dido

Dido was born on December 25, 1971, in London, England. Her unusual name can be attributed to the African warrior queen she was named after. The daughter of a literary agent and a poet (Dido's mother used to write poems as a hobby), she grew up without the luxury of television.

But, Dido still found a form of entertainment in music, as did her brother Rollo, who is presently the lead singer in the popular British trip-hop band, Faithless. Dido kept busy teaching herself how to play the recorder (a kind of flute), which led to her acceptance into the prestigious Guildhall School of Music in London at age 6.

who said she couldn't sing?

And her innate talent at playing instruments became even clearer when she moved from the recorder to playing the piano and the violin. Originally only interested in instruments, Dido became fascinated with music after listening to jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald at age 16. Influenced by her brother's eclectic record collection and the sultry Ella, Dido began singing with several bands.

Despite the discouragement of her brother, who was not impressed by his sister's voice, Dido did not intend on giving up singing. So she worked in publishing and attended law school by day and sang lead vocals in different London venues by night.

Ironically, he who initially dissuaded her from singing eventually led to the start of her music career. Dido appeared on the debut album of Faithless' Reverence in 1996, which went on to sell 5 million copies. Dido's work with Faithless helped propel her career, and she toured with her brother's group for the next 2 years, giving her even more musical experience. By this point, her brother Rollo knew Dido was talented, as did Arista Records.

The record company heard some demos that Dido had recorded of her own songs -- while on touring hiatus -- and they invited her to meet with über-producer Clive Davis in 1997. She sang for Mr. Davis, who provided backup for her, and she was signed to the record company.