioned Thank You and every single one of them started to sing it. That was absolutely crazy. I was sitting in the car on the verge of tears because that's so mental. For the music to have traveled so far and be so welcomed wherever I go because of my songs is completely crazy. Those are the moments where you realize you've gone beyond anything you've ever dreamed of for yourself. But that's the power of music.
Dido's Greatest Hits album is now available.
(Source)
vendredi 22 novembre 2013
Mail Online - 22 novembre 2013 [Traduction]
Elle vaut des millions, mais Dido était atteinte d'un manque d'assurance chronique. Jusqu'à ce que fonder une famille et fêter ses 40 ans lui ait donné la confiance en elle qu'elle désirait absolument
Balandez vous dans Upper Street, dans Islington, dans le nord de Londres, ou faites un saut dans le Waitrose [Ndlt : un supermarché] local et, qui sait ? vous pourriez bien rencontrer une superstar de la pop.
Avec 38 millions d'albums vendu et un best of prévu pour cette semaine, Dido est l'une des artistes du 21ème siècle ayant vendu le plus de disques, mais les hôtels particuliers, les avions privés et les équipes qui trainent à sa suite ne sont pas sa tasse de thé.
Aujourd'hui encore, 14 ans après qu'elle soit devenue célèbre avec l'album No Angel, Dido est toujours discrète et douce. Elle a 41 ans mais en fait dix de moins, elle ressemble en fait plus à une adolescente, tandis qu'elle joue avec son collier, son vernis à ongle noir écaillé. Ce qui a changé, c'est qu'elle a trouvé la paix de l'esprit.
Elle est mariée au romancier Rohan Gavin, fils de l'auteur pour enfants Jamila Gavin ; ils ont un fils de deux ans, Stanley, et elle est déterminée à vivre une vie ordinaire.
"Stanley adore faire les courses, parcourir les allées, porter les sacs de salades, explique-t-elle. Je ne veux pas d'une vie qui soit complètement différente de celle des autres, où je n'aurais pas mes amis et ma famille auprès de moi."
Stanley croit que sa maman ne chante que pour lui, et lorsque son groupe passe à la maison pour répéter, il pense être l'un des leurs. Lorsqu'elle a demandé à Stanley ce que faisait son papa, plus tôt dans la journée, lors de notre rencontre, il a répondu : "Il écrit des livres."
"Quand je lui ai demandé ce que faisait sa maman comme travail, il a semblé un peu pensif, comme pour dire : 'Elle travaille ?' Et puis, il a répondu : 'Maman mange des livres.' Je me suis dis : 'Où est-ce que tu as pêché ça ? Qu'est-ce que j'ai bien pu faire ?'"
En réalité, Dido a bien dévoré des livres toute sa vie, venant d'une famille de littéraires. Son père (qui est décédé), William Armstrong, était directeur général des éditions Sidgwick & Jackson, et sa mère, Clare, est poète. Baptisée Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong (mais elle est devenue Dido au sein de sa famille, d'après la tragique Reine de Carthage), elle préférait, à juste titre, être appelée du nom plus commun Clare, d'après sa mère.
"Je suis sûre que ma mère est très fière du choix de mon nom, aujourd'hui, mais ça n'était pas marrant quand j'étais gamine. On n'a pas besoin d'une raison de plus de se sentir un peu exclu. C'est déjà assez dur d'être un enfant."
Sa mère, bohémienne, n'aimait pas que Dido et son frère Rollo (qui est devenu plus tard un de membres du groupe Faithless) invitent des amis à la maison, et il n'y avait pas de poste de télé ou de radio sous leur toit, mais il y avait beaucoup de livres. En grandissant, ils se sentaient en marge, mais Dido a l'impression que l'expérience leur a laissé un héritage riche.
"Ce que Rollo et moi avons gardé de notre enfance, c'est une véritable capacité à être seuls, à utiliser notre imagination pour créer notre propre divertissement. Nous adorons tous les deux lire, et créer des choses, alors quoi qu'aient fait nos parents, ça a marché, que ça ait été intentionnel ou non."
"Lorsque j'étais enfant, et ensuite adolescente, je voulais désespéramment rentrer dans le moule, et je n'ai jamais eu vraiment l'impression d'y être parvenue. Il faut être rebelle d'une certaine manière, lorsqu'on grandit, et j'étais une adolescente très difficile. Sur des photos de moi de cette époque, je suis un peu renfrognée, j'avais des cheveux très sombres, à la gothique. Le but n'était pas d'être belle, je ne l'étais pas, mais je croyais être cool, et j'ai gardé cette allure pendant toute cette période."
"On ne pouvait pas être tout sourire et heureux. Mais quoi que ce soit qui m'ait conduite jusqu'ici, je le considère comme une chance. J'ai toujours vécu ainsi. Je ne regarde jamais en arrière pour regretter quelque chose, parce que je me dis : 'Est-ce que je suis heureuse aujourd'hui ? Est-ce que ça va maintenant ? Oui.'"
Les racines de Dido se trouvent dans la musique classique. Elle a suivi des cours à la prestigieuse Guildhall School of Music de Londres, a joué du violon et du piano, et est partie en tournée en Europe au sein d'un ensemble de musique classique. Elle rêvait de devenir pianiste concertiste, jusqu'à ce qu'elle réalise qu'elle ne serait jamais assez bonne.
Après ses examens, à la fin du lycée, elle a travaillé dans une maison d'édition de renom, tout en étudiant le droit le soir. "Je ne sais pas pourquoi j'ai étudié le droit. Je voulais utiliser mon cerveau, d'une manière ou d'une autre. Ca n'a pas duré longtemps. J'essayais seulement de déterminer ce que je voulais faire [de ma vie]. La musique n'était qu'un hobby et ne semblait pas être quelque chose de réaliste. J'étais dans un groupe et on se produisait sur scène. Je faisais des concerts dont la publicité était imprimée sur la quatrième de couverture des magazines. Affreux."
Elle était fragile sur le plan émotionnel, durant ce temps là. Elle a souffert de crises de panique après avoir signé avec un producteur de musique, en octobre 1996. Dans son esprit, elle pensait avoir renoncé à la partie la plus intime d'elle-même, au réconfort que lui apportaient ses chansons. "La musique était mon unique refuge, le chose la plus solide dans ma vie, vers laquelle je me réfugiais lorsque j'étais heureuse ou triste. C'était mon moyen d'expression. Après avoir signé un contrat, la plupart des gens iraient faire la fête pour célébrer ça, mais j'ai pensé : 'Oh non !' J'avais le sentiment d'avoir cédé la seule partie non-contaminée de ma vie. Mais je m'en suis remise."
Sa musique est parvenue jusqu'au faiseur de tubes américain Clive Davis, qui s'est occupé de la carrière de Whitney Houston, et jusqu'au directeur de maison de disques L.A. Reid, qui est devenu par la suite juré dans le "X Factor" américain. En dépit de leur réputation de durs de la profession, les deux hommes se sont montrés sensibles à son talent fragile, et cela a pris plusieurs années avant qu'elle ne soit prête à affronter le public. Le résultat : l'album No Angel, sorti en 1999, qu'elle a emmené sur une tournée de trois ans autour des Etats-Unis, et dont elle a vendu 21 millions d'exemplaires.
Après sa sortie, elle a été surprise de recevoir une lettre du célèbre rappeur Eminem, lui demandant la permission d'utiliser une partie de sa chanson 'Thank You' dans son titre 'Stan'. Elle a accepté, et la chanson l'a aidée à devenir une star.
N'ayant pas vu Eminem pendant 8 ans, Dido a reçu un appel inopiné de son équipe, plus tôt cette année, pour lui demander si elle voulait interpréter 'Stan' à ses côtés aux festivals de Reading et de Leeds, pendant l'été. "J'ai tenu ça secret, et nous avons débarqué ce soir là. Le public était incroyable. Ils ont deviné de qui il s'agissait très rapidement."
Malgré le traumatisme d'avoir signé ce contrat quelque temps auparavant, elle a trouvé en la célébrité une place confortable, en grande majorité parce qu'elle ne pouvait appréhender l'étendue de sa célébrité.
"De manière assez amusante, c'était moins dur de m'habituer à la célébrité que de signer le contrat, parce que je n'en avais pas vraiment conscience. Lorsque les choses ont décollé, avec l'album, j'étais sur une tournée qui a duré trois ans, donc on n'a pas conscience de ce qui se passe dans la vraie vie."
"Vous êtes dans un contexte super cool où vous vous levez, vous montez dans le bus et vous faites votre concert. Jusqu'à ce que je rentre chez moi, je n'avais pas réalisé ce qui s'était passé. Il y a eu des petits incidents qui m'ont fait réaliser, comme lorsqu'un journaliste s'est présenté chez ma mère. Je pense avoir été traitée avec un incroyable respect, et j'en suis reconnaissante. Mais je n'ai rien à cacher, tout est dans ma musique, de toute façon."
Elle est toujours autant passionnée par sa musique, et elle travaille en ce moment sur un nouveau projet, mais tout est secondaire face à son rôle de maman. Stanley, dont le nom n'a rien à voir avec la chanson d'Eminem, l'a aussi aidée à se lier avec sa propre mère. Lorsque Dido avait 15 ou 16 ans (elle n'arrive pas à déterminer son âge), elle a quitté le foyer familial à cause de leur relation conflictuelle.
Elle a dit un jour : "C'était simplement difficile pour nous deux de vivre dans la même maison." Elle rit, avec peut-être un brin d'embarras, à ce souvenir, et endosse toute la responsabilité. "Je n'étais probablement pas de la meilleure compagnie. Mais aujourd'hui, nous avons des discussions merveilleuses. Elle est l'une des personnes avec qui j'aime le plus parler."
Elles vivent désormais à quelques mètres de distance. "C'est une personne formidable, intelligente à en faire peur, une compagnie géniale et une révélation dans le rôle de grand-mère. L'amour et la joie qui apparaissent sur le visage de Stanley lorsqu'elle vient rendre visite... Je ne voudrais perdre ça pour rien au monde."
Dido était très proche de son père, qui est décédé en 2006 des suites d'une longue maladie. Son premier single, 'Here With Me', a été écrit le soir où elle est rentrée chez elle, après être revenue de l'hôpital où son père avait été admis pour la première fois, gravement malade. Elle était présente à son chevet, pour lui chanter sa chanson préférée, 'Raglan Road' de The Dubliners, tandis qu'il était mourant.
Les paroles, écrites par le poète Patrick Kavanagh, parlaient de la tante de William, Hilda O'Malley. "Papa me jouait cette chanson lorsque j'étais enfant. C'était une chanson à laquelle nous étions tous les deux très attachés, et je la lui ai chantée sans arrêt lorsqu'il était malade." Elle a écrit le titre 'Grafton Street' sur son album Safe Trip Home, sorti en 2008, d'après 'Raglan Road', comme un hommage à son père. "My love I know we're losing but I will stand here by you "("Mon amour je sais que nous sommes en train de perdre mais je resterai ici à tes côtés"), a-t-elle écrit.
La personnalité de Dido s'est transformée au cours des années. Elle respire la satisfaction, mais pas d'une mannière suffisante. Elle a simplement trouvé son centre de gravité. "J'étais probablement beaucoup plus fragile lorsque j'ai débuté ma carrière. Je suis bien plus sûre de moi qu'auparavant. C'est en partie dû au fait de vieillir. Avec vos 40 ans survient une vague d'acceptation."
"J'ai l'impression de comprendre maintenant. Peu m'importe d'être appréciée, c'est comme ça. Ca m'a pris une bonne vingtaine d'années pour comprendre ça. La moitié de ma carrière est basée sur le fait de vouloir être aimée, mais on en arrive à un point où on se dit : 'Tout le monde ne peut pas m'aimer, et je l'accepte.' Du moment que les gens que j'aime m'aiment en retour."
Traduction de Dido France. Reproduction interdite.
Balandez vous dans Upper Street, dans Islington, dans le nord de Londres, ou faites un saut dans le Waitrose [Ndlt : un supermarché] local et, qui sait ? vous pourriez bien rencontrer une superstar de la pop.
Avec 38 millions d'albums vendu et un best of prévu pour cette semaine, Dido est l'une des artistes du 21ème siècle ayant vendu le plus de disques, mais les hôtels particuliers, les avions privés et les équipes qui trainent à sa suite ne sont pas sa tasse de thé.
Aujourd'hui encore, 14 ans après qu'elle soit devenue célèbre avec l'album No Angel, Dido est toujours discrète et douce. Elle a 41 ans mais en fait dix de moins, elle ressemble en fait plus à une adolescente, tandis qu'elle joue avec son collier, son vernis à ongle noir écaillé. Ce qui a changé, c'est qu'elle a trouvé la paix de l'esprit.
Elle est mariée au romancier Rohan Gavin, fils de l'auteur pour enfants Jamila Gavin ; ils ont un fils de deux ans, Stanley, et elle est déterminée à vivre une vie ordinaire.
"Stanley adore faire les courses, parcourir les allées, porter les sacs de salades, explique-t-elle. Je ne veux pas d'une vie qui soit complètement différente de celle des autres, où je n'aurais pas mes amis et ma famille auprès de moi."
Stanley croit que sa maman ne chante que pour lui, et lorsque son groupe passe à la maison pour répéter, il pense être l'un des leurs. Lorsqu'elle a demandé à Stanley ce que faisait son papa, plus tôt dans la journée, lors de notre rencontre, il a répondu : "Il écrit des livres."
"Quand je lui ai demandé ce que faisait sa maman comme travail, il a semblé un peu pensif, comme pour dire : 'Elle travaille ?' Et puis, il a répondu : 'Maman mange des livres.' Je me suis dis : 'Où est-ce que tu as pêché ça ? Qu'est-ce que j'ai bien pu faire ?'"
En réalité, Dido a bien dévoré des livres toute sa vie, venant d'une famille de littéraires. Son père (qui est décédé), William Armstrong, était directeur général des éditions Sidgwick & Jackson, et sa mère, Clare, est poète. Baptisée Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong (mais elle est devenue Dido au sein de sa famille, d'après la tragique Reine de Carthage), elle préférait, à juste titre, être appelée du nom plus commun Clare, d'après sa mère.
"Je suis sûre que ma mère est très fière du choix de mon nom, aujourd'hui, mais ça n'était pas marrant quand j'étais gamine. On n'a pas besoin d'une raison de plus de se sentir un peu exclu. C'est déjà assez dur d'être un enfant."
Sa mère, bohémienne, n'aimait pas que Dido et son frère Rollo (qui est devenu plus tard un de membres du groupe Faithless) invitent des amis à la maison, et il n'y avait pas de poste de télé ou de radio sous leur toit, mais il y avait beaucoup de livres. En grandissant, ils se sentaient en marge, mais Dido a l'impression que l'expérience leur a laissé un héritage riche.
"Ce que Rollo et moi avons gardé de notre enfance, c'est une véritable capacité à être seuls, à utiliser notre imagination pour créer notre propre divertissement. Nous adorons tous les deux lire, et créer des choses, alors quoi qu'aient fait nos parents, ça a marché, que ça ait été intentionnel ou non."
"Lorsque j'étais enfant, et ensuite adolescente, je voulais désespéramment rentrer dans le moule, et je n'ai jamais eu vraiment l'impression d'y être parvenue. Il faut être rebelle d'une certaine manière, lorsqu'on grandit, et j'étais une adolescente très difficile. Sur des photos de moi de cette époque, je suis un peu renfrognée, j'avais des cheveux très sombres, à la gothique. Le but n'était pas d'être belle, je ne l'étais pas, mais je croyais être cool, et j'ai gardé cette allure pendant toute cette période."
"On ne pouvait pas être tout sourire et heureux. Mais quoi que ce soit qui m'ait conduite jusqu'ici, je le considère comme une chance. J'ai toujours vécu ainsi. Je ne regarde jamais en arrière pour regretter quelque chose, parce que je me dis : 'Est-ce que je suis heureuse aujourd'hui ? Est-ce que ça va maintenant ? Oui.'"
Les racines de Dido se trouvent dans la musique classique. Elle a suivi des cours à la prestigieuse Guildhall School of Music de Londres, a joué du violon et du piano, et est partie en tournée en Europe au sein d'un ensemble de musique classique. Elle rêvait de devenir pianiste concertiste, jusqu'à ce qu'elle réalise qu'elle ne serait jamais assez bonne.
Après ses examens, à la fin du lycée, elle a travaillé dans une maison d'édition de renom, tout en étudiant le droit le soir. "Je ne sais pas pourquoi j'ai étudié le droit. Je voulais utiliser mon cerveau, d'une manière ou d'une autre. Ca n'a pas duré longtemps. J'essayais seulement de déterminer ce que je voulais faire [de ma vie]. La musique n'était qu'un hobby et ne semblait pas être quelque chose de réaliste. J'étais dans un groupe et on se produisait sur scène. Je faisais des concerts dont la publicité était imprimée sur la quatrième de couverture des magazines. Affreux."
Elle était fragile sur le plan émotionnel, durant ce temps là. Elle a souffert de crises de panique après avoir signé avec un producteur de musique, en octobre 1996. Dans son esprit, elle pensait avoir renoncé à la partie la plus intime d'elle-même, au réconfort que lui apportaient ses chansons. "La musique était mon unique refuge, le chose la plus solide dans ma vie, vers laquelle je me réfugiais lorsque j'étais heureuse ou triste. C'était mon moyen d'expression. Après avoir signé un contrat, la plupart des gens iraient faire la fête pour célébrer ça, mais j'ai pensé : 'Oh non !' J'avais le sentiment d'avoir cédé la seule partie non-contaminée de ma vie. Mais je m'en suis remise."
Sa musique est parvenue jusqu'au faiseur de tubes américain Clive Davis, qui s'est occupé de la carrière de Whitney Houston, et jusqu'au directeur de maison de disques L.A. Reid, qui est devenu par la suite juré dans le "X Factor" américain. En dépit de leur réputation de durs de la profession, les deux hommes se sont montrés sensibles à son talent fragile, et cela a pris plusieurs années avant qu'elle ne soit prête à affronter le public. Le résultat : l'album No Angel, sorti en 1999, qu'elle a emmené sur une tournée de trois ans autour des Etats-Unis, et dont elle a vendu 21 millions d'exemplaires.
Après sa sortie, elle a été surprise de recevoir une lettre du célèbre rappeur Eminem, lui demandant la permission d'utiliser une partie de sa chanson 'Thank You' dans son titre 'Stan'. Elle a accepté, et la chanson l'a aidée à devenir une star.
N'ayant pas vu Eminem pendant 8 ans, Dido a reçu un appel inopiné de son équipe, plus tôt cette année, pour lui demander si elle voulait interpréter 'Stan' à ses côtés aux festivals de Reading et de Leeds, pendant l'été. "J'ai tenu ça secret, et nous avons débarqué ce soir là. Le public était incroyable. Ils ont deviné de qui il s'agissait très rapidement."
Malgré le traumatisme d'avoir signé ce contrat quelque temps auparavant, elle a trouvé en la célébrité une place confortable, en grande majorité parce qu'elle ne pouvait appréhender l'étendue de sa célébrité.
"De manière assez amusante, c'était moins dur de m'habituer à la célébrité que de signer le contrat, parce que je n'en avais pas vraiment conscience. Lorsque les choses ont décollé, avec l'album, j'étais sur une tournée qui a duré trois ans, donc on n'a pas conscience de ce qui se passe dans la vraie vie."
"Vous êtes dans un contexte super cool où vous vous levez, vous montez dans le bus et vous faites votre concert. Jusqu'à ce que je rentre chez moi, je n'avais pas réalisé ce qui s'était passé. Il y a eu des petits incidents qui m'ont fait réaliser, comme lorsqu'un journaliste s'est présenté chez ma mère. Je pense avoir été traitée avec un incroyable respect, et j'en suis reconnaissante. Mais je n'ai rien à cacher, tout est dans ma musique, de toute façon."
Elle est toujours autant passionnée par sa musique, et elle travaille en ce moment sur un nouveau projet, mais tout est secondaire face à son rôle de maman. Stanley, dont le nom n'a rien à voir avec la chanson d'Eminem, l'a aussi aidée à se lier avec sa propre mère. Lorsque Dido avait 15 ou 16 ans (elle n'arrive pas à déterminer son âge), elle a quitté le foyer familial à cause de leur relation conflictuelle.
Elle a dit un jour : "C'était simplement difficile pour nous deux de vivre dans la même maison." Elle rit, avec peut-être un brin d'embarras, à ce souvenir, et endosse toute la responsabilité. "Je n'étais probablement pas de la meilleure compagnie. Mais aujourd'hui, nous avons des discussions merveilleuses. Elle est l'une des personnes avec qui j'aime le plus parler."
Elles vivent désormais à quelques mètres de distance. "C'est une personne formidable, intelligente à en faire peur, une compagnie géniale et une révélation dans le rôle de grand-mère. L'amour et la joie qui apparaissent sur le visage de Stanley lorsqu'elle vient rendre visite... Je ne voudrais perdre ça pour rien au monde."
Dido était très proche de son père, qui est décédé en 2006 des suites d'une longue maladie. Son premier single, 'Here With Me', a été écrit le soir où elle est rentrée chez elle, après être revenue de l'hôpital où son père avait été admis pour la première fois, gravement malade. Elle était présente à son chevet, pour lui chanter sa chanson préférée, 'Raglan Road' de The Dubliners, tandis qu'il était mourant.
Les paroles, écrites par le poète Patrick Kavanagh, parlaient de la tante de William, Hilda O'Malley. "Papa me jouait cette chanson lorsque j'étais enfant. C'était une chanson à laquelle nous étions tous les deux très attachés, et je la lui ai chantée sans arrêt lorsqu'il était malade." Elle a écrit le titre 'Grafton Street' sur son album Safe Trip Home, sorti en 2008, d'après 'Raglan Road', comme un hommage à son père. "My love I know we're losing but I will stand here by you "("Mon amour je sais que nous sommes en train de perdre mais je resterai ici à tes côtés"), a-t-elle écrit.
La personnalité de Dido s'est transformée au cours des années. Elle respire la satisfaction, mais pas d'une mannière suffisante. Elle a simplement trouvé son centre de gravité. "J'étais probablement beaucoup plus fragile lorsque j'ai débuté ma carrière. Je suis bien plus sûre de moi qu'auparavant. C'est en partie dû au fait de vieillir. Avec vos 40 ans survient une vague d'acceptation."
"J'ai l'impression de comprendre maintenant. Peu m'importe d'être appréciée, c'est comme ça. Ca m'a pris une bonne vingtaine d'années pour comprendre ça. La moitié de ma carrière est basée sur le fait de vouloir être aimée, mais on en arrive à un point où on se dit : 'Tout le monde ne peut pas m'aimer, et je l'accepte.' Du moment que les gens que j'aime m'aiment en retour."
Traduction de Dido France. Reproduction interdite.
Mail Online - 22 novembre 2013
She's worth millions, but Dido was racked with chronic insecurity - until having a family and turning 40 gave her the confidence she craved
Wander down Upper Street in Islington, north London, or pop into the local Waitrose and you never know, you might just bump into a pop superstar.
Dido, with 38 million album sales and a Greatest Hits album coming out this week, is one of the biggest-selling artists of the 21st century, but mansions, private planes and entourages are not her thing.
Even now, 14 years since she shot to fame with the album No Angel, Dido is still demure and softly spoken. She's 41 but looks ten years younger, more like a teenager in fact, as she fiddles with her necklace, her black nail polish chipped. What's changed is that she's found peace of mind.
She's married to novelist Rohan Gavin, son of children's writer Jamila Gavin, they have a two-year-old son Stanley, and she's determined to live an ordinary life.
'Stanley loves shopping, going round the aisles, holding the bags of salad,' she says. 'I don't want a life that's so different from everybody else's, where I don't have all my friends and family around me.'
Stanley thinks Mummy only performs for him, and when her band comes over to rehearse he thinks he's one of them. When she asked Stanley what does Daddy do, earlier on the day we met, he replied, 'He writes books'.
'When I asked what does Mummy do when she's working, he looked a bit thoughtful as if to say, "She works?" Then he said, "Mummy eats books." I thought, "Where are you even getting that? What have I been doing?"'
Dido has actually been devouring books all her life, coming from a literary family. Her late father William Armstrong was managing director of publishers Sidgwick & Jackson and her mother Clare is a poet. Christened Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong – though she became known by the family as Dido after the tragic Queen of Carthage – she understandably preferred to call herself the more commonplace Clare, after her mother.
'I'm sure my mum feels quite proud of her name choice now, but it wasn't fun as a kid. You don't need more reason to feel a bit isolated. It's hard enough being a kid.'
Her bohemian mother didn't like Dido and her brother Rollo (who went on to become one of the band Faithless) having friends around and there was no TV or stereo in the house, though plenty of books. They felt like outsiders growing up, but Dido feels this left them with a rich legacy.
'What Rollo and I do have from our childhood is a real ability to be on our own, using our imaginations to create our own fun. We both love reading and creating things, so whatever our parents did, it worked, whether it was intentional or not.
'As a kid and a teenager I desperately wanted to fit in, I never felt quite like I did. You have to be a rebel in some way growing up and I was quite a difficult teenager. In pictures of me then I'm a bit scowly, I had really dark gothy hair. It wasn't about looking good, I did not look good, but I thought I was cool and kept it up the whole time.
'You couldn't be all smiley and happy. But whatever got me here I feel lucky to have had. I've always lived like that. I don't ever look back and regret things because I think, "Am I happy now? Is it good now? Yes."'
Dido's background was in classical music. She went for lessons at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music in London, played violin and piano and toured Europe in a classical music ensemble. She dreamt of becoming a concert pianist until she realised she’d never be good enough.
After her A-levels she worked at a leading literary agents while studying law at night. 'I don't know why I picked law. I just wanted to use my brain in some way. It didn't last long. I was just trying to work out what I wanted to do. Music was a hobby and didn't seem like a realistic thing. I was in a band and we did gigs. I'd do sessions that were advertised in the back of music magazines. Dreadful.'
She was emotionally fragile in those early days. She suffered panic attacks after signing with song publishers in October 1996. In her head she thought she'd signed away the most personal part of herself, the solace her songs brought her. 'Music had been my only refuge, the one solid thing in my life that I would go to if I was happy or sad. It was the way I expressed myself. On signing a deal most people would go out and party, but I thought, "Oh no!" I felt I'd given the one uncontaminated piece of my life away. But I got over it.'
Her music came to the attention of American hit maker Clive Davis, who nurtured Whitney Houston's career, and later record executive LA Reid, who went on to become a judge on American X Factor. Despite both men's reputations as tough operators they were sensitive to her fragile talent and it took several years before she was ready to face the public. The result was the 1999 album No Angel, which she took on a three-year tour round America and went on to sell 21 million copies.
After its release she was surprised to receive a letter from notorious rapper Eminem requesting permission to use part of her song 'Thank You' in his song Stan. She agreed and the song helped make her a star.
Having not seen Eminem for eight years, Dido got an unexpected call from his people earlier this year asking if she would like to perform Stan with him at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in the summer. 'I kept it totally quiet and we just rocked up on the night. The crowds were unbelievable. They worked out who it was pretty quickly.'
Despite the trauma of signing that earlier publishing deal, she found fame a comfortable fit, largely because she couldn't comprehend how famous she had become.
'In a funny way it was less hard to get used to fame than signing the publishing deal because I wasn't properly aware of it. By the time things kicked off with the record I was on a tour that lasted three years, so you're not aware of what's going on in the real world.
'You're in this pretty cool place where you get up, get on the bus and do your show. It wasn't until I came home that I realised what had happened. There were little moments that made me realise it, like a journalist turning up at my mum's house. I think I've been treated incredibly respectfully, which I'm thankful for. But I don't have anything to hide, it's all in my music anyway.'
She is still as passionate about her music and is working on new material, but everything is subservient to her role as a mum. Stanley, whose name has nothing to do with the Eminem song, has also helped her bond with her own mother. When Dido was 15 or 16 – she can't quite remember which – she moved away from home because of their difficult relationship.
She once said, 'It was just hard for us to live in the same house as each other.' She laughs, perhaps with a twinge of embarrassment, at the recollection and lays the blame on herself. 'I probably wasn't the best company. But now we have wonderful chats. She's one of my favourite people to talk to.'
They now live round the corner from each other. 'She's an amazing person, scarily intelligent, brilliant company and a revelation as a grandmother. The love and happi- ness on Stanley's face when she comes around the corner – I wouldn't lose that for the world.'
Dido was very close to her father, who died in 2006 after a long illness. Her debut single 'Here With Me' was written the night she came home from the hospital when he was first taken seriously ill, and she was at his bedside singing his favourite song, The Dubliners' Raglan Road, as he lay dying.
The lyrics, written by poet Patrick Kavanagh, were about William's aunt Hilda O'Malley. 'Dad played me that song when I was young. It was a song we both had a huge connection with, and I sang it to him all the time when he was ill.' She wrote the song 'Grafton Street' on her 2008 album Safe Trip Home, based on Raglan Road, as a tribute to her father. 'My love I know we're losing but I will stand here by you,' she wrote.
Dido's personality has been transformed over the years. She exudes contentment, though not in a smug way. She's simply found her centre of gravity. 'I was probably a lot more fragile when I started out in my career. I'm a way more confident person than I was. Part of that is getting older. Turning 40 you get this wave of acceptance.
'I feel like I've got it now. I don't mind not being liked, that's what it is. It's taken me a good 20 years to spot that. Half my career is based on wanting to be liked but you get to the stage where you think, "I'm not going to be liked by everybody and I'm OK with it." As long as the people I love want me back.'
(Source)
Wander down Upper Street in Islington, north London, or pop into the local Waitrose and you never know, you might just bump into a pop superstar.
Dido, with 38 million album sales and a Greatest Hits album coming out this week, is one of the biggest-selling artists of the 21st century, but mansions, private planes and entourages are not her thing.
Even now, 14 years since she shot to fame with the album No Angel, Dido is still demure and softly spoken. She's 41 but looks ten years younger, more like a teenager in fact, as she fiddles with her necklace, her black nail polish chipped. What's changed is that she's found peace of mind.
She's married to novelist Rohan Gavin, son of children's writer Jamila Gavin, they have a two-year-old son Stanley, and she's determined to live an ordinary life.
'Stanley loves shopping, going round the aisles, holding the bags of salad,' she says. 'I don't want a life that's so different from everybody else's, where I don't have all my friends and family around me.'
Stanley thinks Mummy only performs for him, and when her band comes over to rehearse he thinks he's one of them. When she asked Stanley what does Daddy do, earlier on the day we met, he replied, 'He writes books'.
'When I asked what does Mummy do when she's working, he looked a bit thoughtful as if to say, "She works?" Then he said, "Mummy eats books." I thought, "Where are you even getting that? What have I been doing?"'
Dido has actually been devouring books all her life, coming from a literary family. Her late father William Armstrong was managing director of publishers Sidgwick & Jackson and her mother Clare is a poet. Christened Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong – though she became known by the family as Dido after the tragic Queen of Carthage – she understandably preferred to call herself the more commonplace Clare, after her mother.
'I'm sure my mum feels quite proud of her name choice now, but it wasn't fun as a kid. You don't need more reason to feel a bit isolated. It's hard enough being a kid.'
Her bohemian mother didn't like Dido and her brother Rollo (who went on to become one of the band Faithless) having friends around and there was no TV or stereo in the house, though plenty of books. They felt like outsiders growing up, but Dido feels this left them with a rich legacy.
'What Rollo and I do have from our childhood is a real ability to be on our own, using our imaginations to create our own fun. We both love reading and creating things, so whatever our parents did, it worked, whether it was intentional or not.
'As a kid and a teenager I desperately wanted to fit in, I never felt quite like I did. You have to be a rebel in some way growing up and I was quite a difficult teenager. In pictures of me then I'm a bit scowly, I had really dark gothy hair. It wasn't about looking good, I did not look good, but I thought I was cool and kept it up the whole time.
'You couldn't be all smiley and happy. But whatever got me here I feel lucky to have had. I've always lived like that. I don't ever look back and regret things because I think, "Am I happy now? Is it good now? Yes."'
Dido's background was in classical music. She went for lessons at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music in London, played violin and piano and toured Europe in a classical music ensemble. She dreamt of becoming a concert pianist until she realised she’d never be good enough.
After her A-levels she worked at a leading literary agents while studying law at night. 'I don't know why I picked law. I just wanted to use my brain in some way. It didn't last long. I was just trying to work out what I wanted to do. Music was a hobby and didn't seem like a realistic thing. I was in a band and we did gigs. I'd do sessions that were advertised in the back of music magazines. Dreadful.'
She was emotionally fragile in those early days. She suffered panic attacks after signing with song publishers in October 1996. In her head she thought she'd signed away the most personal part of herself, the solace her songs brought her. 'Music had been my only refuge, the one solid thing in my life that I would go to if I was happy or sad. It was the way I expressed myself. On signing a deal most people would go out and party, but I thought, "Oh no!" I felt I'd given the one uncontaminated piece of my life away. But I got over it.'
Her music came to the attention of American hit maker Clive Davis, who nurtured Whitney Houston's career, and later record executive LA Reid, who went on to become a judge on American X Factor. Despite both men's reputations as tough operators they were sensitive to her fragile talent and it took several years before she was ready to face the public. The result was the 1999 album No Angel, which she took on a three-year tour round America and went on to sell 21 million copies.
After its release she was surprised to receive a letter from notorious rapper Eminem requesting permission to use part of her song 'Thank You' in his song Stan. She agreed and the song helped make her a star.
Having not seen Eminem for eight years, Dido got an unexpected call from his people earlier this year asking if she would like to perform Stan with him at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in the summer. 'I kept it totally quiet and we just rocked up on the night. The crowds were unbelievable. They worked out who it was pretty quickly.'
Despite the trauma of signing that earlier publishing deal, she found fame a comfortable fit, largely because she couldn't comprehend how famous she had become.
'In a funny way it was less hard to get used to fame than signing the publishing deal because I wasn't properly aware of it. By the time things kicked off with the record I was on a tour that lasted three years, so you're not aware of what's going on in the real world.
'You're in this pretty cool place where you get up, get on the bus and do your show. It wasn't until I came home that I realised what had happened. There were little moments that made me realise it, like a journalist turning up at my mum's house. I think I've been treated incredibly respectfully, which I'm thankful for. But I don't have anything to hide, it's all in my music anyway.'
She is still as passionate about her music and is working on new material, but everything is subservient to her role as a mum. Stanley, whose name has nothing to do with the Eminem song, has also helped her bond with her own mother. When Dido was 15 or 16 – she can't quite remember which – she moved away from home because of their difficult relationship.
She once said, 'It was just hard for us to live in the same house as each other.' She laughs, perhaps with a twinge of embarrassment, at the recollection and lays the blame on herself. 'I probably wasn't the best company. But now we have wonderful chats. She's one of my favourite people to talk to.'
They now live round the corner from each other. 'She's an amazing person, scarily intelligent, brilliant company and a revelation as a grandmother. The love and happi- ness on Stanley's face when she comes around the corner – I wouldn't lose that for the world.'
Dido was very close to her father, who died in 2006 after a long illness. Her debut single 'Here With Me' was written the night she came home from the hospital when he was first taken seriously ill, and she was at his bedside singing his favourite song, The Dubliners' Raglan Road, as he lay dying.
The lyrics, written by poet Patrick Kavanagh, were about William's aunt Hilda O'Malley. 'Dad played me that song when I was young. It was a song we both had a huge connection with, and I sang it to him all the time when he was ill.' She wrote the song 'Grafton Street' on her 2008 album Safe Trip Home, based on Raglan Road, as a tribute to her father. 'My love I know we're losing but I will stand here by you,' she wrote.
Dido's personality has been transformed over the years. She exudes contentment, though not in a smug way. She's simply found her centre of gravity. 'I was probably a lot more fragile when I started out in my career. I'm a way more confident person than I was. Part of that is getting older. Turning 40 you get this wave of acceptance.
'I feel like I've got it now. I don't mind not being liked, that's what it is. It's taken me a good 20 years to spot that. Half my career is based on wanting to be liked but you get to the stage where you think, "I'm not going to be liked by everybody and I'm OK with it." As long as the people I love want me back.'
(Source)
mardi 19 novembre 2013
Mirror - 3am - 19 novembre 2013 [Traduction]
Retour de Dido avec un best of : la chanteuse se confie à 3am à propos de son nouveau disque
La chanteuse âgée de 41 ans parle avec 3am des chansons qui lui tiennent le plus à cœur.
C'est une diariste privée qui séduit les foules, sorte de Bridget Jones dotée d'un micro.
Dido a déboulé sur la scène musicale en 1999, lorsqu'elle a sorti l'album No Angel, et a connu la célébrité aux Etats-Unis alors que des extraits de 'Thank You' ont été inclus dans le tube d'Eminem, 'Stan'.
Aujourd'hui, la chanteuse, qui a remporté le prix MTV EMA de la révélation de l'année 2001, sort son best of.
La chanteuse âgée de 41 ans (et qui en paraît AU MOINS dix de moins en chair et en os) explique à 3am qu'elle pense que 'White Flag' est son plus grand tube : la chanson dont elle est le plus fier.
Nous lui avons demandé à quoi l'on pouvait s'attendre avec cet album.
"Il y a des choses nouvelles, et des anciennes", explique-t-elle.
"C'était vraiment quelque chose de personnel. Beaucoup de gens avaient un tas de choses à dire en ce qui concerne les morceaux qui devaient figurer [sur l'album], mais je leur ai dit : 'Vous savez quoi ? C'est mon disque. Je ne vous écouterai pas.'"
La star a fait un retour sur scène auprès d'Eminem, lors du festival de Reading, plus tôt cette année, et elle révèle que c'était l'apogée de son été.
Nous lui avons demandé si elle avait d'autres collaborations en tête.
"Constamment. Il y a toujours des choses qu'on veut essayer."
"Je n'ai pas de liste établie, mais des occasions se présentent, et on se dit : 'En fait, ce serait parfait.'"
La chanteuse indique également qu'elle est en train de réaliser un nouvel album.
"Je ne sors jamais de musique que je n'aime pas", explique-t-elle.
"J'ai bien plus confiance en moi, aujourd'hui, et je connais mes points forts", ajoute-t-elle.
Le best of de Dido sort le 25 novembre.
Traduction de Dido France. Reproduction interdite.
La chanteuse âgée de 41 ans parle avec 3am des chansons qui lui tiennent le plus à cœur.
C'est une diariste privée qui séduit les foules, sorte de Bridget Jones dotée d'un micro.
Dido a déboulé sur la scène musicale en 1999, lorsqu'elle a sorti l'album No Angel, et a connu la célébrité aux Etats-Unis alors que des extraits de 'Thank You' ont été inclus dans le tube d'Eminem, 'Stan'.
Aujourd'hui, la chanteuse, qui a remporté le prix MTV EMA de la révélation de l'année 2001, sort son best of.
La chanteuse âgée de 41 ans (et qui en paraît AU MOINS dix de moins en chair et en os) explique à 3am qu'elle pense que 'White Flag' est son plus grand tube : la chanson dont elle est le plus fier.
Nous lui avons demandé à quoi l'on pouvait s'attendre avec cet album.
"Il y a des choses nouvelles, et des anciennes", explique-t-elle.
"C'était vraiment quelque chose de personnel. Beaucoup de gens avaient un tas de choses à dire en ce qui concerne les morceaux qui devaient figurer [sur l'album], mais je leur ai dit : 'Vous savez quoi ? C'est mon disque. Je ne vous écouterai pas.'"
La star a fait un retour sur scène auprès d'Eminem, lors du festival de Reading, plus tôt cette année, et elle révèle que c'était l'apogée de son été.
Nous lui avons demandé si elle avait d'autres collaborations en tête.
"Constamment. Il y a toujours des choses qu'on veut essayer."
"Je n'ai pas de liste établie, mais des occasions se présentent, et on se dit : 'En fait, ce serait parfait.'"
La chanteuse indique également qu'elle est en train de réaliser un nouvel album.
"Je ne sors jamais de musique que je n'aime pas", explique-t-elle.
"J'ai bien plus confiance en moi, aujourd'hui, et je connais mes points forts", ajoute-t-elle.
Le best of de Dido sort le 25 novembre.
Traduction de Dido France. Reproduction interdite.
Mirror - 3am - 19 novembre 2013
Dido makes comeback with Greatest Hits album - singer chats to 3am about her new release
The 41-year-old singer chats to 3AM about the songs that mean the most to her
She is a personal diarist with mass appeal, like Bridget Jones with a microphone.
Dido burst onto the music scene in 1999 when she released No Angel and shot to fame in the US when her Thank You vocals were featured on Eminem's hit single Stan.
And now the singer, who won the MTV EMA award for best new act in 2001, is releasing her Greatest Hits album.
The 41-year-old singer ( who looks AT LEAST ten years younger than that in the flesh) told 3AM that she believes White Flag is her greatest hit - the song she's proudest of.
"What else can we expect from the album?" we asked her.
"There's new stuff, old stuff," she says.
"It was definitely a personal thing. A lot of people had a lot of opinions about what should go on there and I was like, 'Do you know what? It's my album.' I'm not listening to you."
The star made a comeback on stage with Eminem at Reading festival earlier this year and said it was the highlight of her summer.
We asked her if she had any plans to collaborate with anyone else.
"I think always. There's always things that you want to do."
"It's not like I've got a wishlist but things come up and you think, 'You know what, this would be perfect.'"
The singer also says she's in the middle of making a new record.
"I never put stuff out that I don't like," she explains.
"I'm just way more confident now and I know what my strengths are," she added.
Dido's Greatest Hits album out on the 25th November.
(Source)
The 41-year-old singer chats to 3AM about the songs that mean the most to her
She is a personal diarist with mass appeal, like Bridget Jones with a microphone.
Dido burst onto the music scene in 1999 when she released No Angel and shot to fame in the US when her Thank You vocals were featured on Eminem's hit single Stan.
And now the singer, who won the MTV EMA award for best new act in 2001, is releasing her Greatest Hits album.
The 41-year-old singer ( who looks AT LEAST ten years younger than that in the flesh) told 3AM that she believes White Flag is her greatest hit - the song she's proudest of.
"What else can we expect from the album?" we asked her.
"There's new stuff, old stuff," she says.
"It was definitely a personal thing. A lot of people had a lot of opinions about what should go on there and I was like, 'Do you know what? It's my album.' I'm not listening to you."
The star made a comeback on stage with Eminem at Reading festival earlier this year and said it was the highlight of her summer.
We asked her if she had any plans to collaborate with anyone else.
"I think always. There's always things that you want to do."
"It's not like I've got a wishlist but things come up and you think, 'You know what, this would be perfect.'"
The singer also says she's in the middle of making a new record.
"I never put stuff out that I don't like," she explains.
"I'm just way more confident now and I know what my strengths are," she added.
Dido's Greatest Hits album out on the 25th November.
(Source)
jeudi 14 novembre 2013
Yahoo omg! UK - 14 novembre 2013 [Traduction]
EXCLUSIF - Dido : "J'aurais été mauvaise dans The X Factor ou The Voice, je suis contente de ne pas l'avoir fait."
Elle a vendu plus de 40 millions d'albums dans le monde.
Malgré tout, Dido pense que si elle avait dû débuter sa carrière dans une émission comme The X Factor ou The Voice, elle aurait eu du mal à être choisie comme candidate.
Dans un entretien exclusif avec omg!, à l'approche de la sortie de son best of, la chanteuse et parolière de 41 ans admet qu'elle ne s'imagine pas réussir dans une émission de télé-crochet.
Elle explique : "Je pense que j'aurais été mauvaise dans une de ces émissions ! Je suis contente de ne pas l'avoir fait."
"Dès les épreuves de danse, j'aurais été recalée !"
Cependant, cela ne veut pas dire qu'elle soit contre le format qui crée des stars à la télévision, puisque Dido elle-même est apparue en tant qu'invitée mentor lors de la seconde saison de The Voice, plus tôt cette année.
"C'était très sympa, j'ai vraiment apprécié. Ca n'a duré qu'une journée, pour moi. Ils étaient tous géniaux, de très bons chanteurs, j'étais très impressionnée. On ne leur donne leur chanson que le matin même, c'est très difficile", dit-elle.
"J'adore ce genre de choses, j'adore écouter d'autres personnes chanter."
"Il y a tellement de manières différentes de percevoir quelqu'un, et je ne pense pas qu'il y ait un meilleur ou un moins bon parmi eux."
"De belles chansons et de belles voix se révèlent."
"Si quelqu'un vous émeut, et qu'il chante une belle chanson, je me fiche de savoir comment il a été découvert."
La collaboration de Dido avec Eminem sur la chanson de 1999 'Stan', succès critique et commercial, est sans conteste ce qui l'a fait connaitre.
Le morceau contient un sample de son second single, 'Thank You', et les deux chansons figurent sur son best of.
'Thank You' étant sortie après 'Stan', Dido admet qu'il y a eu des moments où les gens se sont mélangés les pinceaux en se demandant pourquoi elle interprétait un titre qu'ils pensaient être d'Eminem.
Elle raconte : "Je crois que l'anecdote la plus drôle s'est déroulée lorsque j'ai chanté 'Thank You' au mariage d'un ami, et qu'un type est venu me voir en me disant : 'Pourquoi chanter le morceau d'Eminem à un mariage ?' Je lui ai répondu : 'Tu sais quoi ? Laisse tomber !'"
Malgré ça, Dido est catégorique : sa collaboration avec Eminem signifie encore beaucoup pour elle.
"J'en étais tellement fière. Pour moi, toutes les musiques se valent, et si un titre est utilisé hors de son contexte, d'une manière géniale, alors je l'aime tout autant", explique-t-elle.
"'Stan' me rappelle tout autant de souvenirs extraordinaires que 'Thank You'. Simplement, ce sont des souvenirs très différents !"
"Lorsque j'écoute 'Stan', je me souviens très clairement du tournage du clip, de ma rencontre avec Dr Dre et Eminem. Ils étaient mes héros. Mais 'Thank You' me rappelle des cérémonies de mariage... et non pas l'arrière d'un coffre !"
Avec une carrière qui s'étale sur 15 ans, Dido a eu l'énorme tâche de choisir les titres pour son best of, un processus qui s'est révélé thérapeutique pour elle.
"C'était très nostalgique. Je me suis complètement immergée. C'est amusant pour moi de l'écouter du début à la fin, c'est un journal intime incroyable qui s'étale sur une heure", dit-elle.
"Je voulais faire un album de remixes depuis pas mal de temps, donc ç'a été l'occasion rêvée d'inclure un disque de remixes dans le best of, parce qu'ils ont signifié beaucoup pour moi, pendant toutes ces années. C'est un mélange de nostalgie et de nouveauté."
Et quelle est sa chanson préférée ?
"A mes yeux, 'White Flag' ne vieillira jamais, parce que j'étais tellement fière de l'avoir écrite, et que l'accueil du public a été incroyable. Elle me rappelle tellement de souvenirs, j'adore encore la chanter, aujourd'hui," admet-elle.
Traduction de Dido France. Reproduction interdite.
Elle a vendu plus de 40 millions d'albums dans le monde.
Malgré tout, Dido pense que si elle avait dû débuter sa carrière dans une émission comme The X Factor ou The Voice, elle aurait eu du mal à être choisie comme candidate.
Dans un entretien exclusif avec omg!, à l'approche de la sortie de son best of, la chanteuse et parolière de 41 ans admet qu'elle ne s'imagine pas réussir dans une émission de télé-crochet.
Elle explique : "Je pense que j'aurais été mauvaise dans une de ces émissions ! Je suis contente de ne pas l'avoir fait."
"Dès les épreuves de danse, j'aurais été recalée !"
Cependant, cela ne veut pas dire qu'elle soit contre le format qui crée des stars à la télévision, puisque Dido elle-même est apparue en tant qu'invitée mentor lors de la seconde saison de The Voice, plus tôt cette année.
"C'était très sympa, j'ai vraiment apprécié. Ca n'a duré qu'une journée, pour moi. Ils étaient tous géniaux, de très bons chanteurs, j'étais très impressionnée. On ne leur donne leur chanson que le matin même, c'est très difficile", dit-elle.
"J'adore ce genre de choses, j'adore écouter d'autres personnes chanter."
"Il y a tellement de manières différentes de percevoir quelqu'un, et je ne pense pas qu'il y ait un meilleur ou un moins bon parmi eux."
"De belles chansons et de belles voix se révèlent."
"Si quelqu'un vous émeut, et qu'il chante une belle chanson, je me fiche de savoir comment il a été découvert."
La collaboration de Dido avec Eminem sur la chanson de 1999 'Stan', succès critique et commercial, est sans conteste ce qui l'a fait connaitre.
Le morceau contient un sample de son second single, 'Thank You', et les deux chansons figurent sur son best of.
'Thank You' étant sortie après 'Stan', Dido admet qu'il y a eu des moments où les gens se sont mélangés les pinceaux en se demandant pourquoi elle interprétait un titre qu'ils pensaient être d'Eminem.
Elle raconte : "Je crois que l'anecdote la plus drôle s'est déroulée lorsque j'ai chanté 'Thank You' au mariage d'un ami, et qu'un type est venu me voir en me disant : 'Pourquoi chanter le morceau d'Eminem à un mariage ?' Je lui ai répondu : 'Tu sais quoi ? Laisse tomber !'"
Malgré ça, Dido est catégorique : sa collaboration avec Eminem signifie encore beaucoup pour elle.
"J'en étais tellement fière. Pour moi, toutes les musiques se valent, et si un titre est utilisé hors de son contexte, d'une manière géniale, alors je l'aime tout autant", explique-t-elle.
"'Stan' me rappelle tout autant de souvenirs extraordinaires que 'Thank You'. Simplement, ce sont des souvenirs très différents !"
"Lorsque j'écoute 'Stan', je me souviens très clairement du tournage du clip, de ma rencontre avec Dr Dre et Eminem. Ils étaient mes héros. Mais 'Thank You' me rappelle des cérémonies de mariage... et non pas l'arrière d'un coffre !"
Avec une carrière qui s'étale sur 15 ans, Dido a eu l'énorme tâche de choisir les titres pour son best of, un processus qui s'est révélé thérapeutique pour elle.
"C'était très nostalgique. Je me suis complètement immergée. C'est amusant pour moi de l'écouter du début à la fin, c'est un journal intime incroyable qui s'étale sur une heure", dit-elle.
"Je voulais faire un album de remixes depuis pas mal de temps, donc ç'a été l'occasion rêvée d'inclure un disque de remixes dans le best of, parce qu'ils ont signifié beaucoup pour moi, pendant toutes ces années. C'est un mélange de nostalgie et de nouveauté."
Et quelle est sa chanson préférée ?
"A mes yeux, 'White Flag' ne vieillira jamais, parce que j'étais tellement fière de l'avoir écrite, et que l'accueil du public a été incroyable. Elle me rappelle tellement de souvenirs, j'adore encore la chanter, aujourd'hui," admet-elle.
Traduction de Dido France. Reproduction interdite.
Yahoo omg! UK - 14 novembre 2013
Dido: I would have floundered on The X Factor or The Voice, I'm glad I never went there – EXCLUSIVE
She's sold over 40 million albums worldwide.
But despite this, Dido believes that if she were to have started her career on a program like The X Factor or The Voice, she would have struggled to make the cut.
Speaking exclusively to omg! ahead of the release of her Greatest Hits collection, the 41-year-old singer/songwriter admitted she couldn't see herself doing well on a TV talent show.
She told us: "I think I would have floundered on one of those shows! I'm glad I never went there.
"Get to the dancing bit and I'd have been out!"
This isn't, however, to say that she is against the format of creating stars on television - with Dido herself even appearing as a guest mentor on series two of The Voice earlier this year.
"It was really fun, I really enjoyed it. I was just there for a day. They all were great, really good singers I was super impressed. They only get given the song in the morning it's really hardcore," she said.
"I love that sort of thing, I love listening to other people sing.
"There are so many different ways to hear someone and I don't think any of them are better or worse.
"Good songs and a good voice will get out there.
"If someone moves you and they're singing a beautiful song I don't really care how it got there."
Dido's collaboration with Eminem on the critically acclaimed and commercially successful 1999 hit 'Stan' was arguably her big break.
The track used a sampler from her second single 'Thank You' with both songs appearing on the Greatest Hits collection.
With 'Thank You' being released after 'Stan', Dido admits that there were times when people would get confused as to why she was performing what they thought was an Eminem track.
She said: "I think the funniest thing was when I had to sing 'Thank You' at a friend's wedding and this guy came up to me and said 'why are you singing Eminem song at a wedding?' and I was like 'you know what? Oh whatever!'"
Regardless of this, Dido is adamant that the collaboration still means a lot to her.
"I was so proud of it. For me music is music and if it's taken out of context and used in a brilliant way then I love it just as much," she explained.
"'Stan' brings back as many amazing memories as does 'Thank You'. They're just very different ones!
"When I listen to 'Stan' I so clearly remember making the video – getting to meet Dr Dre and Eminem – they were my heroes. But then 'Thank You' reminds me of weddings... and not being stuck in the boot of a car!"
With a career spanning 15 years, Dido had the huge task on her hands of putting together her Greatest Hits collection, something she found to be a therapeutic process in the end.
"It was really nostalgic. I got really into it. It's fun for me when I listen to it from beginning to end – it's this crazy fifteen year diary in an hour," she said
"I actually wanted to do a remix album for a while so it was a perfect time to put the remix album in there because they meant a lot to me from over the years. There's a sort of mixture of nostalgia and then new stuff."
And as for her favourite track?
"'White Flag' just will never get old for me because I was just so proud of having written that song and it had such an amazing reaction. It brings back so many memories – I still love singing it," she admitted.
(Source)
She's sold over 40 million albums worldwide.
But despite this, Dido believes that if she were to have started her career on a program like The X Factor or The Voice, she would have struggled to make the cut.
Speaking exclusively to omg! ahead of the release of her Greatest Hits collection, the 41-year-old singer/songwriter admitted she couldn't see herself doing well on a TV talent show.
She told us: "I think I would have floundered on one of those shows! I'm glad I never went there.
"Get to the dancing bit and I'd have been out!"
This isn't, however, to say that she is against the format of creating stars on television - with Dido herself even appearing as a guest mentor on series two of The Voice earlier this year.
"It was really fun, I really enjoyed it. I was just there for a day. They all were great, really good singers I was super impressed. They only get given the song in the morning it's really hardcore," she said.
"I love that sort of thing, I love listening to other people sing.
"There are so many different ways to hear someone and I don't think any of them are better or worse.
"Good songs and a good voice will get out there.
"If someone moves you and they're singing a beautiful song I don't really care how it got there."
Dido's collaboration with Eminem on the critically acclaimed and commercially successful 1999 hit 'Stan' was arguably her big break.
The track used a sampler from her second single 'Thank You' with both songs appearing on the Greatest Hits collection.
With 'Thank You' being released after 'Stan', Dido admits that there were times when people would get confused as to why she was performing what they thought was an Eminem track.
She said: "I think the funniest thing was when I had to sing 'Thank You' at a friend's wedding and this guy came up to me and said 'why are you singing Eminem song at a wedding?' and I was like 'you know what? Oh whatever!'"
Regardless of this, Dido is adamant that the collaboration still means a lot to her.
"I was so proud of it. For me music is music and if it's taken out of context and used in a brilliant way then I love it just as much," she explained.
"'Stan' brings back as many amazing memories as does 'Thank You'. They're just very different ones!
"When I listen to 'Stan' I so clearly remember making the video – getting to meet Dr Dre and Eminem – they were my heroes. But then 'Thank You' reminds me of weddings... and not being stuck in the boot of a car!"
With a career spanning 15 years, Dido had the huge task on her hands of putting together her Greatest Hits collection, something she found to be a therapeutic process in the end.
"It was really nostalgic. I got really into it. It's fun for me when I listen to it from beginning to end – it's this crazy fifteen year diary in an hour," she said
"I actually wanted to do a remix album for a while so it was a perfect time to put the remix album in there because they meant a lot to me from over the years. There's a sort of mixture of nostalgia and then new stuff."
And as for her favourite track?
"'White Flag' just will never get old for me because I was just so proud of having written that song and it had such an amazing reaction. It brings back so many memories – I still love singing it," she admitted.
(Source)
mercredi 1 mai 2013
GayCalgary Magazine - mai 2013
Dido Thanks You
Singer-songwriter on 'loyal' gay following, anger issues and which song of hers she doesn't want at your wedding
Celebrity Interview by Chris Azzopardi
It would be easy to mistake Dido as being as mellow as her music – but don't.
In our chat, the British singer-songwriter – promoting her first album in five years, Girl Who Got Away – didn't just chat about her gay fans and the Eminem song that launched her career. We found out what turns the musically meek songstress into an angry beast. Let's just say this: Tequila makes Dido dangerous.
GC: Welcome back, Dido.
D: Thank you very much. It's nice to be back.
GC: When did you recognize you had a gay following?
D: Pretty instantly, I would say. I've always had a very loyal gay following, which I'm very thankful for.
GC: Do you have a lot of gay people in your own life?
D: Oh yeah, tons. I mean, friends, work people... everybody.
GC: Everybody?
D: (Laughs) No, not everybody, but a huge amount. I'm surrounded by very good people.
GC: Two of your biggest singles, 'Thank You' and 'Don't Leave Home,' are wedding favorites.
D: It's funny: I think 'Don't Leave Home' at a wedding is just completely weird. It surprises me that anybody has that at their wedding. It's a song about being incredibly claustrophobic. (Laughs) People are like, "I've played that at my wedding," and I'm like, "Why, if I can be honest?" I guess it's the title. 'Thank You,' though, is a perfect wedding song, and I've actually sang it at quite a few friends' weddings. But if someone asked me to play 'Don't Leave Home,' I'd just be like, "Really?"
GC: Have you ever sung at a gay wedding?
D: I haven't actually, no. I haven't really sung at many weddings. It takes quite a bit of alcohol and coaxing to get me to sing at anyone's wedding.
GC: What kind of alcohol?
D: Back then I used to drink quite a lot of tequila, but then that all went a bit wrong and I found that's just the one thing I cannot drink. So now I like to drink wine. Does that mean I'm getting old? It probably does. (Laughs) But tequila makes me get into fights.
GC: Tequila makes you fight?
D: Yeah! It used to make me weirdly aggressive – and I'm like the most unaggressive person ever. (Laughs) But tequila makes me quite angry.
GC: But, Dido, you seem so mellow.
D: It takes so much to piss me off. Someone's gotta poke at me quite a lot to get me even remotely angry, but if I have tequila, I'll just get angry at the next person who comes around.
GC: How personal is Girl Who Got Away in relation to your other three albums?
D: All my albums are pretty personal. You can't help your life filtering into your songs – or if you're me, you can't. I can't help it. I'm a very open person. I'm very honest in life and I'm very honest in my music, as well. I think I'm always going to write that way.
GC: Who is the "girl" and who/what/where is she trying to get away from?
D: Actually, my brother (Rollo Armstrong) is the "girl who got away," and he wrote most of those lyrics.
GC: There's some gender-bending going on there.
D: (Laughs) Definitely! I love that song ('Girl Who Got Away'). He sent me the lyrics and I just remember reading it thinking, "I love this song." It's about so many things: about how I used to feel, that sort of restless feeling, that feeling of maybe there's another life somewhere and that feeling of wanting to be exceptional but not quite reaching it. It's my favorite song. But then, as far as the title of the album, it's also about everyone reaching out to me (saying) that I keep disappearing, and it was quite a good comment on that. I don't think I was disappearing, but everyone else thought so.
GC: Maybe because it's been five years since you released an album. What's your life like when you're away from music?
D: I'm never really away from music. I might be away from the public eye, but I'm never away from music. I'm always making it, I'm always writing it, I'm always playing it, and then obviously it builds up into an album and I put it out and I'm back in the public's consciousness. And then I'm out of it again.
I took a bit of time between albums two and three just because I realized I'd been on the road for nine years at that point and that it was probably time to go home and clean up the mess I left, and so I took a bit of time in making the third album. But actually, this record I put together quite quickly. Then in the middle I had a baby. You know, a small event. (Laughs)
GC: How do you feel before an album drops?
D: Oh my god, I'm so excited. I've only put out three records in my life; this is only my fourth, and so this is still so fresh and exciting to me. It feels like the first time I ever put a record out. I'm really proud of this album. I feel like it's my best record. It was such a fun record to make. Me and brother just had such a brilliant time. I'm so lucky to have my brother as my producer. It's just a happy record for me.
GC: What kind of place in your life were you at when you recorded the song 'Let Us Move On'?
D: You know how we all go around saying life is short? I remember saying once, "Life is actually really long, and not in a bad way but in a good way." When things are just really dark, when you look back on it, this will be such a small moment in your life. You know when something's so huge you can't get past it? Actually, it's not. It's just a very small part of a very big life.
GC: Your debut, No Angel, obviously had such a huge impact on your career, as did your featured spot on Eminem's 'Stan.' Did you worry about the possible repercussions of performing with one of the most controversial entertainers at the time?
D: I didn't, because when I met him he was so respectful to me and treated me so well. I saw integrity. I think he's one of the greatest storytellers around, and so no. As a real fan of his music, I have a lot of respect for him musically, and he treated me well. That, for me, was enough. I just really enjoyed working with him.
GC: You had mentioned to Playboy once that people kept asking you about your feelings on the misogyny and homophobia in his music. Working with him, did you feel sucked into that controversy?
D: I didn't really feel sucked into it, to be quite honest. I'd heard that he was making a social commentary on things and I just thought he was a great storyteller and I didn't get too sucked into it. Isn't that, I guess, why he performed with Elton John at the Grammys?
GC: Yeah, he was debunking the homophobia talk.
D: Yeah, exactly. I go on the person I see in front of me, and he was really not a misogynist to me at all. Quite the opposite. Just utterly respectful – and all the people around him were utterly respectful, as well.
GC: Many of your songs have been featured on television and in film. For you, what's a standout scene that included one of your songs?
D: Being played during "127 Hours" was really cool. While I was watching it, I was wincing and listening to my song and thinking, "This is so wrong but so good." That was a thrill being nominated for an Oscar. A dream thrill. "Sliding Doors" was the first song I had in a movie, and that moment was most exciting for me because I had never heard myself used in a film before.
GC: They used the same song, 'Thank You,' during the love scene with Ellen DeGeneres and Sharon Stone in "If These Walls Could Talk 2". Have you seen that?
D: Oh, totally!
GC: What'd you think of your song being used during a lesbian sex scene?
D: That was really cool! There have been so many good uses. It's just been brilliant, and I've been really lucky.
Source
Singer-songwriter on 'loyal' gay following, anger issues and which song of hers she doesn't want at your wedding
Celebrity Interview by Chris Azzopardi
It would be easy to mistake Dido as being as mellow as her music – but don't.
In our chat, the British singer-songwriter – promoting her first album in five years, Girl Who Got Away – didn't just chat about her gay fans and the Eminem song that launched her career. We found out what turns the musically meek songstress into an angry beast. Let's just say this: Tequila makes Dido dangerous.
GC: Welcome back, Dido.
D: Thank you very much. It's nice to be back.
GC: When did you recognize you had a gay following?
D: Pretty instantly, I would say. I've always had a very loyal gay following, which I'm very thankful for.
GC: Do you have a lot of gay people in your own life?
D: Oh yeah, tons. I mean, friends, work people... everybody.
GC: Everybody?
D: (Laughs) No, not everybody, but a huge amount. I'm surrounded by very good people.
GC: Two of your biggest singles, 'Thank You' and 'Don't Leave Home,' are wedding favorites.
D: It's funny: I think 'Don't Leave Home' at a wedding is just completely weird. It surprises me that anybody has that at their wedding. It's a song about being incredibly claustrophobic. (Laughs) People are like, "I've played that at my wedding," and I'm like, "Why, if I can be honest?" I guess it's the title. 'Thank You,' though, is a perfect wedding song, and I've actually sang it at quite a few friends' weddings. But if someone asked me to play 'Don't Leave Home,' I'd just be like, "Really?"
GC: Have you ever sung at a gay wedding?
D: I haven't actually, no. I haven't really sung at many weddings. It takes quite a bit of alcohol and coaxing to get me to sing at anyone's wedding.
GC: What kind of alcohol?
D: Back then I used to drink quite a lot of tequila, but then that all went a bit wrong and I found that's just the one thing I cannot drink. So now I like to drink wine. Does that mean I'm getting old? It probably does. (Laughs) But tequila makes me get into fights.
GC: Tequila makes you fight?
D: Yeah! It used to make me weirdly aggressive – and I'm like the most unaggressive person ever. (Laughs) But tequila makes me quite angry.
GC: But, Dido, you seem so mellow.
D: It takes so much to piss me off. Someone's gotta poke at me quite a lot to get me even remotely angry, but if I have tequila, I'll just get angry at the next person who comes around.
GC: How personal is Girl Who Got Away in relation to your other three albums?
D: All my albums are pretty personal. You can't help your life filtering into your songs – or if you're me, you can't. I can't help it. I'm a very open person. I'm very honest in life and I'm very honest in my music, as well. I think I'm always going to write that way.
GC: Who is the "girl" and who/what/where is she trying to get away from?
D: Actually, my brother (Rollo Armstrong) is the "girl who got away," and he wrote most of those lyrics.
GC: There's some gender-bending going on there.
D: (Laughs) Definitely! I love that song ('Girl Who Got Away'). He sent me the lyrics and I just remember reading it thinking, "I love this song." It's about so many things: about how I used to feel, that sort of restless feeling, that feeling of maybe there's another life somewhere and that feeling of wanting to be exceptional but not quite reaching it. It's my favorite song. But then, as far as the title of the album, it's also about everyone reaching out to me (saying) that I keep disappearing, and it was quite a good comment on that. I don't think I was disappearing, but everyone else thought so.
GC: Maybe because it's been five years since you released an album. What's your life like when you're away from music?
D: I'm never really away from music. I might be away from the public eye, but I'm never away from music. I'm always making it, I'm always writing it, I'm always playing it, and then obviously it builds up into an album and I put it out and I'm back in the public's consciousness. And then I'm out of it again.
I took a bit of time between albums two and three just because I realized I'd been on the road for nine years at that point and that it was probably time to go home and clean up the mess I left, and so I took a bit of time in making the third album. But actually, this record I put together quite quickly. Then in the middle I had a baby. You know, a small event. (Laughs)
GC: How do you feel before an album drops?
D: Oh my god, I'm so excited. I've only put out three records in my life; this is only my fourth, and so this is still so fresh and exciting to me. It feels like the first time I ever put a record out. I'm really proud of this album. I feel like it's my best record. It was such a fun record to make. Me and brother just had such a brilliant time. I'm so lucky to have my brother as my producer. It's just a happy record for me.
GC: What kind of place in your life were you at when you recorded the song 'Let Us Move On'?
D: You know how we all go around saying life is short? I remember saying once, "Life is actually really long, and not in a bad way but in a good way." When things are just really dark, when you look back on it, this will be such a small moment in your life. You know when something's so huge you can't get past it? Actually, it's not. It's just a very small part of a very big life.
GC: Your debut, No Angel, obviously had such a huge impact on your career, as did your featured spot on Eminem's 'Stan.' Did you worry about the possible repercussions of performing with one of the most controversial entertainers at the time?
D: I didn't, because when I met him he was so respectful to me and treated me so well. I saw integrity. I think he's one of the greatest storytellers around, and so no. As a real fan of his music, I have a lot of respect for him musically, and he treated me well. That, for me, was enough. I just really enjoyed working with him.
GC: You had mentioned to Playboy once that people kept asking you about your feelings on the misogyny and homophobia in his music. Working with him, did you feel sucked into that controversy?
D: I didn't really feel sucked into it, to be quite honest. I'd heard that he was making a social commentary on things and I just thought he was a great storyteller and I didn't get too sucked into it. Isn't that, I guess, why he performed with Elton John at the Grammys?
GC: Yeah, he was debunking the homophobia talk.
D: Yeah, exactly. I go on the person I see in front of me, and he was really not a misogynist to me at all. Quite the opposite. Just utterly respectful – and all the people around him were utterly respectful, as well.
GC: Many of your songs have been featured on television and in film. For you, what's a standout scene that included one of your songs?
D: Being played during "127 Hours" was really cool. While I was watching it, I was wincing and listening to my song and thinking, "This is so wrong but so good." That was a thrill being nominated for an Oscar. A dream thrill. "Sliding Doors" was the first song I had in a movie, and that moment was most exciting for me because I had never heard myself used in a film before.
GC: They used the same song, 'Thank You,' during the love scene with Ellen DeGeneres and Sharon Stone in "If These Walls Could Talk 2". Have you seen that?
D: Oh, totally!
GC: What'd you think of your song being used during a lesbian sex scene?
D: That was really cool! There have been so many good uses. It's just been brilliant, and I've been really lucky.
Source
Inscription à :
Articles (Atom)