Music & Profile Star

In 1995, Dido began recording demo tracks which were put together on a collection entitled Odds & Ends and sent out by Nettwerk management. Nettwerk had signed her afterwards she was brought to their attention by her collaborations with Faithless (Dido co-wrote and provided vocals for album tracks, such as "Flowerstand Man" and "Hem of His Garment") and the UK dance act spearheaded by her brother, Rollo Armstrong.

The appeal was released by Nettwerk on CD-R acetate in 1995 and featured a mixture of finished productions and demo versions which she later considered for free on her debut album, released in 1999 as No Angel. Odds & Ends brought her to the aid of Arista Records, who signed her in the USA, striking a hand with her brother's record label, Cheeky Records, to co-sign her. Of the tracks included on Odds & Ends, "Take My Hand" was included on all editions of No Angel as a bonus track; "Sweet Eyed Baby" was remixed and renamed to "Don't Mean of Me", while "Worthless" and "Me" were released only on the Japanese edition.Breakthrough (1998-2000)Cheeky Records, to which Dido was signed, was sold to BMG records in 1999. This delayed the loss of No Angel in the United Kingdom, but also allowed her to focus on promoting the album No Angel in the United States, including a slot on Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair tour. Through touring, both earlier and later the album was available, Dido's music began to receive more exposure. The first official single chosen by Dido and her label, "Here with Me", was exploited as the theme music for the tv programme Roswell. Arguably it was this, as well as the airplay on MTV throughout Europe of the single's video, which brought her mass attention.In 1998, the music producer for the film Sliding Doors picked her track "Thank You" for the soundtrack. No Angel was first released in 1999, and Dido toured extensively to promote the record.Eminem helped introduce Dido to the US audience in 2000 when he sampled the 1st verse of "Thank You" in his UK number-one single "Stan", after seeking permission from Dido herself; she also appeared in the music video as Stan's long-suffering girlfriend. She reportedly did not need to do the picture at first, as she was uncomfortable with the setting in the picture where she had to be fastened up and make her mouth covered with duct tape, but later agreed to it and got on comfortably with Eminem and the crowd on set. Interest soared in her debut album, leading it to hit charts in Europe on import sales alone, charting in the top 5 on the UK albums chart before its official UK re-release. "Thank You" was also sampled by the Airheadz in their trance track "Stanley Here I am" originally as a bootleg, but later entering the UK Top 40 in in April 2001.No Angel (1999-2002)