Dido

In the ‘90s, major UK electronic artists like Massive Attack, Everything But the Girl and Faithless (for which pop singer Dido once sang lead) brought club music into homes across the world by slowing down tempos and incorporating more contemplative lyrics. Within a few years, Dido—born Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong in Kensington, London, in 1971—capitalised on this trend by crafting solo tracks built on vocals that were at once glassy and languid and lyrics that were both personal and universal. From the moment her full-length debut, No Angel, dropped in 1999, she was making dance pop that helped audiences achieve living room bliss. But most listeners got to know her when Eminem sampled her 1998 single “Thank You” on the rapper’s 2000 mega-hit “Stan”, turning a portrait of a disturbed stalker into a scene of shared pathos. Her second album, 2003’s Life for Rent, performed the magic trick of making the singer’s inner pain relatable to her fans. What’s more, she takes the initial loneliness of the title track and the heartbreak of ”White Flag” and transforms them into triumphant self-affirmations with her unbowed singing style. Since then, she’s collaborated with Questlove on her 2008 album, Safe Trip Home, and A.R. Rahman on 2010’s Oscar-nominated “If I Rise” from the 127 Hours soundtrack, while keeping her inimitable voice and lyrical perspective front and centre. Dido’s 2019 album, Still on My Mind, recorded mostly from the artist’s home, is a collection of electro-folk songs performed in the wake of an unseen passion and breakup, which works as a musical backdrop to a makeout session on the couch or a good cry in bed.